PhD in Law

Language: English

Credits: 240 ECTS

Delivered: On Campus

Campus Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Disciplines: Criminal Law; Public Law; Legal Studies

Overview

This period also provides training in research methodologies and other complementary skills. Towards the end of the taught component of the Programme, candidates must prepare and publicly defend their thesis project. During the remaining part of the Programme (comprising five further semesters), candidates must complete their research under the guidance of their supervisor, culminating in the preparation and defence of their doctoral thesis. The Programme is internationally oriented. Its main language of instruction is English.

In 2014, FCT, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (the national funding agency for science, research and technology) awarded the NOVA School of Law Third Cycle Programme the prestigious FCT PhD programme status. It is thus far the only public higher education institution to have been bestowed with this distinction in the field of legal studies. FCT’s generous funding of this Programme has allowed NOVA School of Law to award over 50 research grants to some of its most talented doctoral students. Year upon year, we attract a talented, multicultural cohort of candidates from all corners of the world. This funding also allows a good portion of our annual student intake to carry out their research full-time. This has proved to be an essential element in the creation of a vibrant and close-knit community of doctoral students, who are active in many of NOVA Law School’s research initiatives.

The Law programme at Universidade Nova de Lisboa admits 25 doctoral candidates each academic year. Numbers are low and therefore admission into the Programme is highly competitive, as NOVA School of Law seeks to ensure that every doctoral candidate is afforded sufficient individualised attention and supervision.

Objectives

The main goal of the Programme is to provide advanced training to promote state-of-the-art academic research. In the process, the programme prepares the next generation of highly-qualified legal professionals to enter the market ready to face the challenges of our time and to pursue a career in academia. As well as fostering knowledge creation across all legal disciplines, the programme encourages an interdisciplinary and international approach to legal studies. It familiarises candidates with new technologies and research techniques, promotes team-based research and collaboration in all fields of the law, and creates networking opportunities with other national and international academic institutions.

Visit the programme website for more information

Programme Structure

Courses include:

• Law & Society
• Methodologies of Legal Analysis
• Law, Politics and Security
• Public Law
• Private Law
• Criminal Law
• International Law
• European Law
• Methodology of Legal Research
• Scientific Publication

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Admission requirements

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Other requirements

General requirements

• Holders of a master’s degree or legal equivalent;
• Holders of a particularly relevant academic, scientific or professional curriculum that is recognised by the Scientific Council as attesting to an ability equivalent to that of holders of a master’s degree.
• A specific condition for entry to the Programme is proficiency in English equivalent to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

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Fees and funding

Tuition Fees

International: 6,469 AUD/year (≈ 4,000 EUR/year)

EU/EEA Nationals: 3,882 AUD/year (≈ 2,400 EUR/year)

Living costs

Lisbon, Portugal: 1,019–1,816 AUD/month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

CEDIS – NOVA School of Law’s Research & Development Centre will, expectedly, have PhD Scholarships funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology to be awarded to PhD students of recognised merit who are admitted to and attend NOVA School of Law’s PhD programme in Law. Information on the procedure and deadlines for applying for these scholarships will be publicised immediately after the results of the evaluation process underway at the Foundation for Science and Technology are known.

Other scholarships are available at https://novalaw.unl.pt/en/study-in-lisbon/#scholarshipsNOVA.