Ph.D. Program

The Queen's Doctoral Degree in Law

Peter Atidiwe Atupare, Queen's doctoral law student from Ghana.

The doctoral program in law at Queen's gives students with a proven record of high academic achievement the opportunity to engage in advanced research and writing under the guidance and supervision of established legal scholars with a view to a career in the academy or in areas of legal or policy work that involve scholarly, critical or reflective analyses. The focus of this three-year program is the completion of a doctoral dissertation-a major piece of academic work that represents an original or distinct contribution to legal scholarship.

We welcome applications from students having a broad range of research interests. Diverse approaches to research methods-doctrinal, theoretical, comparative, sociological, etc.-are also encouraged. Please see Areas of Graduate Study for more information about areas of supervision. For detailed information concerning the research interests and scholarly achievements of Queen's law faculty members, please go to Faculty Profiles and the faculty Research page.

Doctoral students are valued members of the law school. While studying at Queen's they may be able to teach courses in the law school, or work in collaboration with faculty members on externally-funded research projects. They are invited to participate in faculty workshops, lectures and seminars. They are encouraged to engage intellectually with other students and faculty in a variety of formal and informal ways. In short, they are a key part of a vibrant scholarly community at Queen's.

Who may apply?

The doctoral program is for students who have excelled in their previous legal studies and who want to pursue academic work in law at the highest levels. Candidates should therefore normally have a first or undergraduate law degree (J.D., LL.B. or equivalent) and a graduate law degree at the Masters level (LL.M. or equivalent). Exceptional applicants may be admitted directly to the Ph.D. program after obtaining a J.D. or LL.B. For more information please go to Admissions and Application Procedures and Deadlines.

Is there financial support?

The decision to undertake doctoral studies involves a serious commitment, not only of time and energy but of financial resources too. We are committed to providing as much assistance as possible to doctoral law students at Queen's. We will endeavour to provide doctoral students who do not obtain external funding financial resources equivalent to tuition plus $15,000 per year.

What are the program requirements?

The Queen's Ph.D. in law is a three-year program leading to the completion and oral defence of a doctoral dissertation. Students must be at Queen's for least one academic year (normally September to April), or two academic years if admitted without an LL.M. or equivalent Masters degree in law. Each student works closely with a faculty supervisor and a supervisory committee of two other faculty members (one of whom can be from outside the law school) to fulfil the following requirements:

• Students who have not completed the two mandatory graduate seminars of the Queen's LL.M. program (Legal Theory & Perspectivesand Legal Research & Writing), or similar courses at another institution, will be required to take these courses.
• In their first year, students will take or audit other graduate-level courses relevant to their research topic, as recommended by their supervisor and in consultation with their supervisory committee.
• Also in their first year, students will complete a course of directed reading set by their supervisor and supervisory committee with a view to broadening their perspectives on methodological, theoretical, doctrinal, social, historical, political or other contexts relevant to their research topic.
• At the end of their first year of research, or upon completion of required courses and the course of directed reading, students must pass an oral qualifying exam before a committee composed of the student's supervisor, another member of the law faculty, and a member of a related department or faculty within the University (who may be members of the student's supervisory committee). The purpose of the exam is to ensure that the student is suitably prepared to engage in their intended research project.
• After the qualifying exam, students must submit a final thesis proposal to be approved by the supervisor, the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, and one other member of the law faculty (who may be a member of the student's supervisory committee).
• The student must research and write a doctoral dissertation or thesis that will normally be not more than 125,000 words in length.
• The student must defend his or her thesis orally before a final examination committee comprised of the Dean of Law (or his or her delegate), the student's supervisor, one other member of the law faculty, one faculty member from a related department or faculty within the University, and an external examiner from outside the University. The internal university members of the committee may be members of the student's supervisory committee.

For more information concerning the rules and regulations for the Ph.D. degree, please contact the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Law.

Please note that obtaining a doctoral degree in law in Canada does not qualify students who do not have an LL.B. or J.D. from a Canadian university to practice law in Canada. International students who are interested in practising law in Canada should contact the National Committee on Accreditation.