How to apply for a Law research degree
Applications to the PhD and the Master of Laws (Research) are open twice per year for domestic students and once per year for international students. The Faculty of Law runs a pre-assessment process prior to applicants lodging a formal application. Your pre-assessment documents should be lodged at least 6 weeks in advance of the formal GRS application deadlines.
Information on formal application deadlines can be found on the UTS GRS deadlines page.
Research at UTS Law - Our Engagement
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Laurie Berg: I feel really blessed because my research is so about engagement. It means I’m working with all sorts of people every day. It absolutely feels worthwhile when people who I’m talking to feel heard, that there is going to be increasing attention on issues that really deserve a lot of concern.
David Carter: I had worked in hospitals for at least 15 years before I started my academic work. The thing that always concerned me was whether or not we were doing our best to support patients and their families to go through the system. So, for that reason, I always thought to keep those people that I’d known in my own health care practice at the forefront of my mind as I did the hard work of research, so that maybe next time someone comes to a hospital or a health care service, the result might be better than for those people I knew back then.
Postgraduate research pre-assessment process
There are many factors to consider when deciding on a course of postgraduate research study in law. It's quite a commitment - for you and the supervisor. So to set candidates up for the best chance of success, the Faculty of Law has developed a pre-assessment process which you will need to follow prior to making a formal central application to UTS.
This way, you get a more thorough understanding of eligibility requirements, compatible areas of research and supervisor suitability. In short, our academic staff request and review a list of documents you supply upfront and from there, we're better able to advise on what might be needed to develop a full research proposal for consideration.
To begin pre-assessment, please email the Law Research Office:
- Copies of your academic transcripts (in English)
- CV/Resume, use UTS CV Template
- A short (500 words) outline of your proposed topic
- A cover letter expressing why you wish to do postgraduate research and why you would like to study at UTS Faculty of Law
The pre-assessment process helps us to give you advice about whether:
- You are likely to meet our eligibility requirements
- We can offer supervision in your chosen research area
- You appear to have a viable research topic.
This can save you time and avoid the burden of a formal application if it is unlikely that we would be able to offer you a place.
You should commence the informal assessment process well ahead of closing dates for formal applications as pre-assessment to admission may take several weeks or months depending upon the information we need from you and state of readiness of your research proposal.
The Faculty Research Officer will get back to you within 2 to 3 weeks with an evaluation of academic merit based on the documents provided to us by email.
Please note that lodging a formal GRS application without undertaking a pre-assessment will result in the application being declined.
Any questions, and/or your pre-assessment requirements can be emailed to law.research@uts.edu.au.
If you have any further questions, please email UTS Law Research.
What happens next?
The pre-assessment process will determine if you should proceed with lodging a formal application via the UTS Graduate Research School, through the Online Application System.
Find out how to lodge a formal GRS application.
