The School of Law offers nine taught Masters programmes designed for students with a first degree in law:
We also offer the MA in Law - a two-year, accelerated, full-time postgraduate law degree, aimed at non-law graduates or graduates with foreign law degrees who wish to enter the legal profession in England and Wales.
We also offer the MSc in Socio-Legal Studies.
We offer two research degrees – Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) and the PhD.
The School of Law does not offer a CPE or Diploma in Law course; however, the MA in Law is recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and by the Bar Standards Board as a qualifying senior status law degree for practice in England and Wales. The degree programme develops students’ core legal skills and affords opportunity for specialist legal study in the second year, thus enabling the MA students to obtain a deeper understanding of law than is possible in a one year CPE course.
The application deadlines are as follows:
LLM by Advanced Study
International applications 1 June
UK/EU applications 1 July.
All applications 1 August.
7 July for applicants who wish to apply for a School of Law Research Award (if available). Otherwise research students can apply at any time although applications should be received at least two months before the candidate’s preferred start date (either January, April or October each year).
Taught LLM, MA and MSc
Candidates are not normally interviewed.
PhD and M.Phil.
All potential research students are normally interviewed either in Bristol or over the telephone (International and European applicants only).
Applicants are welcome to defer their applications, requests should be made in writing to the Postgraduate Office. All postgraduate applications are stored for a maximum of one year after which they are confidentially destroyed (as required by the Data Protection Act).
Please consult the University's Disability Statement.
Fee information can be found from the University of Bristol’s fees pages.
The University of Bristol Law School has several standard routes by which research students can apply for funding. Applicants should make careful notes of the deadlines applicable to each route, as well as the main deadlines on the Key Application Information page. Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence.
The MSc in Socio-Legal Studies at the School of Law, and the PhD that may follow it, are also recognised by the ESRC for the purpose of awards on a 1+3 or +3 basis. Information on ESRC funding can be found from the ESRC's postgraduate funding pages.
Information about other funding sources, can be obtained from the Student Funding Office. Please note that competition for scholarships and bursaries at Bristol is extremely fierce each year
You are welcome to visit the Postgraduate Office at any time during normal office hours (Monday - Friday: 9.00am - 1.00pm, 2.00pm - 4.30pm). To get the most out of your visit, please contact the Postgraduate Office in advance so that staff are available to answer your questions and give you a brief guided tour of the School of Law. To arrange a visit please contact us on
+44 (0)117 954 5225 or email law-pg-admissions@bris.ac.uk.
Please note that it is not possible to book appointments with the Admissions Tutor.