PhD in law is a 3 year doctorate degree that specializes you in the law study. You can complete this course within a maximum time span of 5 years. PhD in law trains you to lead the judiciary, academic, government, business and other alike sectors. The course curriculum is divided into 4 semesters.
To pursue PhD in law you must possess the minimum qualification i.e. either you have to appear for the entrance test or you should have a minimum of 55% in masters degree in law or social science.
You can also opt for a PhD in law course from distance learning. There are no. of colleges offering PhD in law from correspondence like IGNOU. After the course completion, ample lucrative job opportunities are available to you in both the government and private sector.
PhD in Law: Course Highlights
| Course Level | Doctoral Degree |
| Full Form | Doctor of Philosophy in Law |
| Duration | 3-5 Years |
| Admission process | Either by Entrance test or by Merit List |
| Eligibility | Minimum 55% score in Master’s degree in law or in social science stream |
| Course Fee | INR 25,000 – 4 Lakhs per annum |
| Average Salary Offered | Up to INR 4 Lakhs – 13 Lakhs per annum |
| Career prospects | Lawyer, Oath Administrator, Notary, Judge, Author and others |
What is a PhD in Law Course?
- PhD in Law is a course that focuses on both civil and criminology law.
- This course helps you to have a strong grip on application of law in different legal situations.
- This course involves both research and academic approach to the law study.
- If you are interested in learning more about human rights, criminal justice, urban planning and other law related issues, then you should go for a PhD in law course.
- A candidate has to come through various research works, coursework, teaching, to attain the PhD in Law degree.
Why Study PhD in Law?
There are several advantages to pursuing the degree of PhD in law.
- Having a PhD degree in law, makes you capable of teaching the subject at university level. Also, you can promote the development of this field.
- The program of PhD in Law is created to make the students pursue their career in this subject they can either study or teach jurisprudence.
- PhD is the highest educational qualification one can attain. Also having a degree in law, you can access multiple job options. Merging these two, having a PhD degree in Law will make you an expert in this field, giving a lot of career and job options.
- There are various educational institutes who welcome applications from those aspirants who have a knack in researching interdisciplinary fields. Having this degree in your qualification helps them to attain advanced training in those other fields, promoting well rounded education.
- Having this degree enables you to do a lot of research work as well as attending conferences. This conferences help an individual to make more sources and contacts with professionals of a different field.
PhD in Law: Admission Process
There are some of the common entrance tests for admission in PhD in law courses that are widely accepted by the institutes. To apply for admission application submission in a particular institute you need to follow the below given steps:
- Visit the official page of the institution and go through all the details related to PhD in law admissions.
- Next step is to fill the application form, upload all required documents as per the guidelines and then make the fee payment.
- Submit your research proposal with the application form if asked by that particular institute.
These research proposals are asked for a scrutiny process. After the scrutiny, and the result declaration of entrance exams, they prepare a merit list and then shortlist candidates who then appear for GD and PI sessions (if any).
PhD in Law: Eligibility Criteria
In order to pursue PhD in law, you should meet the below mentioned eligibility criteria:
- A minimum of 55% marks in master\’s degree in either law or in social science stream.
- There is a 5% relaxation too for SC/ST and physically disabled categories of the society.
- The qualifying percentage may differ from institute to institute. Apart from this, you also have to appear for common entrance exams conducted at National and University level.
PhD in Law: Entrance Exams
Many of the colleges offering PhD in law have their own entrance examinations. Few of those exams are listed below:
AILET 2021: AILET (All India Law Entrance Test) is the exam conducted by National Law university (NLU) to offer admissions to law aspirants in UG, PG and doctorate courses. Important dates regarding AILET application process are mentioned below:
| ENTRANCE TEST | IMPORTANT DATES |
|---|---|
| AILET 2021 Application Form Availability | January 23, 2020 |
| Last Date of application Submission | June 25, 2020 |
| AILET 2021 Admit Card Release date | Fourth Week of June, 2021 |
| AILET 2021 Exam Date | July 30, 2021 |
| AILET 2021 Result Declaration | July 2021 |
Some of the colleges/universities accept CLAT scores too.
CLAT 2021: Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2021, is the centralised law exam offering admissions in law colleges for UGand PG degrees. Important dates for the same are given below:
| ENTRANCE TEST | IMPORTANT DATES |
|---|---|
| CLAT 2021 Application Form Availability | January 1 , 2021 |
| Last date of Application Submission | June 15, 2020 |
| CLAT 2021 Admit Card Release Date | July 14, 2021 |
| CLAT 2021 Examination Date | July 23, 2021 |
| CLAT 2021 Result Declaration | To be notified |
Other exams you can appear for admissions in PhD in law course are:
- LPU NEST
- ACLAT
- ILICAT
- UGC NET
- SLET and others
How to Prepare for a PhD in Law Entrance Examination?
Generally, a PhD in law entrance examination consists of 5 sections that are listed below:
- English
- GK and Current Affairs
- Mathematics
- Legal Aptitude
- Logical Reasoning
You need to work hard to make these sections as your strong and scoring points.
As a PhD is the highest degree certification so it needs special preparation for qualifying. Few points you can take care of while preparing for the exams are as follows:
- Start preparing for these entrance exams in advance because these exams are tough in nature. These exams need a proper time span for preparation.
- There are 5 sections in this entrance exam, you need to prepare them section wise by preparing separate notes for each one of them.
- Create a study plan for yourself that can be executed successfully.
- Use fewer books to study, as lots of books create more confusion and panic.
- Don’t waste time on difficult questions, finish those questions first in which you are really good.
PhD in Law Course Comparison
Check out the course comparison of PhD in law courses, with other related courses.
PhD in Law Vs LLD
PhD in Law stands for Doctor of Philosophy in Law and LLD stands for Doctor of Law. Both the courses are based on in-depth research. It depends on your interest which course you would like to pursue. Below are some of the key differences between PhD in law and LLD:
| Parameters | PhD in Law | LLD |
|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Ph.D can be abbreviated as Doctor of Philosophy in Law. | LLD can be abbreviated as Doctor of Law.. |
| Duration | 3-4 years | 3 years |
| Average Fee | INR 50,000 per annum | INR 75,000 per annum |
| Average Salary package | Up to INR 4-13 Lakhs per annum | Up to INR 4-20 Lakhs per annum |
PhD in Law: Top Colleges
Some of the top universities according to the Outlook Magazine Ranking for pursuing PhD in Law is described in the table below:
| Name of the College | Admission Procedure | Average Annual Fees |
|---|---|---|
| National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore | CLAT Entrance Exam | INR 2.25 Lakhs |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata | Entrance Test | INR 1.71 Lakhs |
| Faculty of Law, BHU, Varanasi | CRET Entrance Exam | INR 1.8 Lakhs |
| Faculty of Law (Jamia Millia Islamia), New Delhi | JMI Law Entrance Exam | INR 15,000 |
| KIIT, School Of Law, Bhubaneswar | Merit Based | INR 1.5 Lakh |
| Hidayatullah National Law University | PhD Entrance Test | INR 2.25 Lakhs |
| CMR Law School | Merit Based | INR 1.3 Lakhs |
| National Law University, Odisha | Merit Based | INR 1.32 Lakhs |
Comparison of Different PhD in Law Colleges
| Parameter | National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore | Faculty of Law (Jamia Millia Islamia), New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook Rank | 1 | 6 |
| Overview | This is a state university established in 1987. It is recognised by the Bar Council of India. It accepts CLAT scores for admissions. | It is a public central university established in 1920. It is recognised by AICTE and UGC. It offers all UG, PG and Doctorate courses. |
| Average Fees | INR 2.25 Lakhs | INR 15,000 |
| Average Package Offered | Up to INR 15 Lakhs | Up to INR 8 Lakhs |
PhD in Law: Syllabus
The core subjects that the PhD in Law syllabus covers are listed below:
| Course 1 | Course 2 |
|---|---|
| Research Methodology | Constitutional Law |
| Research Processes | Jurisprudence |
| Methods of Investigation and tools for collection of data | – |
Course 3 involves the seminars and presentations in the area of specialization. This course is optional and provides you with a list of areas of specializations including Cyber law, Environment law, Human Rights, Public International law and alike. Course 4 includes the seminars and presentations in the area of research.
PhD in Law: Distance Education
PhD in law is one of those doctorate courses that can be pursued from distance learning. There are no. of good and top ranked colleges that are offering PhD in law courses from correspondence or part time. The most interesting subject about this course is that, in India PhD in law offers a course in cyber law and corporate law. Listed below are few of the top colleges that offer Phd in law course from distance learning:
| Name of the College | Average Annual Fees |
|---|---|
| Alliance University, Bangalore | INR 3.5 Lakhs |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow | INR 1.61 Lakhs |
| Sharda University, Greater Noida | INR 1.5 Lakhs |
| The National University of Advanced Legal Studies | INR 80,750 |
| Chanakya National Law University, Patna | INR 1.14 Lakh |
PhD in Law: Career Prospects
A PhD in law graduate who has successfully completed the course can get a job in almost all the sectors in India. They can also apply for government jobs. Few of the job prospects are discussed below with their job roles:
| CareerProspects | Description | Average Salary Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Notary | Role of a Notary is to authenticate and attest the documents. They also help in preparation of other documents like bonds, legal papers and alike. | Up to INR 3 Lakhs per annum |
| Judge | The responsibility of a judge is to give the verdict on both civil and criminal cases after hearing the parties. | Up to INR 8 Lakhs per annum |
| Lawyer | Role of a Lawyer is to do legal research work, prepare legal documents, and advise their clients on the same. | Up to INR 6.9 Lakhs per annum |
| Authors | They write about the legal thesis and law related subjects. | Up to INR 4 Lakh per year |