At a glance

• Value: €5,770
• You must be a current UCC Student to be eligible for this scholarship
• Questions about this scholarship can be directed to f.coyne@ucc.ie

LLM by Research: The LLM by Research Degree involves writing a thesis of approximately 40,000 words under academic supervision

Value of Fellowship: The Scholarship will be valued at €5,770, which will cover the student’s fees for the LLM by Research. It will be tenable for one year and is non-renewable.
Supports: At least one member of the academic staff of the School of Law will act as academic supervisor to the student, and will be available for regular consultation meetings and will give feedback on draft work. A second member of the academic staff will act in a more general advisory role. The student will have access to the postgraduate research student facilities in the Law School, including dedicated office space, IT facilities and kitchen facilities. The student will be expected to attend and participate in the fortnightly School of Law Research Colloquium. A research training module tailored to the needs of legal researchers is a strongly encouraged option, and various other support workshops are run throughout the year.
Progress Review: The progress of the student will be continuously monitored by the Graduate Studies Committee in conjunction with the supervisor(s). A formal oral presentation will be required after 6 months.
Completion or Progression to PhD: The student will be expected to submit the completed thesis for examination after 12 months. In cases where progress has been excellent and there is potential for the project to progress to PhD standard, the student may (with the support of the supervisor) apply to progress from LLM to PhD (Track) registration without submitting a completed thesis for examination. All such applications are considered by the Graduate Studies Committee pursuant to an oral presentation and submission of written work and a progress report. Approval of progression to PhD does not carry automatic approval of funding for the additional two years; students would have to apply separately for any such competitive scholarship schemes as may be available at that time.
Applications will be assessed by the Graduate Studies Committee of the School of Law.
To be eligible for a research degree in law, “a candidate must have obtained a standard of at least Second Class Honours, Grade 1, in an approved primary degree, or presented such other evidence as will satisfy the School of his/her fitness.”
The following criteria must be satisfied:

• Possession of a good upper second class or first class (or equivalent) degree in law (or a related discipline);
• Availability of suitable supervisor
• Demonstration of aptitude for original research through the submission of a Research Proposal, which should contain the following elements:

• Description of project, including aim and central research questions (1000 words)
• Methodology, including theoretical framework and investigative and analytical methods (500 words)
• Relationship to existing literature and proposed contribution to knowledge in the field of study (500 words)
• Research plan, including organisation and scheduling of work (500 words)
• Sample Bibliography
• Statement of suitability of UCC Law School to host your proposed research project (including available supervision and other resources) (500 words).

• Two academic references must be submitted with the application documentation.

The research postgraduate programme at UCC Law is home to a very dynamic group of research students and enjoys dedicated office facilities and research training. Our research students are active participants in the research community in the School of Law, through attendance at seminars, clinics, workshops, conferences etc, as appropriate.

Further details are available at www.ucc.ie/en/law-postgrad/ 

Note: These awards are funded from endowments made by the respective donors to the University for awards to be made in perpetuity. The funds donated are invested, and the annual income is the amount available for the award. Due to fluctuation in the investment market, the amounts available from year to year may vary, upwards and downwards; for this reason, the value of any award referred to in this section is indicative only, and may be higher or lower when the amount of the award is completed.