PhD in Law and Society

Fees, Policies and Regulations

Please refer to the Academic Calendar for information on fees, policies and regulations regarding your graduate program.

Helpful tips for your graduate studies program.

Program duration

Minimum 1 year (three terms) enrolment.
Maximum seven years (21 terms) enrolment to program completion.
Time to completion averages 3 years (9 terms) to five years (15 terms).

Residency

Our aim is to build a cohesive community, and to support the development of your dissertation.

First year must be completed full-time, on-campus, in Victoria.
Full-time attendance is required.

International programs and support

The International Centre for Students (ICS) provides international support services, information and programs for graduate students, from pre-arrival to degree completion.

ICS programming and resources are for new and current UVic graduate students.

Orientation

Orientation events are the best way to start your UVic experience.

You arrive in time for the Opening Assembly for the Faculty of Law.
An itinerary is provided in August detailing all orientation events in the Faculty of Law, as well as campus-wide orientation sessions for graduate, Indigenous, and international students.

Supervisory Committee

PhD in Law and Society supervisory committee follows one of two structures:

Co-Supervisor (Law), Member (Law) and Co-Supervisor (non-law discipline); or
Supervisor (Law), Member (Law) and Outside Member (non-law discipline).

The level of responsibility and participation for each role within these structures is outlined in the Graduate Program Handbook.

Course Requirements

LAW 501: Graduate Seminar in Law and Society (1.5 units)
LAW 502: Graduate Seminar in Applied Legal Methodology (1.5 units)
Two additional courses (3.0 units) - may be an upper-year law undergraduate course, law graduate course, and/or graduate-level course in another discipline.
LAW 693: PhD Candidacy Examination (3.0 units)
LAW 699: PhD Dissertation (21.0-36.0 units)

Courses require prior approval by your supervisory committee and graduate advisor.

You are not permitted to register in a course that is the same or substantively similar to a course you have taken for undergraduate credit, either here or at another university.

You should complete all courses by the end of your second term.

After the first two terms, you are responsible for ongoing registration in Law 693 until you have passed your candidacy examination. After successful completion of Law 693, you are then responsible for ongoing registration in Law 699 until completion of program.

Candidacy Examination

Students begin research and writing for the PhD candidacy exam in the third term.
Students should complete the PhD candidacy exam by end of their second year.
A candidacy exam workshop is held each year to support this requirement.
Please refer to student procedures and guidelines for more information.

Evaluation and Grading

Please familiarise yourself with the graduate grading system. COM and CIC grades do not apply to the law graduate program. Graduate students must maintain a grade point average of at least B for every session in which they are registered.

Policy on Academic Integrity

You must avoid any form of academic dishonesty. See policy on academic integrity.

Program Milestones

Review the PhD dissertation milestones.

Annual Progress Report

The Faculty of Graduate Studies requires that each graduate student and their supervisory committee submits an Annual Progress Report. This takes stock of progress and identifies any problems that may be impeding the development of your work. The graduate program coordinator will email the form to you and two of your supervisory committee members for completion during the fall term each year.

Graduation and Convocation

For more information on the above, please go to graduation-convocation.

Questions?

Still have questions?

Go to Program Administration for information on who to contact.