PhD in Law: Fees: Admission, Eligibility, Syllabus, Jobs, Salary

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:

  1. LPU NEST
  2. ACLAT
  3. ILICAT
  4. UGC NET
  5. 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:

  1. English
  2. GK and Current Affairs
  3. Mathematics
  4. Legal Aptitude
  5. 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
Comparison of PhD in Law Colleges

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:

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
Jobs

PhD in Law FAQs

Ques: What is the duration of PhD in law course?

Ans: The course duration is 3 years. You can complete the course in a maximum time span of 5 years.

Ques: Can an aspirant pursue PhD from distance learning?

Ans: Though Phd can’t be done from distance learning but PhD in law is the exception course that can be pursued from correspondence.

Ques: What courses are similar to PhD in law?

Ans: Courses that are related to or are similar to PhD in law course are LLD (Doctor of Law) and M.Phil in law.

Ques: What are the career prospects after completion of PhD in law course?

Ans: An aspirant can be an author, lawyer, judge or apply for notary position too.

Ques. What is the purpose of a PhD in Law degree?

Ans. The significant purpose of PhD in Law is to administer a thorough and rich foundation in research, legal theory, jurisprudence, methodologies, policy, and dissertation preparation.

Ques. Which is higher in between JD and PhD?

Ans. Comparing the two, a PhD degree is a bit hard. In JD, candidates are able to finish the course with ease, as it takes only 3 years to complete. On the other hand, PhD is a minimum of 5 to 6 years of program, where in the second phase candidates have to work harder and do original research.

Ques. What is the highest degree in Law?

Ans. The highest degree in LAW one can attain is Doctorate of Judicial Science (SJD).

Ques. What is the difference between JD and PhD?

Ans. PhD is research doctorate and JD is professional doctorate. PhD consists of less work, whereas in JD you will find almost every exclusive course.

Ques. Can anyone pursue a PhD in Law, after doing LLB?

Ans. No. One who completed LLB will not be able to do a PhD in Law. Only if a candidate does LLM, he or she is eligible to pursue the course.