The Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen hereby announces a number of fully funded PhD positions to commence in September 2018.

Founded in 1479 as one of the four original faculties of the University of Copenhagen, the Faculty of Law boasts a long-standing reputation for excellence in teaching and research. The Faculty offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degree programmes in law. Through research-based education the Faculty ensures that law graduates acquire the necessary skills to succeed in their legal careers in the private or public sector both at home and abroad. With 5000 undergraduate and graduate students, over 60 PhD fellows, and an academic staff of more than 80 professors, the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen is a vibrant, diverse and intellectually stimulating academic environment. 

The Faculty offers the following fully funded PhD positions  

The PhD Programme 

The goal of the PhD Programme is threefold: to prepare candidates for a continuing career in teaching and research; to educate a new generation of scholars to produce high-quality independent research; and to equip them with the analytical and problem-solving skills required for a successful career in both the public and private sectors.  

Qualifications  

• Applicants must have obtained a degree that corresponds to the Danish Master of Laws or equivalent qualifications (see http://studyindenmark.dk/study-options/admission-requirements ). Applicants must have obtained a minimum overall grade average of 8.2 or above at the Master’s level in accordance with the Danish grading scale (for Danish scale, see http://studyindenmark.dk/study-options/the-danish-way-of-teaching-1/the-danish-grading-system )  Applicants for the integrated 3+5 PhD programme must have obtained a degree that corresponds to the Danish Bachelor of Laws (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualifications.
• Applicants may submit their application before they have completed their Master’s degree (or, for applicants for the integrated 3+5 PhD programme, before they have earned the Bachelor’s degree), however, they should have submitted the final evaluation for their course before 1 June 2018.
• Applicants must document an aptitude for research through the meritorious assessment of their final thesis, publications or academic recommendations in order to show that they are capable of undertaking the demanding task of writing a PhD thesis.
• Applicants must have excellent language skills in English and have excellent communications skills. Applicants must be able to teach at an academic level in Danish or English and to follow PhD courses in English.
• Documentation of English level can for instance be documented by an excellent IELTS or TOEFL test. http://jura.ku.dk/phd/english/applicants/language-requirements/  

Successful PhD candidates are required to

• Actively engage in the research environment at the University of Copenhagen; participate in international conferences, courses and meetings relevant to their research project;
• comply with the formal requirements of the PhD programme; (http://jura.ku.dk/pdf/forskningsservice/phd/PhD-programme-curriculum.pdf/  )
• Contribute to teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in Danish or English offered by the Faculty of Law
• Conduct independent and high quality research under the supervision of a senior member of academic staff at the Faculty.  

Application procedure

Click ’Apply now’ below to be taken to the online application form.

We advise you to have the following documents ready before you begin your online application:

• Research project proposal. This should include the following: (1) objective(s) of the research, (2) major research questions, (3) review of relevant literature, (4) methodology to be applied in the research, and (5) a timetable that plans for all course requirements to have been met within three years. The project description must elaborate on the value of the proposed research project in terms of its relevance to existing and future research in the field (maximum 6 pages excluding bibliography). The document must be in Times New Roman, font size 12, spacing 1.5 and all margins (right, left, top and bottom) of 2 cm.
• Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages).
• Diplomas and transcripts. Certified copies of original diploma(s) and transcripts (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree) in the original language and an authorized English translation if they are issued in other language than English or Danish.
• Grading scale. A certified explanation of grading scale in the original language and an authorized English translation if it is available in other language than English or Danish.
• Supervisor. The name of a member of academic staff whom you wish to have assigned as your supervisor. You do not need to contact the supervisor but simply make a request in your application.
• Letter of motivation.  Explaining the choice of the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen as a host institution for the proposed project and outlines how the project fits within the research priorities at the Faculty (maximum 1 page).
• Documentation of English level. Documentation of English level can for instance be documented by an excellent IELTS or TOEFL test.  

Applications must be submitted electronically in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or English.  

The recruitment process

After the expiry of the deadline for applicants the Dean will pre-select PhD applications that will proceed to the assessment stage upon the recommendation of the Selection Committee. Applicants are pre-selected for further assessment in line with the Faculty’s recruitment needs as described in this job advertisement. This is carried out based on the overall assessment of the applicant’s educational qualifications, the quality of the submitted research proposal and its relevance to the Faculty’s research agenda, and other relevant qualifications (e.g. relevant professional experience, any previous academic publications etc.).

All applicants are then notified by the PhD administration as to whether their application has proceeded to the assessment stage. This assessment is carried out by an expert assessment committee. Selected applicants will be notified of the composition of the assessment committee. When the committee has completed its assessment, each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the assessment. A number of qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.

Interested?

The Faculty of Law offers supervision by highly qualified academics and provides an excellent opportunity to research contemporary legal issues in an intellectually stimulating environment.

If you are offered a PhD position, you will receive a regular monthly salary in accordance with Danish law and you will be entitled to an annual research budget. The Faculty does not provide accommodation.

General information

Terms of employment

Successful candidates will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the Ministry of Finance concerning the salary of PhD students.

Closing date for applications

The closing date for applications is 22 January 2018, 23:59 GMT +1.  

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. If all the required documents are not applied, your application will be rejected.

Interviews are expected to take place in May.

Applications must be submitted electronically  

The Faculty of Law is one of six faculties at the University of Copenhagen. The Faculty promotes research, education and knowledge dissemination in Danish, European and International Law. The research is driven by the Faculty’s specialist research centres and groups. With 5000 undergraduate and graduate students, over 60 PhD fellows, and an academic staff of more than 80 professors, the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen is a vibrant, diverse and intellectually stimulating academic environment. For more information, visit the Faculty’s website: http://jura.ku.dk/english .

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.