PhD at the Refugee Law Initiative

The School of Advanced Study at the University of London brings together eight internationally renowned research institutes to form the UK's national centre for the support of researchers and the promotion of research in the humanities.

The Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) is a leading interdisciplinary academic centre concentrating on international refugee law and policy. As a PhD student at the RLI, you would be studying at a national focal point for leading and promoting cutting edge research in these fields.

The RLI hosts extensive global networks of research affiliates, and senior research associates and practitioners, which provide a unique infrastructure for doctoral scholars to pursue innovative, practice-focused research which aims to provide real impact in legal and policy responses to refugee and forced displacement issues.

Our research students can also take advantage of a varied and challenging research training programme, with general research skills training and research methodologies courses provided through the School and subject-specific training provided within the institutes.

The degree can be taken full time over three years (or a maximum of four) or part time over five years (or a maximum of six), with entry in either October or January.

You'll initially be registered for our MPhil and then, providing your progress has been satisfactory, be upgraded to our PhD programme.

The primary activity of the PhD programme is the writing of a thesis of up to 100,000 words. There is no formal coursework, but you will be expected to participate in a weekly seminar on Work in Progress and to present a paper every year from your second year onwards. In your first year you are required to attend a weekly class on Techniques of Scholarship. You're also encouraged to participate in the regular seminars held at the Institute during the academic year.

After submission of the thesis, you will attend an oral examination conducted by an internal examiner, from the University of London, and an external examiner, normally from another British university. Graduates are awarded a University of London degree.

This programme will soon be available to study as a PhD by Practice, giving you the opportunity to develop a body of creative work as part of your doctoral research. Unlike a traditional PhD, you will be assessed on the creative output of your research in addition to a shorter written thesis.

Examples of the creative output could include an exhibition, art installation, or piece of software. This element is worth two-thirds of the whole award, with the 30,000-word written critical component contributing the final third.

The PhD by Practice will be available to study on campus or by distance learning, with the same admission criteria as our other research degrees.

Register your interest to be the first to hear about the PhD by Practice programme updates and application openings.

Professor David James Cantor
Professor of Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies

Email | Research Profile

Topics

• Refugee and human rights law at the international and national levels
• Protection practice in displacement contexts
• Refugees fleeing war
• Disasters, environment and mobility
• Refugee protection in Latin America
• Internal displacement
• Criminality as a driver of displacement

David James Cantor is Professor of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, Director of the Refugee Law Initiative and a recognised specialist in the field. His research addresses protection and solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons in situations of armed conflict, disasters and criminal violence. He has a particular interest in the Americas region, where he has completed extensive fieldwork and served as Principal Advisor to UNHCR.

Professor Sarah Singer
Professor of Refugee Law

Email | Research Profile

Topics

• Refugee law and rights in domestic and international law
• Undesirable but unreturnable migrants
• Asylum, criminality and terrorism
• Detention and reception conditions for asylum seekers and refugees
• Humanitarian accountability in displacement situation
   

Sarah Singer is Professor of Refugee Law at the Refugee Law Initiative. She is an internationally recognised expert on criminality and asylum, and her contributions to the broader forced migration field include publications on European asylum law, humanitarian accountability, immigration detention and the protection of LGBT asylum seekers. She has led major collaborative interdisciplinary research projects, acted as expert commentator for various media outlets including BBC World News and is a recognised expert on postgraduate online education.

Dr Nicholas Maple
Lecturer in Refugee Studies

Email | Research Profile

Topics

• Accessing protection and solutions in Africa
• The Global Refugee Regime
• Refugee Camps and Urban Displacement

Nicholas Maple is a Lecturer in Refugee Studies at the Refugee Law Initiative. His growing body of research takes a multi-disciplinary approach to investigating issues related to displacement and mobility. This includes examining state responses to refugee movement, with a particular focus on urban displacement and encampment approaches in Africa. His publications are also interested in global migration and forced migration governance issues, public health, and the ethics and methodologies involved in forced migration studies.

Choosing to start a PhD requires careful consideration as it can be a challenging and lengthy under-taking. The University of London and specifically the School of Advanced Study (SAS), where the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) is based is, however, an excellent and supportive environment which will support you on your new academic journey. Indeed, SAS is the UK's national research hub in the humanities and offers a world-class research environment to our research students.

Doctoral students at the RLI benefit from the RLI’s distinctive refugee law and policy expertise in the UK and globally. Important career-progression opportunities are available through access to the RLI’s established academic and practitioner networks and annual series of refugee-focused academic events.

The RLI hosts extensive global networks of research affiliates, and senior research associates and practitioners, which provide a unique infrastructure for doctoral scholars to pursue innovative, practice-focused research which aims to provide real impact in legal and policy responses to refugee and forced displacement issues.

As part of this scholarly community, doctoral students also have the opportunity to participate in shared training events and seminars dedicated to interdisciplinary reflection on the refugee and forced migration theme. These include discussion groups and work in progress sessions (in which students present their own research from the second year onwards). 

At the RLI, doctoral students are offered valuable publication and editing experience as part of the RLI’s International Refuge Law book series (Brill) and Working Papers Series, and benefit from the RLI’s specialist doctoral training on refugee research, and the University of London doctoral training programme in legal research methods. 

For those working on internal displacement, the RLI hosts a dedicated Internal Displacement Research Programme and runs the Researching Internal Displacement platform online.

In addition, the dedicated Doctoral Centre at SAS supports researchers in the humanities in the School, across the UK, and internationally. It provides a freely-accessible and wide-ranging programme of research training in skills for humanities researchers of all sorts and wherever they may be located. It also co-ordinates and facilitates paid-for short courses and summer schools run by the institutes and other centres and departments at SAS. Internally, it oversees the academic experience of MPhil and PhD students in the School and provides expertise and support in learning technology for all teaching and learning across SAS.

Distance learning offers you a more flexible way to study for a postgraduate degree in the humanities – combining innovative learning and teaching techniques with the ability to study from anywhere in the world.

We offer three master’s courses and a range of PhD supervision via distance learning. Our research degrees via distance learning allow you to study for a University of London MPhil or PhD degree from anywhere in the world. The programme is run on the same basis as campus-based programmes.

The School of Advanced Study will offer students with an appropriate topic and level of local resource the opportunity to undertake a PhD by distance learning. These students are required to attend our London campus at set intervals to complete an intensive research training module, for upgrade, and for the viva but will otherwise study at their own location. This option is available to UK, EU and international students on the same basis as our on-campus PhD programmes (three years full time, six years part time). Fees are the same as for our on-campus PhD programmes. 

Important note: It may not always be possible for all institutes and supervisors to offer the option of distance learning, as some topics are not appropriate to be studied this way. As such, we strongly recommend that you check first - before applying.

If you would like to be considered for our Research Degree programme via Distance Learning, please download and fill out the Research Degrees by Distance Learning form, to attach to your online application.

Before submitting an application, you are advised to discuss your proposal with a member of the academic staff who has interests in your proposed field of study. You can find our academic staff's contact details and areas of expertise in the Supervisors section.

Before agreeing to accept you, the School will require you to submit a research proposal, so it is worthwhile to have drafted this before formally applying. See the Guidelines on drafting your research proposal.

Candidates will normally receive an initial response to their application within 28 working days. Those who have been formally interviewed will normally be informed within one week as to whether they are to be offered a place.

Note: in accordance with regulations research students will be registered for the MPhil degree in the first instance. Upgrading to PhD will be considered in the second year for full-time students and in the third or fourth year for part-time students.

Fees are set annually and cover registration, tuition, and (in the case of research students) supervision.

Fees are quoted per annum -- that is, you will need to pay at least the fee quoted below for each year of your studies. Please note that tuition fees are subject to annual uplift. The University of London reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses and amend other details without prior notice.

See the Tuition Fees for 2024-25 - listed by Institute.

Our students fund their studies in a variety of ways including scholarships, bursaries and fellowships, as well as government loans and postgraduate loans. 

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that you don't need to pay back and are awarded based on personal circumstances or academic achievement. Funding at postgraduate level is competitive so it’s a good idea to plan financially before starting your course. 

For information about fees and funding from the School of Advanced Study, please visit the SAS Fees and Funding page.

The SAS Careers Service works with students and graduates of all ages and at all stages of career development across all the institutes. Our mission is to provide high-quality information about careers and skills, and professional advice and guidance. We help students with their career development, either within their current field of work or in something completely new. 

SAS students can access 1-2-1 guidance appointments throughout their studies and for up to 2 years after graduating, to help them plan their next steps, whatever they might be. We also offer CV, cover letter, and application advice as well as mock interviews with the SAS Careers Consultant who will empower you to feel more confident in your interview performance.