3rd Cycle Programme in Law, Ph.D.

Overview

Studying Law at NOVA School of Law is learning to change the world. It is accepting the challenge of taking an active role to make a difference in society and to those around us. For NOVA School of Law, teaching is preparing agents of change to be active, global, conscientious and humanistic lawyers. In today's world it is no longer enough to be competent and able to foresee, understand and mediate interests and disputes. It is crucial to have the ability to consider what is best for an ideal future for partners, clients, and for citizens.

At NOVA School of Law we prepare those of you who want not only to be competent lawyers, but who want to stand out in the crowd and to make a difference, someone who believes that each of us has the potential to promote a fairer society, and  who does not give up on their responsibility to this end.

We do not regard our students as empty vessels, but rather, we enhance their individual qualities, open doors and broaden their horizons. Through constant, tireless and  individual effort, everyone - professors, staff and students alike - questions what is within and beyond. We look for new realities, we go beyond walls and boundaries.

This is the commitment of NOVA, which evolves and adapts in response to the changes and demands of society, markets and consequent student needs.

The NOVA School of Law’s 3rd Cycle Programme in Law is a four-year programme leading to a PhD degree in law. The Programme comprises a taught component (over three semesters) where advanced legal studies are carried out with an interdisciplinary focus. This period also provides training in research methodologies and other complementary skills. Towards the end of the taught component of the Programme, candidates must prepare and publicly defend their thesis project. During the remaining part of the Programme (comprising a further five semesters), candidates must complete their research under the guidance of their supervisor, culminating in the preparation and defence of their doctoral thesis. The Programme is internationally oriented. Its main language of instruction is English.

PhD Programme

FCT, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (the national funding agency for science, research and technology) awarded the NOVA School of Law Third Cycle Programme the prestigious FCT PhD programme status. It is thus far the only public higher education institution to have been bestowed with this distinction in the field of legal studies. FCT’s generous funding of this Programme has allowed NOVA School of Law to award over 50 research grants to some of its most talented doctoral students. 

Year upon year, we attract a talented, multicultural cohort of candidates from all corners of the world. This funding also allows a good portion of our annual student intake to carry out their research full-time. This has proved to be an essential element in the creation of a vibrant and close-knit community of doctoral students, who are active in many of NOVA School of Law’s research initiatives.

The Programme admits 20 doctoral candidates each academic year. Numbers are low and therefore admission into the Programme is highly competitive, as NOVA School of Law seeks to ensure that every doctoral candidate is afforded sufficient individualised attention and supervision.

Objectives

In the process, the 3rd Cycle Programme in Law at Universidade Nova de Lisboa prepares the next generation of highly-qualified legal professionals to enter the market ready to face the challenges of our time and to pursue a career in academia. 

As well as fostering knowledge creation across all legal disciplines, the programme encourages an interdisciplinary and international approach to legal studies. 

It familiarises candidates with new technologies and research techniques, promotes team-based research and collaboration in all fields of the law, and creates networking opportunities with other national and international academic institutions. 

Opportunities

The NOVA’S  Doctoral School is also available to our doctoral candidates. Aimed at the university’s PhD students and their supervisors, its purposes are: 

•  Contribute to the excellence of doctoral training at NOVA; 

•  Provide cross-disciplinary and complementary training to PhD candidates and their supervisors; 

•  Promote interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research; - Share best practices in doctoral programmes; 

•  Foster cross-institutional cooperation, at both the national and international level; 
•  Encourage research collaboration between students and professors at NOVA