FAQs
No.
A law degree is not compulsory to apply for the PhD programme. But applicants must have a bachelor degree in related disciplines such as law, business, finance, economics, computer science or political science. In the first two years of the PhD programme, students without law background will accumulate legal knowledge through a number of law courses.
No, there isn't.
The law PhD programme is a 4-year full-time programme, without part-time and remote learning options.
Whether PhD candidates are able to continue working will depend on themselves and their supervisor’s requirements. However, PhD candidate’s job can not affect PhD courses, research and dissertation denifitely.
Impossible.
According to the programme structure, PhD candidates should complete the required courses in the first two years, and pass the Qualifying Exam (QE). In Year 3 and 4, they should do research and finish the dissertation.
Therefore, PhD candidate will finish the programme in about 4 years.
All applicants are required to take GRE except for special approval granted by SMU.
GRE is waived automatically for graduates of Singapore Management University (SMU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), but they should have attained at least a bachelor degree from above universities.
English Proficiency Test (IELTS/TOEFL) is compulsory if their bachelor degree was not in English. If applicants have attained other Master or PhD degree in English, they can apply for exemption from IELTS/TOEFL.
Exemption from GRE and IELTS/TOEFL will not be processed until the online application and supporting documents are received. Please email exemption requests at lawphd@smu.edu.sg after the online application and supporting documents are submitted.
Can.
Applicants may first submit the online application without the GRE and IELTS/TOEFL scores. However, applications without the score will not be reviewed.
Applicants should email the official test report as soon as possible at lawphd@smu.edu.sg before the application deadline. Please indicate your application number together with related test reports in the email. It’s recommended to prepare GRE test early in case missing the application deadline.
No.
The GRE test must have been taken within 5 years before the date of admission proposed here.
Please pay attention to the process of online application.
When the application fee is paid successfully online, please go back to the online application system to finish the final step. Please click the ‘SUBMIT’ button on the final step of the online application, not only the ‘SAVE' button at the bottom right corner. Only the submitted application can be received and checked by the programme office. Please refer to the Online Application System Guidance step by step.
The application system will email acknowledge to applicants when their applications are submitted successfully.
If any other questions or error messages, please email us at lawphd@smu.edu.sg.
FIN are unique identification numbers issued by ICA and government agencies to foreigners who are working, studying, or residing in Singapore.
If you are an foreign applicant and don't have valid work pass issued by Singapore Ministry of Manpower or student pass issued by ICA, please leave the FIN number, FIN Expiry Date and Pass Type row blank. Please don't choose 'Student Pass' as the Pass Type during the online application, because you have not been selected by the PhD programme.
No.
The application process: submit online application -> submit supporting documents -> admission interview -> result.
Once the online application is submitted, please email all required supporting documents listed here as soon as possible at lawphd@smu.edu.sg. Once the supporting documents are receieed, programme office will email acknowledge to applicants.
The writing sample could be an unpublished / published paper or report, BUT it should be in English and can not be group work. It's not required whether they are law-related or not.
Except for the covering page (if any), the writing sample cannot exceed 10 pages in total.
The application needs 2 recommendation forms from 2 referees.
Where possible, at least one of the recommendation form should be from someone who has taught you or supervised your work in university studies.
If applicants have left school for some years and are unable to submit academic references, please provide 2 recommendation forms from your previous or current employers.
Applicants should key in referee info when submitting the online application. Then download the Recommendation Form Template (PDF or Word), and ask referees to email signed soft copies at lawphd@smu.edu.sg directly.
No.
All recommendation forms are confidential. Applicants should not have seen the content written.
Recommendation forms sent by applicants will be not considered.
The content in the statement of purpose will depend on what applicants would like to share with the admission committee. But it should address followings at least:
- Reasons and goals for applying to the SMU PhD programme
- Specific research interests
- Faculty member(s) applicant is keen to work with
Its maximum words are 2,000 in English.
No
All supporting documents should be in English. An official translation or translation certified by Notary Public & Commissioner of Oaths must be provided for all documents which are not in English.
The application for this PhD programme is not on a rolling basis, the programme office will assess applications after the deadline.
Only the shortlisted applicants will be invited to admission interview in later January or early February 2023. Please check inbox and spam folders regularly.
No.
The PhD programme is on a competitive basis, so only shortlisted applicants will be invited to the final admission interview. Programme office will email all applicants the final result.
No need.
In the statement of purpose, applicants should list faculties they are keen to work with. But it is just preselection, our admission committee will give applicants more suggestions during the interview or after matriculation.
- Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Complete 12 CUs of relevant coursework
- Pass the Qualifying Examination (QE)
- Successfully complete the PhD Dissertation (28 CUs)
- 0.5 CU undergraduate course teaching
- Attendance of one high-quality research conference
- Other CU-bearing courses & workshops for professional development
Three kinds of scholarships and fellowships are available for PhD candidates, listed here.
The default stipend rates will be received typically by all PhD students in the first year of the programme. The scholarship, subject to your satisfactory academic progress, will be renewed each academic year at the University’s discretion for up to the first 4 years of one's PhD candidature. Students may qualify for the premium (Tier 1) stipend rates from the second year onwards if they are nominated for the SMU Presidential Doctoral Fellowship or the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship. Students can look forward to winning these fellowships when they have outstanding research achievements in their PhD programmes.
