Admissions

Tel Aviv University, The Buchmann Faculty of Law

Information on the Ph.D Program

"The Ph.D. program at TAU Law aims to provide a platform for aspiring young scholars to study and conduct meaningful, independent scholarship" (Prof. Sharon Hannes, Dean of Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law).

Hosted by the Zvi Meitar Center for Advanced Legal Studies, the Ph.D. program is considered one of the largest and most prestigious post-graduate programs in the country, and enjoys a rapidly increasing number of graduates every year.

About the program

Offering a wide scope of courses, the program encompasses the full spectrum of legal fields and research methodologies. Candidates enjoy a comprehensive and significant scope of conferences, post-graduate courses, seminars and colloquia to choose from, including various courses that are taught in English. The Faculty's Ph.D. Colloquium is designed to provide candidates with a platform to discuss and present work -in-progress, and receive and provide meaningful assessments of such research. The colloquium is typically held 2-3 times a month.

Candidates are also encouraged to present papers on their research at local and international conferences and publish articles in law reviews and journals.

Following 1-2 years of course participation, candidates are required to submit a research proposal, subject to an external blind review, followed by review of the Faculty and the University's Doctoral Committees. Candidates are expected to submit their doctoral dissertation 2-3 years after their research proposal had been approved. The dissertation should provide an original and valuable contribution to the advancement and understanding of the research field. Students can choose to write the dissertation in English.

PhD students are eligible for scholarship subject to criteria relating to dedication of time for research.

The Application Process

Applicants who wish to apply to the program are expected to hold an undergraduate law degree (LL.B./J.D. or equivalent) and an LL.M. or equivalent master's degree.

Please note that candidates who did not write a Master's degree thesis, will have to write a thesis equivalent to an LLM thesis, at grade of at least 88, before proceeding to the doctoral program.

In order to start the application process for a Ph.D:

1. Please provide us with the final grades of your LL.B (minimum entry grade-80) and LL.M. (minimum entry grade-85) and master's thesis grade of at least 88, as per Tel Aviv University's grades scale.

Please first send a copy of your formal transcripts and diplomas by e- mail, in order to check the compatibility of your syllabus and grades to those of Tel Aviv University. (Formal copies of your diplomas will be needed at a later stage).

2. Once these preliminary conditions are met, Ph.D. candidates are expected to find a doctoral supervisor from among our faculty members, who will agree to supervise their research and has been approved by the Faculty's doctoral committee. See here for information and contact details of our senior lecturers

3. Once these steps are taken, candidates will be asked to submit the following documents:

Original transcripts of the LL.B and LL.M studies
C.V. and a list of publications (if available)
Ph.D Statement of intent
A one page application letter addressed to the admissions committee
2 recommendation letters written by lecturers from the academy
2 passport pictures
A letter from the applicant's designated supervisor

Application deadline for the Ph.D. program

For the First Semester (begins in October) the deadline is July 1st.
For the Second Semester (begins in February/ March) the deadline is December 1st.

For further information you are welcome to contact:

Ms. Ayelet Avriel

Phone: (972)-3-6406482, ext. 2

Fax: (972)-3-6406427

Email: aavriel@tauex.tau.ac.il