PhD programme

The PhD programme is under the direction of Professor Patricia Wouters. PhD students will be supervised by highly qualified scholars and benefit from the International Water Law Academy global team of Affiliates, all experts in the field of international law with a particular focus on transboundary water-related issues. The PhD programme will be highly interactive, including annual conferences and symposia aimed at providing a platform to share research with a global community of scholars.

Overview

The PhD programme comprises 15 credits (including 6 compulsory credits*) plus a PhD dissertation over a minimum of 3 academic years, no longer than 6 academic years.  The PhD graduate programme is taught in English. It aims to develop well-trained scholars and practitioners in the fields of Public International Law and International Water Law with a global view, equipped with an in-depth understanding of the theoretical foundations as well as a systematic command of the knowledge and skills in the field of Public International Law and International Water Law. The PhD programme seeks highly motivated candidates with strong research abilities and writing in English language.

The programme seeks candidates who can undertake independent and original scholarly research. A broad range of research topics will be considered for prospective PhD candidates including, but not limited to the following:

•Transboundary Water Cooperation under Public International Law

•The Development and Use of International and Transboundary Waters under Public International Law

•The Protection of Ecosystems of International Watercourses under Public International Law

•Dispute Prevention and Dispute Resolution under Public International Law

•The Chinese Perspective and Practice of International Water Law

Course content details

The PhD degree in International Water Law requires candidates to complete a course of study consisting of a minimum of 15 credits, with compulsory courses in the discipline of no less than 6 credits, with the rest being elective courses. For details of this see the "Public International Law (International Water Law) PhD Degree Graduate Course Schedule", where the PhD programme compulsory courses include: Outline of China (2 credits) and the Chinese Language Comprehensive (2 credits); Principles of International Water Law (3 credits) and the Seminar on International Water Law (3 credits).

The PhD thesis is to be written in the English language, and the defense of the PhD thesis is to be conducted in English. The details for the application for PhD thesis defense in partial fulfilment of the PhD degree can be found in the “Wuhan University Provisional Specifications on the Thesis in Partial Fulfilment of the PhD Degree”. PhD candidates are also required to publish one article in an SSCI journal or its equivalent, or two articles in any regular journal in English.

Admission Requirements

•As the course is delivered in English, TOEFL or equivalent evidence required.

•Maximum 2-page motivation letter setting out the candidate’s interest in pursuing graduate studies in the field of international law as it applies to transboundary water cooperation.

•Certified copies of past degrees and transcripts

•Two academic letters of reference

For more information

•To apply, please go to this page: http://admission.whu.edu.cn/en/?c=content&a=list&catid=86

•For additional information please contact Ms. TIAN Yunhe, Secretary of the IWL Academy. Tel: +86 18802706275; +86 027 68756726; email: tianyunhe@whu.edu.cn.