I am delighted to introduce you to the PhD in International Business Law and Dispute Resolution.

At Hume we think that difficulty sometimes hides the greatest opportunity of progress. What links all the questions that we address is that they are relevant to today, they matter, lives are affected, and at Hume we will address them with engaged scholarship.

By definition, PhD candidates are talented and hard-working, they care and are passionate about their subject. At Hume, we want to bring our candidates to the challenges of today and to help them work with esteemed tutors, and advanced methods, to address questions that genuinely assist communities and society. Along the way, we insist on constructive conversations, lively colloquia, appreciative peer support and robust critique.

Mohammed is a Professor in Banking and a Director of the Centre for Islamic Finance at the University of Bolton. He is also Executive Director of the Centre for Opposition Studies and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Developments at the University of Bolton. Mohammed has a long career in banking in major financial institutions such as Citi Bank, Deutsche Bank, ABN AMRO and HSBC. He is also the CEO of Oakstone Merchant Bank. Mohammed was appointed by the UK Government to chair the Advisory Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing, whose report has recently been published. He was a member of the Council of the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House). In 2011 Mohammed was appointed Chairman of the UK Ministerial Advisory Group on Extremism in Universities and FE Colleges and he was a Member of the UK Government Task Force for Islamic Finance. Mohammed was an Adjunct Professor at Charles Sturt University, Australia and is currently an Associate Fellow, IDEAS, London School of Economics and an Affiliated Professor at Kings College, London.

Our PhD in International Business Law and Dispute Resolution offers the opportunity to undertake advanced legal research and write a thesis of 80,000 words that makes an original contribution to the field. The inter-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional approach, coupled with supervision from leading practitioners and industry experts, will immerse you in a rich learning and research environment.

PhD candidates will be encouraged to develop a research profile and play an active role in promoting their work through engagement with other researchers and academics. There will be multiple opportunities throughout the course of your PhD to participate in public seminars and other events which are made available, along with support to publish research papers and articles.

PhD topics are welcomed in international trade, international business law, and international dispute resolution and governance mechanisms, including private and public international law, and EU law. The programme also supports legal research on the key technological and ethical issues shaping private law, public governance and human rights.

All applicants to Hume must satisfy one of the following conditions in order to be considered for an interview with a Programme Director or Tutor.

1. A good Masters degree from a recognised university, OR
2. Ten or more years’ experience in a related area of work, plus an undergraduate degree of high standing.

In addition, in all cases where a student has not previously completed a degree (undergraduate or postgraduate) taught in English, it will be necessary to provide one of the following:

• IELTS – Overall score 6.5. No less than 6.0 in any section.
• TOEFL – Overall score 90 with minimum scores of 21 for writing, 21 for listening, 22 for reading and 23 for speaking.
• Pearson – 58 with no less than 55 in all communicative skills

Duration for the full-time programme is normally 3 -4 four years with a fee of £12,000 per year;

Duration for the part-time programme is normally 5 -6 years for a fee of £6,000 per year.