PhD in English and Related Literature

Work in an intellectually invigorating environment and be supported by supervisors who are experts in their field.

International fees

	Length	Start dates (semester dates)
PhD	3 years full-time 6 years part-time Distance learning available Apply for PhD	January September

Length

Start dates (semester dates)

PhD

3 years full-time
6 years part-time

Distance learning available

Apply for PhD

January
September

Be inspired to reach your research ambitions in an intellectual and supportive community at the forefront of English research.

Your research

The diversity of our staff’s research interests means that we are well-positioned to supervise research in any field of literature, from the Middle Ages to the present day, including literature in languages other than English, and literary works in translation.

We also have distinctive expertise in practice-led teaching and research, including archival work and printing. The PhD in English and Related Literature is available on a full-time or part-time basis.

Under the guidance of your supervisor, you'll complete a thesis of up to 80,000 words. A typical semester will involve a great deal of independent research, punctuated by meetings with your supervisor who will be able to suggest direction and address concerns throughout the writing process. You'll be encouraged to undertake periods of research at archives and potentially internationally, depending on your research thesis.

Throughout your degree, you'll have the opportunity to attend a wide range of research training sessions in order to learn archival and research skills, and a range of research seminars organised by the research schools, which bring speakers from around the world for research talks and networking. There is also internal funding available if you wish to propose research events and symposia/conferences.

Contact us

Research training

You'll receive training in research methods and skills appropriate to the stage you've reached and the nature of your work. In addition to regular supervisory meetings to discuss planning, researching and writing the thesis, we offer sessions on bibliographic and archival resources (digital, print and manuscript). You'll receive guidance in applying to and presenting at professional conferences, preparing and submitting material for publication and applying for jobs. We meet other training needs in handling research data, various modern languages, palaeography and bibliography. Classical and medieval Latin are also available.

We also offer training in teaching skills for students who wish to pursue teaching posts following their degree. This includes sessions on the delivery and content of seminars and workshops to undergraduates, a structured shadowing programme, teaching inductions and comprehensive guidance and resources for our graduate teaching assistants. Our teacher training is directed by a dedicated staff member.

You'll also benefit from the rich array of research and training sessions at the Humanities Research Centre.

Course location

This course is run by the Department of English and Related Literature.

You'll be based on Campus West, though your research may take you further afield.

We also have a distance learning option available for this course.

Entry requirements

For doctoral research, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve a first-class or high upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualification) and a Masters degree with distinction.

The undergraduate and Masters degrees should be in literature, or in a related subject that is closely tied to the proposed research project.

Other relevant experience and expertise is taken into account:

Relevant professional experience can be outlined in your personal statement and/or a CV if you choose to include one.
You are welcome to include a narrative description of relevant life experiences in your personal statement. This might include caring responsibilities, career breaks, barriers you have faced, and declaring your belonging to an under-represented group if you wish.
It is expected that postgraduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.
Publications are not required and we don't expect applicants to have been published before they start their research degree.

Applying

Take a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application. These include two recent samples of your written work.

Before applying, we advise you to identify a potential supervisor in the department. Preliminary enquiries are welcomed and should be made as early as possible. Please email one member of staff at a time, after checking that their research expertise matches your project. Emailing several staff members at a time regardless of the relationship between their research interests and yours means that you are unlikely to find a good supervisory match.

If it's not clear which member of staff is appropriate, you should email the Graduate Chair.

Apply for the PhD in English and Related Literature

Apply for the PhD in English and Related Literature (Distance Learning)

Students embarking on a PhD programme are initially enrolled provisionally for that qualification. Confirmation of PhD registration is dependent upon the submission of a satisfactory proposal that meets the standards required for the degree, usually in the second year of study.

Find out more about how to apply.

English language requirements

You'll need to provide evidence of your proficiency in English if it's not your first language.

Check your English language requirements

Research proposals

In order to apply for a PhD, we ask that you submit a research proposal as part of your application.

Typically, PhD proposals are between 1,000 and 1,500 words. We kindly ask applicants not to exceed 1,500 words including referencing. You’ll also need to provide a short summary of your research proposal between 250 and 350 words in length.

When making your application, you're advised to make your research proposal as specific and clear as possible. Please indicate the member(s) of staff that you'd wish to work with.

Research proposal guidance

Your research proposal should:

Identify the precise topic of your topic and communicate the main aim of your research.
Provide a rigorous and thorough description of your proposed research, including the contributions you will make to current scholarly conversations and debates.
Describe any previous work you have done in this area, with reference to relevant literature you have read so far.
Communicate the central sources that the project will address and engage.
Offer an outline of the argument’s main claims and contributions. Give a clear indication of the authors and texts that your project will address.
Give a clear indication of the authors and texts that your project will address.
Include the academic factors, such as university facilities, libraries resources, centres, other resources, and / or staff, which have specifically led you to apply to York.

What we look for:

How you place your topic in conversation with the scholarly landscape: what has already been accomplished and what you plan to achieve in your project. This is your chance to show that you have a good understanding of the relevant work on your topic and that you have identified a new way or research question to approach the topic.
Your voice as a scholar and critical thinker. In clean, clear prose, show those who will assess your application how your proposal demonstrates your original thinking and the potential of your research.
Your fit with York, including the reasons for wanting to work with your supervisor and relevant research schools and centres.
Above all, remember that there isn’t one uniform way to structure and arrange your research proposal, and that your approach will necessarily reflect your chosen topic.

Admissions

The core deciding factor for admission is the quality of the research proposal, though your whole academic profile will be taken into account. We are committed to ensuring that no prospective or existing student is treated less favourably. See our admissions policy for more information.

There are several stages in the Postgraduate Research admissions process:

PGR admissions process for English and Related Literature

First, your application will be reviewed by admissions teams centrally to check that it is complete.

Second, your application will be reviewed by staff in the Department to check that it fulfils our entry requirements. The quality of supporting documents such as your two writing samples will be considered, along with the quality, relevance and potential of your research proposal, which will be evaluated against the guidelines on research proposals published above.

Third, if those checks have been passed and if we have the capacity to supervise your project, you will be invited to an interview to ensure a good supervisory match. The interview will be conversational and relaxed, but it is a formal part of the selection process.

This interview will last approximately 30-40 minutes and is likely to be online. Alternatives to an online meeting can be made available if requested. You can request reasonable adjustments, owing to a disability or caring commitments, for example. You will be interviewed by two members of staff.

The core interview questions might include the following:

What inspired your proposed research topic/project?
Which part of your research project are you most looking forward to? Why?
Are there experiences in your previous studies, or broader life experiences, which you feel have prepared you for postgraduate research? How?
What are your motivations for undertaking postgraduate research in this Department?
Is there anything you’d like to ask about postgraduate study in the Department of English and Related Literature?

These sample questions account for the fact that, at this stage, it is normal to be unsure about what your actual project will look like in practice. Your interviewers may ask you follow-up questions if anything is unclear to them, including questions about your research proposal and proposed research area. PhD applicants may also be asked about their funding application plans, to enable staff to provide appropriate support if need be.

You will be notified of the Department’s decision after the interview.

If your application is rejected at this stage or at an earlier stage, this does not necessarily mean that your research proposal is not of good quality. Sometimes, we have to regretfully decline good applications, because the project is not aligned with the research expertise we can offer or because the academic staff who could supervise your project are at maximum capacity with PGR supervision and cannot take on more projects at present.

If your application is accepted, we very much hope that you will accept our offer. We will be delighted to welcome you to our research community when you join us!

Careers and skills

You'll receive support in applying to and presenting at professional conferences, preparing and submitting material for publication and applying for jobs.
You'll benefit from training in handling research data, various modern languages, palaeography and bibliography. Classical and medieval Latin are also available. The Humanities Research Centre also offers a rich array of valuable training sessions.
We also offer training in teaching skills if you wish to pursue a teaching post following your degree. This includes sessions on the delivery and content of seminars and workshops to undergraduates, a structured shadowing programme, teaching inductions and comprehensive guidance and resources for our graduate teaching assistants.
You'll have the opportunity to further your training by taking courses accredited by Advance HE: York Learning and Teaching Award (YLTA) and the York Professional and Academic Development scheme (YPAD).

Find out more about careers