english phd durham

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English Studies PhD

Durham university, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

English Studies English Language

Course type

Our research expertise includes medieval poetry, drama, myth and romance; Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century English literature; American literature; Twentieth-century poetry and fiction, and critical theory. We especially encourage applications in the following fields: the Reception of Classical Texts; Medieval Literature and culture; Renaissance Literature; Romantic poetry, fiction, political writing and aesthetic theory; Victorian fin-de-siecle and Edwardian writing; Postmodernism, literary hermeneutics and ideas of authorship; Twentieth-century poetry and fiction by British, Irish and American writers. You will be assigned a principal supervisor and an Advisor with whom you will work out your research programme. We will be pleased to discuss your interests with you before you apply. You will be expected to meet regularly with your supervisor(s) to discuss your progress. You will produce a piece of work of 5,000 words during your first year (during your second year for part-time students) which will be read by a member of staff other than your supervisor(s) as a check on progress. You will be encouraged to work towards your goals to achieve completion within a given period. Each July you will submit a joint annual progress report with your supervisor(s).You will be examined by an internal and external examiner when you submit your thesis.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

To be confirmed

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

For this course (per year)

Students will normally require a good honours degree (at least a 2:1) or its equivalent from a recognised University, and (for the MLitt or PhD) a Masters degree from a recognised University; When submitting application for one of our research programmes students will need to include a piece of written work approximately 1,200 words in length on a literary subject. This can be any piece of work you have completed during the last year or two.

English Studies MA

University of nottingham, ma english studies, manchester metropolitan university, interdisciplinary english studies mlitt/pgdip/pgcert, university of strathclyde.

Ph.D. Programs

Biological and biomedical sciences, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences.

* – Denotes Ph.D. admitting programs. Students may apply and be admitted directly to these departments or programs, but the Ph.D. is offered only through one of the participating departments identified in the program description. After their second year of study at Duke, students must select a participating department in which they plan to earn the Ph.D.

Biochemistry Biology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Cell and Molecular Biology Cell Biology Cognitive Neuroscience* Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Developmental and Stem Cell Biology* Ecology Evolutionary Anthropology Genetics and Genomics

Immunology Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health* Medical Physics Medical Scientist Training Molecular Cancer Biology Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Neurobiology Pathobiology and Translational Biosciences Pharmacology Population Health Sciences

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Postgraduate Research Degrees

The  Faculty  has a thriving community of PhD Researchers . We are committed to supporting research students through comprehensive training, designed to support your research and professional development, which is integrated into  our  broader research environment.    

If you study   with   us  full time,  the PhD  is a three-year programme, during which you will come to work at the highest level in  your  subject, with the aim of producing an extended thesis (of not more than 100,000 words) which will make a significant and lasting contribution to the field.   

As part of your PhD :   

• Departments assign all PhD researchers a principal supervisor and an Advisor who you will work with to support and guide your research.   
• Your supervisor(s) will support your research and discuss your progress throughout the academic year.   
• During your first year, we ask all PhD researchers to produce a piece of work of 5,000 words (during your second year for part-time students) which will be read by a member of staff other than your supervisor(s) to monitor progress.  
• We offer training and teaching opportunities for all researchers to support career development  
• We invite you to join research centres and networks to increase your research collaboration and to foster a community of critical and cutting-edge research scholarship    
• We will encourage you to work towards your goals to achieve PhD completion within 3 years   
• Each July we invite you to submit a joint annual progress report with your supervisor(s).   
• After you have submitted your thesis, it will be examined by an internal and external examiner.   

If you intend to study for the PhD and do not already hold a  Masters  degree (or equivalent), you will normally be required to register for one of our Taught MA  or Research M A   programmes, which are designed to function as research training degrees, and offer the best possible introduction to higher research in the Faculty  and our Departments .   

Applications and entry requirements   

You will normally  need  a good honours degree (at least a 2:1) or its equivalent from a recognised University, and (for the MLitt or PhD) a  Master ’s  degree from a recognised University.   

If you intend to study for the PhD and do not already hold a  Master ’ s  degree (or equivalent), you will normally be required to register for one of our Taught MA or Research MA programmes, which are designed to function as research training degrees, and offer the best possible introduction to higher research in the Faculty and our Departments.  

When submitting your application for one of our research programmes you will need to include a piece of written work approximately 1,200 words in length .  This can be any piece of work you have completed during the last year or two.   

We welcome applications from overseas students, who should be proficient in spoken and written English: normally a minimum of 7.0 in IELTS (with no component less than 7.0) or equivalent in other language tests accepted by Durham.  

Application forms must be completed  online .   For further information, watch this  video .  

Professional doctorates  

Some departments within the faculty also offer the opportunity to study towards a professional doctorate or PhD with integrated studies, which combines a (somewhat shorter) doctoral thesis with a significant taught element. The Department of Theology & Religion offers such a doctorate called a Doctor of Theology and Ministry (DThM)

Research training  

All research students will have the opportunity to develop their research and transferable skills. We encourage research students to attend conferences and to present papers, and the Department will provide some financial support for such activities whenever possible.  

Find out more  

• Find out about opportunities for funding postgraduate research in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Find out more about Postgraduate Research Degrees at Durham  
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Postgraduate English: A Journal and Forum for Postgraduates in English

About the Journal

The main focus of  Postgraduate English  is to provide a space for postgraduates and early-career researchers to publish their work and receive feedback from established academics. We seek to give early-stage researchers a supportive and transparent environment in which to gain experience in working with publications.

Announcements

Call for papers: postgraduate english autumn/winter 2023-4, current issue, archaic pronouns in the lord of the rings, subjugated pain, mortality and romanticised spectatorship in kafka’s ‘in the penal colony’, some words with poe and stoker: changing mummies in nineteenth-century gothic literature, lady hester pulter and the poetics of self-transmutation, book review: the post-war novel and the death of the author by arya aryan.

Postgraduate English is hosted by Durham University,  Department of English Studies , UK. Unless otherwise specified, all articles published from 2000-2011 inclusive are copyright Durham University. All articles published from 2012 onwards are copyright of the author(s). All articles from 2012 onwards are published under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0  licence.

Please view the privacy notice for details on how we process your personal data:  Privacy Notice .

ISSN: 1756-9761

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Durham e-Theses contains the full-text of Durham University Higher Degree theses. This includes our extensive collection of PhD, MPHIL and Research Masters dissertations from 1899 onwards, which have been digitised by the library.

If your thesis was awarded prior to 1 October 2009 and you do not wish to have your research made available in this way, please follow the general procedures outlined in the Take-down policy and contact us with the reasons for this as soon as possible.

The content is freely available for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes.

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Login and enter brief details of your thesis, then:

Upload a single PDF of the passed version of your thesis full-text. Instructions are in the Deposit Guide and in this short video .

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Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2022-2023 (archived)

Welcome to the Postgraduate Handbook. The Postgraduate Handbook includes the programme frameworks for all of Durham University's postgraduate degree programmes with taught components, so that you can check: which modules are compulsory on your programme; whether you have any optional choices; and if you do have optional choices, how many you have and the extent of the choice open to you. To view the framework for your degree programme, use the Programme Lists facility below.

Programme regulations should be read in conjunction with the Core Regulations for Postgraduate Programmes .

The Postgraduate Module Handbook also contains descriptions of all the postgraduate modules offered by the University, including the content of each module and how it will be taught and assessed. For guidance on using the handbook, including a glossary and FAQs, please see our Programme & Module Handbook pages in sharepoint.

Please note: this is an archived handbook for a previous year. For the current year use the links at the top of the page.

Programme Lists

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English Studies PhD

Want to know what it's like to study this course at uni? We've got all the key info, from entry requirements to the modules on offer. If that all sounds good, why not check out reviews from real students or even book onto an upcoming open days ?

Different course options

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Durham University

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Course info

Entry requirements, tuition fees.

Our research expertise includes medieval poetry, drama, myth and romance; Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century English literature; American literature; Twentieth-century poetry and fiction, and critical theory. We especially encourage applications in the following fields: the Reception of Classical Texts; Medieval Literature and culture; Renaissance Literature; Romantic poetry, fiction, political writing and aesthetic theory; Victorian fin-de-siecle and Edwardian writing; Postmodernism, literary hermeneutics and ideas of authorship; Twentieth-century poetry and fiction by British, Irish and American writers. You will be assigned a principal supervisor and an Advisor with whom you will work out your research programme. We will be pleased to discuss your interests with you before you apply. You will be expected to meet regularly with your supervisor(s) to discuss your progress. You will produce a piece of work of 5,000 words during your first year (during your second year for part-time students) which will be read by a member of staff other than your supervisor(s) as a check on progress. You will be encouraged to work towards your goals to achieve completion within a given period. Each July you will submit a joint annual progress report with your supervisor(s).You will be examined by an internal and external examiner when you submit your thesis.

Students will normally require a good honours degree (at least a 2:1) or its equivalent from a recognised University, and (for the MLitt or PhD) a Masters degree from a recognised University; When submitting application for one of our research programmes students will need to include a piece of written work approximately 1,200 words in length on a literary subject. This can be any piece of work you have completed during the last year or two.

Students living in

Students from Domestic

To be confirmed

£24,500 per year

Students from EU

The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from somewhere in the EU.

Students from International

The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from a country outside the EU.

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English Language Preparation

Improve your english language skills.

If you meet the academic entry requirements for our programmes but need help with your English language, you can join our English Language Preparation programme delivered fully online first. The programme is designed to develop your English language skills and introduce you to essential academic and study skills before travelling to the International Study Centre to begin your academic programme.

Depending on your current ability and the level you require for your chosen academic programme at the International Study Centre, you will study a 16, 10 or 6-week English language programme. You will be studying the English programme in a diverse online classroom with international students from all around the world, studying at a range of our International Study Centres.

Our innovative learning platform enables you to study more effectively through interactive tasks and activities in addition to live sessions delivered by highly experienced tutors, allowing you to review and challenge yourself at your own pace from the comfort of your own home.  

Benefits of studying Online English Preparation

Our English language course is designed to develop your skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking while boosting your confidence in communicating with classmates and tutors ahead of starting your academic programme.  

We offer a range of programme lengths available to suit your needs and requirements, with dedicated support and guidance from our expert tuition staff. Whatever your length of study, our preparation courses will make sure you are ready to make the next step onto one of the International Study Centre programmes.

At the end of the online course your English language level will be assessed to ensure that you meet the English language level requirements for your face-to-face academic programme. You are not required to take an additional UKVI Secure English Language Test (SELT) to obtain a student visa before you come to campus.

Online English for International Foundation Year

Accepted tests

Online English for Pre-Masters

You don't need a Secure English Language Test to start this programme. Alternative tests include:

of students who completed their English Language Preparation Online programme between April and August 2023 progressed to their onward academic programme at their chosen International Study Centre.

You find that your essay skills are increasing and your mindset and your presentation skills and also your English skills. And finally you could get to Durham university. So the International Study Centre is really a good opportunity for the international students from all over the world to come to the UK and enrol in the education of the UK.

Suki from China Studied International Foundation Year Now studying BSc (Hons) Psychology

How to apply

Ready to join us? Discover how to apply to study with us and learn more about fees, entry requirements and term dates.

Study alongside students from all over the world at Queen's Campus in Stockton-on-Tees. The International Study Centre provides a safe and nurturing place to prepare for your degree at Durham City Campus.

READY TO JOIN US?

Our student enrolment advisors are here to help with your application and answer any questions you have about studying with us.

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Accessing Theses and Dissertations

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Durham e-Theses contains the full-text of Durham University Higher Degree theses .

All theses passed after 1 October 2009 (with a small number of exceptins) are available, or will be available following an embargo determined by the author. Durham University Library has also digitised its extensive collection of PhD, MPhil and Research Masters dissertations from 1899 onwards.

EThOS - The UK’s national thesis service which aims to maximise the visibility and availability of the UK’s doctoral research theses. EThOS aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions, and free access to the full text of as many theses as possible for use by all researchers to further their own research.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) Global is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, offering millions of works from thousands of universities. Each year hundreds of thousands of works are added. Full-text coverage spans from 1743 to the present, with citation coverage dating back to 1637. If needed you can limit your results to institutions from countries in the UK.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses  - ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) Global is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, offering millions of works from thousands of universities. Each year hundreds of thousands of works are added. Full-text coverage spans from 1743 to the present, with citation coverage dating back to 1637.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations -  OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions.

DART-Europe E-Theses Portal - A partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.

South African Theses and Dissertations - via the National ETD Portal. 

Australian Theses via TROVE  - a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and hundreds of Partner organisations around Australia.

OAIster - A union catalog of millions of records that represent open access resources. It includes more than 50 million records that represent digital resources from more than 2,000 contributors. Results can be limited to just theses and dissertations.

Theses Canada - Launched in 1965 at the request of the deans of Canadian graduate schools, is a collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian universities. It strives to acquire and preserve theses and dissertations from participating universities, provide free access to Canadian digital theses and dissertations in the collection, and to facilitate access to non-digital theses and dissertations in the collection

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Research Degrees

We are committed to providing both a stimulating and supportive environment for our research postgraduates. What differentiates us from other providers is the growing focus of many of our researchers on quantitative methodologies (random controlled trials, impact studies, etc.), intercultural education, the arts in education and the psychology of education.

We offer a number of postgraduate study options:

A PhD can be a major step in either launching your career or in reaching your employment aspirations. The Durham University School of Education PhD programme, consisting of both training and supervised research, is perfect for those graduates who aspire to an academic career in educational research teaching in higher education institutions or to positions of professional leadership and responsibility in the field of education.

Even though all PhD topics are different, all students will research a subject in great depth, acquire advanced skills in practical and intellectual problem-solving and critical analysis of theories and evidence, and contribute to an extensive piece of original work (a dissertation of up to 100,000 words) to the field of education.

Your research topic could relate to any aspect of the theory, policy or practice of education and may be drawn from any phase of education, including early years and post-compulsory education. As all doctoral students agree their topics with their supervisory team, the topic you choose must align with the research interests of a potential supervisor at the time of application.

While most of our PhD candidates study full-time, we also accept part-time applicants. Completion of the PhD usually takes three years for full-time study and six years for part-time study. As the staff research areas suggest, we can offer supervision in a broad range of areas. What's more, we welcome applications from varied disciplinary backgrounds, not just from those students possessing qualifications in education-related subjects.

We are looking for exceptional candidates who learn quickly, have the potential to contribute to the School of Education's vibrant research culture, and will go on to accomplish remarkable things in their careers. You will need to have a clear idea of what you would like to research and why, as well as an awareness of recent research in that particular field.

Applicants will normally be expected to hold a Master's degree or equivalent and should be able to demonstrate proficiency in research methods. The latter is most usually demonstrated by the successful completion of a taught Master's degree that includes substantial research methods training. If you do not possess such a degree, you may be interested in registering for our MA Research Methods programme, from which you may be able to progress to PhD study.

Exemption from the research training requirements may be granted only on the grounds of very clear evidence that a candidate has completed comparable research training elsewhere or has engaged in extensive, wide-ranging and high quality education research activity, usually reflected in a record of publication.

Research Masters by Thesis (MEd, MA & MProf options)

We offer three Research Masters by Thesis degrees.

The Master of Education by Research (MEd) normally takes two years to complete for full-time study and four years for part-time study and requires submission of a 70,000 word thesis.

The Master of Arts by Research in Education (MA) normally takes one year to complete in full-time study and two years in part-time study and requires submission of a 50,000 word thesis.

The Master of Professional Practice – Education (International) normally takes one year to complete in full-time study and two years in part-time study and requires submission of a 30,000 word thesis plus a 5,000 word portfolio of professional evidence.

If you are interested in undertaking a research degree which requires in depth research into a topic of your choice, but do not wish to commit to a full PhD, then one of these programmes may be for you. As with the PhD, your research topic will need to align with the interests of a potential supervisor - you can find further information on current research within the department on our staff listings.

Admissions decisions are based on your suitability for postgraduate research and the department's ability to supervise your proposed topic. Our minimum entry requirement for Postgraduate Research is normally an upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) although evidence of research skills and/or experience is useful.

If you would like to discuss your application further or have any queries please do not hesitate to  contact us . 

How to apply

Finding a supervisor before submitting your application

Prospective students should consider staff research interests and should make contact with appropriate members of staff to discuss research plans before making a formal application - please see staff profiles here People - Durham University .

If you have any questions, please contact our Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator at [email protected] .

You can apply for this course through our  Durham University Postgraduate Application Portal .

You will need to provide the following documentation:

• a research proposal, no longer than 2,000 words in length (excluding bibliography), which specifies a topic of study, aims and objectives, proposed research methods and ethical considerations
• two letters of reference
• Bachelors/Masters transcripts and certificates (translated to English copies).

English language requirements

Applicants should also be aware of the  Department's English Language Requirements  and be prepared to provide evidence where necessary. Currently we require a UKVI / IELTS score of 7 (with no component under 6.5). If you have not reached this level, you can be admitted to study a pre-sessional English Language course, with the length depending on your current UKVI / SELT IELTS score (must be over 5.5, with no component under 5). The Department’s requirements are in Band B on this  table , which also shows other language tests. 

What happens after I have submitted my application?

All postgraduate research applications are forwarded to us and will be considered as quickly as possible. If successful you will receive official notification of the outcome from the Student Recruitment and Admissions Office. We usually process applications within four to six weeks of receipt, although in some cases we do need to request further information. Successful applicants should ensure that they provide us with the required supporting documentation as soon as possible.

Start dates

We offer three intakes:

• October 

Please apply at least 10 weeks before your chosen commencement date to allow us to process your application.

Visiting Research Students

Visiting Research Student applications are welcome following direct contact and agreement with suitable academic staff, who should be named on the application. Visiting students must submit an application as above and meet our standard entrance requirements as well as providing supporting evidence in relation to the benefits to be gained from the visit.

Visiting student applicants should be aware of:

• Visa Requirements
• Fees for visiting students

Fees and Funding

Studentships

Many students fund their studies privately, but there are opportunities for financial support for UK and overseas students through the ESRC studentships available via the University's Doctoral Training Partnership (NINE DTP) and for UK and overseas students through the Durham Doctoral Studentship Scheme.

The University offers a generous package of support to outstanding doctoral students for three years study for a PhD through the Durham Doctoral Studentship Scheme (open to students from overseas). The scheme is University-wide, and open to applicants interested in studying in the School of Education.

If you wish your application to be considered for one of the University’s studentship schemes you should give particular attention to the specific requirements of the competition and ensure you also indicate the scheme on the application form.

University Postgraduate Scholarships

Durham Doctoral Studentships

Information about tuition fees can be found here:   Tuition fees - how much are they - Durham University