Apply for a PhD in English

The Department of English supervises research degrees in a broad range of areas, from classical literature to contemporary writing and theory. We have particular expertise in enabling students to locate their chosen topic of literary research within an interdisciplinary framework.

Structure of the PhD Programme

All doctoral candidates within the Department benefit from a system of co-supervision, meaning that you will be offered the advice and input of two supervisors, one of whom may take the lead in guiding your research. We are also able to arrange co-supervision English and in collaboration with staff from other departments at Queen Mary. All members of the Department of English are established scholars in their fields, and many have achieved international standing and repute.

As well as working closely on a one-to-one level with leading academic researchers, reading for a PhD at Queen Mary will involve you in the wider intellectual community of the Department. Of particular note is the long-running Queen Mary Research Seminar, a fortnightly event that is convened and chaired by doctoral students and hosts speakers from Queen Mary, as well as from UK and international universities. In addition, members of the Department organise and participate in a host of reading groups and seminars both in the College and across London.

All those studying full-time for a PhD will be expected to submit within four years. Recent PhD graduates in English from Queen Mary have successfully entered a variety of employment areas, and many now have prestigious posts at universities in the UK and overseas.

Finding a Supervisor

It is essential to contact a potential supervisor to discuss your proposed PhD project before you apply for admission. We normally do not accept students who have not yet secured agreement from a potential supervisor.

You can find available PhD supervisors via our People search function. Please filter by Department and select 'PhD Supervisors' in staff type.

If you have a well-developed proposal, you can contact potential supervisors directly to discuss your project and your interest in working with them. Alternatively, you can email the Director of Graduate Studies, who will offer advice and invite you to complete an enquiry form: PhD Enquiry Form - English [DOC 51KB] and emailing it to the Director of Graduate Studies Dr James Vigus (j.vigus@qmul.ac.uk), who will advise you on your project and answer any queries you might have about pursuing doctoral research in English at Queen Mary.

Prospective applicants who have already developed full research proposals presented in accordance with our guidelines and who have consulted our staff pages to identify potential supervisors are also encouraged to contact James Vigus (j.vigus@qmul.ac.uk) for advice in advance of making a formal application.

Further information on the application process is supplied by the College Admissions Office.

Funding Competition

Applicants to our PhD programmes may be eligible for competitive funding awards managed by the university. If you wish to be considered for one of our funded studentships, you must apply before the end of January for admission the following September. For September entry, the application deadline for most awards is mid-January. Students hoping to be competitive for funding awards should allow time to substantially revise their initial proposals following feedback from their potential supervisor(s). This means initial contact should be made before December of the year preceding the intended start date.

Find out more about funding available.

Making an Application

Completing the Application Form

To apply for a PhD, you need to:

complete the online application form (available on the central Queen Mary website). Where you are asked to specify your research group, please put classical, medieval, early modern, eighteenth-century, Romanticism, nineteenth-century, modern or postcolonial
write a full research proposal (maximum 2000 words, including a 200 word non-technical summary) and a statement of purpose (maximum 600 words). For further details on these, see below
supply a current academic CV
enclose two references, which should be by academics familiar with your recent work in literary studies wherever possible
supply your degree certificate and university transcripts
give your IELTS scores (if applicable)

Research Proposal

This 2000-word proposal should outline the project you wish to undertake, explaining its scope, development, and how you will bring it to successful completion within the time limit. The proposal should cover the following areas:

A non-technical summary of your research (maximum 200 words)
A concise description of the project. What is the topic you propose to investigate?
Research context. What scholarship is relevant to your inquiry and how do you situate your own project in relation to it?
Research questions. What are the key research questions your inquiry aims to address?
Research methods. How do you intend to address your research questions?
What is the repertoire of core material – critical, historical, archival etc. – which you intend to examine in the thesis? What is the rationale for the selection of this material? How do you envisage structuring the thesis?
What possible opportunities do you see for disseminating your research to academic audiences during your PhD programme?
In what ways might your research might be relevant outside academia (if this is applicable to your proposed research)?
Timescale (not included in the word count). How will you plan the project such that it is completed within 3 years of full-time study or 5 years of part-time study? (College maximums are 4 years of full-time study and 7 years of part-time study). Note: a full-time Queen Mary studentship covers a three-year period (a LAHP studentship covers 3.5 years)
Bibliography (not included in the word count). Identify texts, resources, archives etc. that are central to your investigation

Many potential supervisors are willing to read a final draft of your proposal, but only if you are able to send it well in advance of submitting the final application.

Statement of Purpose

This 1000-word statement should be used to provide information, which is not necessarily contained in your Research Proposal. This can include:

previous academic and other experience relevant to your proposed research
why you wish to undertake your research at Queen Mary, what local resources you will draw on, and how your project will fit with the research interests of the Department and your potential supervisor(s)
what research training and professional preparation you have already received, and what further training you think you will need to complete the doctorate
what ethical issues (if any) need to be considered in undertaking the research

Referees

When selecting referees for your application, please choose those who can testify to your preparedness to undertake PhD research. In most cases this means academic staff with whom you have studied previously. Where relevant, referees from outside the university may be appropriate, but they should still be able to speak effectively to your potential to undertake research at a doctoral level.