60 PhD programmes in Literature in England, United Kingdom

From Medieval and Renaissance writing to the 18th century to the present, from the novel to poetry to modernism, postmodernism and the contemporary scene – English at the University of Sussex is strongly committed to the interdisciplinary study of literature.

Undertaking doctoral English Studies research at University of London allows you to develop in-depth knowledge, while making a meaningful contribution to your chosen field.

The Comparative Literature programme at University of Kent offers an excellent environment for the postgraduate study of literature beyond national and linguistic borders.

 This World and Comparative Literature PhD programme from The University of Exeter seeks to cross the borders and bridge the distances between languages, literatures and cultures.

The English PhD programme at City St George's, University of London allows you to study in a vibrant academic environment in London where you can emerge as an independent scholar producing original research.

The Language, Literature and Politics (LLP) research group at The Open University UK is a cross-faculty collective bringing together researchers from the School of Arts and Humanities and the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics.

On our MA by Research or PhD in English Literature, American Studies and Creative Writing at The University of Lancashire you'll research your chosen topic in depth, guided by an experienced team of expert supervisors.

A University of Hertfordshire research degree in English Literature is an internationally recognised degree signifying high levels of achievement in research.

Our research ethos underpins and stimulating and dynamic environment in which to study. As a PhD researcher in the School of English at the University of Sheffield, you'll be joining a community of world-leading researchers who are pushing the boundaries of literary and linguistic study. 

Literature, Culture and Thought at University of Cambridge supports interdisciplinary projects that by virtue of their design clearly transcend or stand outside any one Section in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics. 

Staff supervise research in: African Literature in English and in translation, Caribbean literature, African-American and Native American literatures, Australian literature, New Zealand and South Pacific literature since 1800, Indian and South-East Asian literature in English and in translation, middle-eastern literature and Mediterranean literature, postcolonial women writers.

The Comparative Literature Research programme offered by King's College London explores literary traditions, cultural exchange, and textual interpretation across languages, periods, and global regions.

This programme addresses one of our main aims at Kent, which is to enable research students to take risks and use cross-disciplinary techniques to explore research questions. This is the PhD that covers narrative non-fiction, as well as other forms of creative writing that are not poems or a novel.

The Creative Writing MPhil/PhD programme from The University of Exeter covers all areas of Victorian Britain and the Empire: culture (high Victorian and fin de siecle literature, gender, and sexuality); science (biology and economics); technology (print, optical and sound media).

English Language and Literature (Postgraduate Research) students at the University of Wolverhampton play a key role in our research community and it is our mission to support your development into researchers, academics or whatever career you aspire to.  

Early modern period research is under The Open University UK’s Medieval and Early Modern Literature Group. We have wide-ranging expertise in social, political, religious and cultural developments of the medieval and early modern periods. 

Both in Classical Languages and Literature, and in ancient history, the DPhil programme from University of Oxford is a research degree intended to make it possible for the successful candidate to aspire to a career in research and teaching at university level anywhere in the world where the Classical subjects are studied.

The defining strength of research carried out in Comparative Literature at University of Liverpool is the multidisciplinary nature of projects with a global reach and informed by an ethos that challenges rigid disciplinary boundaries and consolidated practices. 

The highest academic English Literature degrees at University of Buckingham are the MPhil (Master of Philosophy) and the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) also known as the DPhil. The Department of English and Digital Media welcomes applicants at this level.

The Literature programme at University of Essex supports doctoral research in literature across diverse historical periods, genres, and global literary traditions.