Overview
While the aims and objectives remain the same as on any other PhD programme in the humanities, for example, you are expected to contribute new knowledge of some sort, and to explore original, contemporary research questions, you are expected to achieve almost all of this in the novel itself.
There is no long critical piece attached to this The Contemporary Novel - Practice As Research programme from University of Kent. Instead, you produce a 3-5,000-word essay that works like a preface to your project, linking your concerns with others’, demonstrating your awareness of theme and locating your work within/without one or more traditions etc. You also need to produce a full bibliography.
All UK universities and relevant funding councils and bodies (including REF panels) now support the idea that literary novels are research outputs in their own right and in themselves make significant contributions to knowledge.
The idea that a novel might ‘know’ something about war that a piece of historical research could not know (in the case of Art Spiegelman’s MAUS, for example), or that philosophy can be undertaken in fiction (as in the work of Borges) is one that we have been embracing at Kent for several years now.
The PhD programme brings us right up-to-date with the ways in which novelists function in universities. You need to do a lot of critical thinking, reading and research and then turn it into contemporary fiction. You have a supervisory team to read your work and help you with thinking, research, plotting, editing, characterisation, pace, dialogue and so on.
Careers
Many career paths can benefit from the writing and analytical skills that you develop as a postgraduate student in the School of English. The students have gone on to work in academia, journalism, broadcasting and media, publishing, writing and teaching; as well as more general areas such as banking, marketing analysis and project management.
Programme Structure
Postgraduate resources- The Templeman Library is well stocked with excellent research resources, as are Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library.
- There are a number of special collections: the John Crow Collection of Elizabethan and other early printed texts; the Reading/Raynor Collection of theatre history (over 7,000 texts or manuscripts); ECCO (Eighteenth-Century Collections Online); the Melville manuscripts relating to popular culture in the 19th and early 20th centuries; the Pettingell Collection (over 7,500 items) of 19th-century drama; the Eliot Collection; children’s literature; and popular literature.
- A gift from Mrs Valerie Eliot has increased the Library’s already extensive holdings in modern poetry. The British Library in London is also within easy reach.
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 36 months
- Part-time
- 60 months
- Flexible
Start dates & application deadlines
- StartingApply anytime.
- StartingApply anytime.
- StartingApply anytime.
- Although there is no fixed closing deadline for applications to research degrees, we strongly recommend that you apply as soon as possible.
Language
Delivered
Disciplines
Creative Writing Literature View 22 other PhDs in Creative Writing in United KingdomAcademic requirements
English requirements
Other requirements
General requirements
- A first or upper-second class honours degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent) and, normally, a taught MA qualification of an excellent standard (Distinction or high Merit).
- All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and experience will also be taken into account.
Tuition Fee
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International
17400 GBP/yearTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 17400 GBP per year during 36 months. -
National
4596 GBP/yearTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 4596 GBP per year during 36 months.
- EU full-time £17400
- Home part-time £2298
- EU part-time £8700
- International part-time £8700
Living costs for Canterbury
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
- University and external funds
- Scholarships specific to the academic school delivering this programme.
Studyportals Tip: Students can search online for independent or external scholarships that can help fund their studies. Check the scholarships to see whether you are eligible to apply. Many scholarships are either merit-based or needs-based.