Overview
A PhD, also known as a doctorate, is a requirement for a career as an academic or researcher. In addition, it has become a qualification valued by many employers who recognise the skills and commitment a PhD requires. Employers also recognise that a PhD indicates excellent research capabilities, discipline and communication skills.
Over the duration of the PhD, you produce an original piece of research of up to 100,000 words, in English or French. Previous doctoral theses have included ‘Deleuze and Anti-Humanism: The Sense of Deleuze's Spinozism’, ‘Haptic Experience in the Writings of Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot and Michel Serres’, ‘Photobiographies: pour une écriture de notation de la vie (Roland Barthes, Denis Roche, Annie Ernaux)’, ‘De l'abject et du sublime: Georges Bataille, Jean Genet, Samuel Beckett’, 'The Regulation of Female Fertility and the Maternal Body in French Medical and Literary Writing, 1870-1914’, La Corruption dans le Roman Francophone du XIXème au XXIème Siècle’, 'The Representation of Women Musicians in French, English and German Literature of the Nineteenth Century’, 'Être et responsabilité. Phénoménologie et poésie de Jean-Louis Chrétien’, and 'Domestic Architecture, Literature and the Sexual Imaginary in Europe, 1850-1930’.
The University of Kent’s Language Centre offers supervision from world-class academics with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, able to support and guide you through your research. Your progress is carefully monitored to ensure that you are on track to produce a thesis valued by the academic community. Throughout your programme, you are able to attend and contribute to research seminars, workshops, and research and transferable skills training courses, many of which benefit from the broader context of the Research Network for Languages, Linguistics and Literatures. You are also likely to gain experience teaching.
You may be eligible for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to support your studies with us. For a list of scholarships available, please see our postgraduate funding page.
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Staff interests broadly fit within the parameters of French literature and thought from the 18th century to the present, with research clusters organised around the following areas: the European Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment; Ekphrasis; Franco-Japanese relations; Life Writing; Medical Humanities; Philosophy and Critical Theory; French Surrealism; Cubism; the Avant-Garde; the interface between visual arts and text.
- Recent publications have focused on authors, artists and thinkers including the following: Apollinaire; Artaud; Badiou; Barthes; Blanchot; Cocteau; Crébillon fils; Deleuze; Diderot; Djebar; Flaubert; Foucault; Garréta; Houellebecq; Lacan; Maupassant; Mérimée; Nimier; Perec; Picasso; Proust; Roubaud; Sade; Voltaire; Yourcenar; Zola.
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 36 months
- Part-time
- 72 months
Start dates & application deadlines
- StartingApplication deadline not specified.
- StartingApplication deadline not specified.
- StartingApplication deadline not specified.
Although there is no fixed closing deadline for applications to research degrees, we strongly recommend that you apply as soon as possible
Language
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Delivered
Campus Location
- Canterbury, United Kingdom
Disciplines
French studies View 15 other PhDs in French studies in United KingdomWhat students do after studying
Academic requirements
English requirements
Prepare for Your English Test
AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.
- Trusted by 300k learners
- 98 accuracy using real exam data
- 4.9/5 student rating
Other requirements
General requirements
- A first or upper-second class BA honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, and a distinction or merit in an MA programme or equivalent in a relevant subject and the appropriate language skills.
- All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Tuition Fees
Additional Details
fees tbc
Living costs
Canterbury
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.
Scholarships Information
Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for French.
Available Scholarships
You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.
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