University of Kent

German and Comparative Literature - PhD

University of KentCanterbury, United Kingdom

Course 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 in German. Recent and ongoing research topics include a comparison of W.G. Sebald and Orhan Pamuk as ‘marginal’ writers, a study of post-Holocaust and post-colonial ‘trauma’ discourses, and the literary motif of wandering from Romanticism to the twentieth century.

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.

Key highlights

  • Original thesis of up to 100,000 words, in English or German
  • Research topics include Sebald, Pamuk and post-Holocaust trauma discourses
  • Supervision from academics with expertise across a wide range of disciplines
  • Research seminars, workshops and transferable skills training throughout
  • Links to the Research Network for Languages, Linguistics and Literatures
  • Likely opportunity to gain university teaching experience

Entry requirements

  • Degree: 2:1 — or above
  • Master's degree: Distinction — 2.1 or above A first or upper-second class BA honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, a distinction or merit in an MA programme or equivalent in a relevant subject and the appropriate language skills.

Scholarships

  • Chevening Scholarships

  • Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship

    Scholarship value up to £10,000.

  • Kent Business School Beaconhouse PG Progression Scholarship

    Tuition fee discount scholarship of £6,000.

    Up to £6,000

  • Kent Business School Dean's Excellence Scholarship Award

    Awards of up to £3,000

  • Kent Business School MBA Scholarship

    50% off Tuition Fee.

    Up to 50% of fees

  • Kent Graduate Scholarship

    20% fee reduction for post-graduate taught programmes at the University of Kent.

    Up to 20% of fees

  • Kent International Scholarship Postgraduate Taught

    Scholarship value - £5000

    Up to £5,000

  • Kent International Scholarship Postgraduate Taught (KBS)

    Scholarship value £3000

    Up to £3,000

  • Kent LLM Solicitors’ Practice Scholarship (Canterbury)

    £2,000 tuition fee discount (Home Students); £2,000 tuition fee discount (Overseas Students).

    Up to £2,000

  • Sasha Roberts Scholarship

    £3,000 stipend per annum split into two payments of £1,500 in October and January.

    Up to £3,000

  • The “Ambition” Scholarship for University of Kent Graduates

    £1,500 for Full Time UK students; £750 per year for Part Time UK students; £3,000 for Full Time Overseas students.

  • The CAMEMS Scholarship

    £3,000 stipend per annum split into two payments of £1,500 in October and January.

    Up to £3,000

  • The Widening Participation Ambition Scholarship for University of Kent Graduates

    £5,000 for UK students (£2,500 per year for part time students).

Careers this course leads to

  • University lecturer in German or comparative literature
  • Postdoctoral researcher
  • Literary translator
  • Editor or publishing professional
  • Cultural policy or heritage officer

Cost of study

UK/Home: £5,238 per year | International: £19,300 per year

Admission

Applications are made through AHZ at no cost. Share your transcripts, English test scores and personal statement, and your AHZ Counsellor will review your profile, submit your application to University of Kent, and guide you through interview, offer, CAS and visa — right up to enrolment.

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