English Literature PhD
Awards: PhD
Study modes: Full-time, Part-time
Funding opportunities
Programme website: English Literature
Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research, and to make an original, positive contribution to learning in literature and related fields.
As the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, based in one of the largest and most diverse Schools in the University of Edinburgh, we are the ideal place for PhD study.
Our interdisciplinary environment brings together specialists in all periods and genres of literature and literary analysis.
Research excellence
Based on our performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), over 90 per cent of our research and impact is classed as world-leading and internationally excellent by Research Professional. 69 per cent is graded at the world-leading level – the highest of REF’s four categories.
In Times Higher Education's REF analysis, English at Edinburgh is ranked fifth in the UK (out of more than 90 institutions) for:
- the overall quality of our publications and other outputs
- the impact of our research on people’s lives
- our supportive research environment
Given the breadth and depth of our expertise, we are able to support students wishing to develop research projects in any field of Anglophone literary studies. These include American studies, literary and critical theory, the history of the book, gender and sexuality studies, and global Anglophone literatures - where our specialisms include Pacific, African, South Asian, and African-American writing.
We have particular strengths in each of the main periods of English and Scottish Literature:
- Medieval
- Renaissance/early modern
- Enlightenment
- Romantic
- Victorian
- Modernist
- Post-war
- 21st century
- Contemporary
Emergent research themes in the department include the digital humanities, the economic humanities, the environmental humanities and literature and medicine.
Working with colleagues elsewhere in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, and across the wider University, we are able to support PhD theses crossing boundaries between disciplines and/or languages.
Over the course of your PhD, you’ll be expected to complete an original body of work under the expert guidance of your supervisors leading to a dissertation of usually between 80,000 and 100,000 words.
You will be awarded your doctorate if your thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and your research makes a definite contribution to knowledge.
Go beyond the books
Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen.
Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | English Literature | 3 Years | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
| PhD | English Literature | 6 Years | Part-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
Between the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the Careers Service, and the Institute for Academic Development (IAD), you’ll find a range of programmes and resources to help you develop your postgraduate skills.
You will also have access to the University’s fantastic libraries, collections and worldwide strategic partnerships.
Part of a community
As part of our research community, you will be immersed in a world of knowledge exchange, with lots of opportunities to share ideas, learning and creative work.
Activities range from talks by visiting speakers and work-in-progress seminars, to reading groups, conferences, workshops, performances, online journals and forums, many of which are led by PhD candidates.
Highlights include student reading for the James Tait Black Prizes, Britain's oldest literary awards which typically involve reading submissions across fiction and biography and advising the judges on the shortlists.
Our graduates tell us that they value the friendliness of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the connections they make here and the in-depth guidance they receive from our staff, who are published experts in their field.
A UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.
Take a PhD with us and you will be based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) in the historic centre of this world-leading festival city.
On campus
You will have access to the University’s many literary treasures. These include the libraries of:
- William Drummond
- Lewis Grassic Gibbon
- Hugh MacDiarmid
- Norman MacCaig
The Centre for Research Collections holds the W.H. Auden collection, the Corson Collection of works by and about Sir Walter Scott, and the Ramage collection of poetry pamphlets.
It also holds a truly exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays put together by the 19th century Shakespearean scholar James Halliwell-Phillipps, the correspondence of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (the focus of one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century), and the extensive Laing collection of medieval and early modern manuscripts, as well as letters and papers by, and relating to, authors including:
- Christopher Isherwood
- Rudyard Kipling
- John Middleton Murry
- Walter de la Mare
- Edwin Muir
- George Mackay Brown
- Compton Mackenzie
Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, computing labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).
Look inside the PhD study space in LLC
In the city
Our buildings are close to the National Library of Scotland (where collections include the Bute Collection of early modern English drama and the John Murray Archive), Edinburgh Central Library, Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Writers’ Museum and a fantastic range of publishing houses, bookshops, and theatres.
We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.
Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.
This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.
The guidance will also give you practical advice for writing your research proposal – one of the most important parts of your application.
These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.
A UK masters, or its international equivalent, with a mark of at least 65% in your English literature dissertation of at least 10,000 words.
If your masters programme did not include a dissertation or included a dissertation that was unmarked or less than 10,000 words, you will be expected to produce an exceptional research proposal and personal statement to show your ability to undertake research at the level required by this programme.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | English Literature | 3 Years | Full-time | Tuition fees |
| PhD | English Literature | 6 Years | Part-time | Tuition fees |
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
borrowing money
taking out a loan
family support
personal savings
income from work
employer sponsorship
- scholarships
Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study
Featured funding
There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: llc.PGResearch@ed.ac.uk
- School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- 50 George Square
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LH
- Programme: English Literature
- School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Applying
Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.
PhD English Literature - 3 Years (Full-time)
PhD English Literature - 6 Years (Part-time)
| Programme start date | Application deadline |
|---|---|
| 8 September 2025 | 30 April 2025 |
Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process. There are two windows (Application Rounds) for applying to English Literature; we will let you know the outcome of your application at the end of the Round you apply in.
| Round | Application deadline | Places awarded by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 November 2024 | 18 December 2024 |
| 2 | 30 April 2025 | 30 May 2025 |
You must submit two references with your application.
The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.
For a PhD programme, you should include:
- a sample of written work of about 3,000 words (this can be a previous piece of work from an undergraduate or masters degree)
- a research proposal - a detailed description of what you hope to achieve and how
Pre-application guidance
Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.
This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.
The guidance will also give you practical advice for writing your research proposal – one of the most important parts of your application.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: llc.PGResearch@ed.ac.uk
- School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- 50 George Square
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LH
- Programme: English Literature
- School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences