PhD English at University of Southampton

Programme overview

Join a research community with a strong commitment to good supervision and diversity of thought. We have expertise in all literary periods from the medieval to the present day, as well as creative writing. We pride ourselves on the quality of our research. The latest national research evaluation, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, ranked our research in joint 8th position, placing us in the top 10% for research in the country. You'll have a supervisory team tailored to your research project's specific needs, staffed with researchers who are at the forefront of developments in their fields. These experts will regularly review your work and give detailed feedback to guide you.

Faculty: Arts and Humanities | Department: English | Duration: 2 to 4 years full-time; 3 to 7 years part-time | Study mode: full-time/part-time | Location: Southampton, England, United Kingdom

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

You'll need to have a 2:1 honours undergraduate degree and a master's at merit level, or equivalent qualification, in English literature or creative writing. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum: overall score 6.5 writing 6.5 reading 6.5 speaking 6.5 listening 6.5 If you do not have a master's degree, we will consider your application if you can demonstrate: outstanding undergraduate performance including evidence of your preparedness for research (e.g. first class honours in a relevant subject with 75% or more in the dissertation) have a very strong research proposal have other appropriate qualifications If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English.

Domestic applicants: GBP 5,238 a year (2026/27). UK fee, full-time (also applies to Horizon Europe associated-country applicants). Part-time: UK £2,619, international £10,050 a year. Distance learning full-time: UK £5,238, international £18,600. Source

International applicants: GBP 20,100 a year (2026/27). International fee, full-time. Source

Duration: 2 to 4 years full-time; 3 to 7 years part-time

Apply through the official page: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/apply

Explore more study programmes

Arts & Humanities