PhD English Literature

About the project

• Research

PhD English Literature

• Overview
• Degree details
• Our students
• Research
• Entry and fees
• Careers
• Facilities
• Supervisors
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Overview

The London School of Film, Media and Design offers a PhD in English Literature by individual research within the areas of expertise of the School’s teaching staff. As a doctoral student at the University of West London, you will benefit from expert supervision by established researchers and seeks to grow a community of outstanding doctoral researchers in the field of English Literature.

We are currently seeking applications for PhDs in the following broad areas:

Your PhD in English Literature may be undertaken in a range of other areas, including photography, design, cultural studies and architectural theory. Many supervisors have a range of research interests and many have interdisciplinary approaches and belong to more than one research group.

See a list of potential PhD supervisors and read about their expertise in the " supervisors " section lower down the page.

This PhD is available for you to study:

As part of your application, please state whether you are applying for an online PhD.

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

• adaptation studies
• genre studies
• genre theory
• popular fiction
• modern and contemporary literature
• literary theory
• literature and philosophy
• literature and photography
• feminist literary theory
• literature, architecture and questions of spatiality.
• full-time or part-time
• on-campus or online
• starting in September or February.

About your degree

During your PhD in English Literature, you will have expert supervision by established researchers, and you will join a growing community of outstanding doctoral researchers at the University of West London.

Your PhD supervisory team may be composed of colleagues from across more than one research area, depending on your project.

Our online PhD allows you to undertake a postgraduate research degree from a location that fits with your lifestyle and commitments. As part of your application, please state that you are applying for an online PhD. As an online PhD student, you will not be required to visit the campus: all supervision, training, reviews and the viva voce examination are provided online.

An online PhD may not be suitable for all projects, and consideration will be given to the suitability of the research project and whether it can be completed successfully without regular access to campus facilities.

PhDs are available for you to study full-time or part-time, online or campus-based.

All PhD students will have access to the University’s student support services , the Library’s e-resources collection and IT support services . You are also welcome to attend the annual doctoral students’ conference on campus.

A PhD is founded on independent research. You will undertake a systematic and in-depth exploration of your chosen topic to produce a substantial body of knowledge and make an original and important contribution to the subject area.

The support provided by your supervisory team will be vital to your student experience and scholarly advancement. You and your supervisors will have regular one-to-one meetings which will provide you with opportunities to develop your research topic and discuss your progress.

Based in the heart of Ealing, west London, you can make use of the excellent transport links to travel to the capital or further afield – ideal for attending research meetings and networking events.

If you would like guidance or more information about studying for a PhD in English Literature, please contact Professor Garin Dowd .

• PhD opportunities
• Support
• Networking

Research areas

• Adaptation and popular British genre fiction This PhD project with Professor Jeremy Strong will study a range of British written and screen texts from the overlapping genres of adventure and the thriller, including novels (and their adaptations) by Haggard, Buchan, Hope, Childers, Charteris, Household, Ambler, Fleming, 'Sapper' and Greene. Its object is to understand and frame these works in a national/historical context – spanning the late peak of Empire to its fall – and in terms of reading tastes, filmmaking practices and film-going choices. A variety of methodological approaches are possible, in part determined by the skillset of the successful applicant. However, likely avenues include: archival study of relevant publishing and production materials analysis of contemporary reviews, criticism and popular responses – including book sales data and box office information application of Adaptation Studies’ theoretical approaches to the corpus typological analysis of the evolving characteristics of the British hero

Adaptation and popular British genre fiction

• archival study of relevant publishing and production materials
• analysis of contemporary reviews, criticism and popular responses – including book sales data and box office information
• application of Adaptation Studies’ theoretical approaches to the corpus
• typological analysis of the evolving characteristics of the British hero
• Literature and literary theory The School has supervisory expertise in a range of fields of modern literature. We invite applications focused on the work of individual authors in the modern period but have concentrations of staff research interests in several general areas. Among these are literary theory and philosophy ( Garin Dowd ), adaptation ( Jeremy Strong ), image and text studies ( Theresa Mikuriya ), literature of the fin-de-siècle ( Marcus Nicholls ), modernism ( Garin Dowd ), the nineteenth-century novel ( Jeremy Strong ), surrealism and writing ( Theresa Mikuriya ) and literature and class ( Jonathon Crewe ). Please consult the profiles via the links above and contact one or more of the potential supervisors for an informal discussion if you are interested in making an application.

Literature and literary theory

• Samuel Beckett in the 21st century What are the main currents to have emerged, and how do these relate to previous approaches to his work? In the recent responses of several commentators to trends within the humanities centring on such concepts as the anthropocene and the posthuman, is one in the presence of theoretical innovation or the conceptual repackaging of earlier models of thinking about Beckett? Is the upsurge of work with an archival foundation indicative of an enriching engagement with sources, or is it suggestive of a detrimental disengagement from the work itself? Applications are invited which offer fresh insights into some or all of the debates listed above.

Samuel Beckett in the 21st century

To enable you to enhance your professional profile, we support you throughout your research degree by:

We provide structured research training, expert supervision and an environment where you can discuss your research with other PhD students and researchers.

We run seminars in research methods from the Graduate Centre, as well as an ongoing series of events and activities organised by Schools and Colleges. Specialist help with academic English for students for whom English is not their first language is available.

We contribute to national and international initiatives and promote collaboration and networking opportunities. We also encourage and support you to publish and disseminate your research in academic journals and via presenting papers at conferences.

We run an annual conference for doctoral students, where you are encouraged to present a paper about your research. As well as being an opportunity to discuss your work with other students, the conference is a chance to gain valuable experience in presenting your research and participating in open discussions with academic peers.

You will also find other opportunities such as postgraduate student seminars and forums within your specific subject area.

Once you start a PhD course at UWL, you become part of our research community. You will have access to a postgraduate common room, located at our Ealing campus on St Mary’s Road, where you will meet fellow researchers from other subject disciplines offering scope for collaborations or simply to discuss ideas, allowing you to be part of a vibrant research environment.

• providing research seminars
• organising doctoral events and activities
• facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities
• encouraging and supporting publication and dissemination of your research
• offering opportunities to gain teaching expertise and experience.

What our students say

The staff members that I encountered were warm, welcoming and supportive of my studies. The relatively small size of the University’s postgraduate school created a close family/communal environment for both staff and students. This provided a good support system as I could quickly grow acquainted with the postgraduate team and other doctoral research candidates.

Abdulazeez Rotimi - PhD

The staff members that I encountered were warm, welcoming and supportive of my studies. The relatively small size of the University’s postgraduate school created a close family/communal environment for both staff and students. This provided a good support system as I could quickly grow acquainted with the postgraduate team and other doctoral research candidates.

Abdulazeez Rotimi - PhD

Research Repository - Literature

The Repository is a digital archive of research output by our academics and research students.

Research

Find out more about our research, the impact it has and how to join us as a research student.

Research impact

Learn how our research has helped communities locally, nationally and internationally.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

We look for individuals with:

Applicants should also submit a well-considered and persuasive research proposal, clearly outlining their aims, context and potential contribution to the field.

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

We look for individuals with:

Applicants should also submit a well-considered and persuasive research proposal, clearly outlining their aims, context and potential contribution to the field.

• Requirements: UK
• Requirements: International
• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.
• dedication to undertaking rigorous and meaningful research
• enthusiasm for contributing to academic and creative practice
• a genuine passion for their chosen subject area.
• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters Degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.
• Competence in written and spoken English is a pre-requisite for entrance to this programme.
• An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5 (with no element under 6.0).
• dedication to undertaking rigorous and meaningful research
• enthusiasm for contributing to academic and creative practice
• a genuine passion for their chosen subject area.

Fees & funding

Please note that the following writing-up fees apply for the final year of full-time PhD study , a reduced amount from the standard fee per year:

Writing-up fees do not apply for the final year of part-time PhD study. The standard fee applies.

• Funding: UK
• Funding: International
• On campus PhD (Year 4): UK £1,900. International: £6,000
• Online PhD (Year 4): UK £1,000. International: £3,000.
• Fees for the 2027/28 academic year and onwards may be subject to change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course and you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year, except if otherwise stated.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

Funding for postgraduate students usually comes from one or more of a range of key sources:

Find out more about funding opportunities .

Examples of most of these types of funding are included on the postgraduate studentships website (except for funding you may be able to obtain from your employer and self-funding).

The PhD Bursary is available to home and international students enrolling on a full-time PhD course in 2026/27. The Bursary consists of a £500 fee reduction in your first year of study and for each subsequent year of study, subject to successful progression, up to a maximum of 4 years.

We offer other generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. See our PhD scholarships and bursaries .

Please note that the following writing-up fees apply for the final year of full-time PhD study , a reduced amount from the standard fee per year:

Writing-up fees do not apply for the final year of part-time PhD study. The standard fee applies.

• research councils
• charities and trust funds, including those funded by the UK government
• higher education institutions
• overseas governments (international students only)
• employers
• professional and career development loans
• self-funding (including family funds).
• On campus PhD (Year 4): UK £1,900. International: £6,000
• Online PhD (Year 4): UK £1,000. International: £3,000.
• Fees for the 2027/28 academic year and onwards may be subject to change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course and you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year, except if otherwise stated.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (e.g. The Ministry/Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council.

The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you - they also produce the sources of funding for international students guide.

The PhD Bursary is available to home and international students enrolling on a full-time PhD course in 2026/27. The Bursary consists of a £500 fee reduction in your first year of study and for each subsequent year of study, subject to successful progression, up to a maximum of 4 years.

Your future career

Studying for a PhD enables you to develop an area of specialism that will give you an edge whether you are planning to work in industry or to develop expertise to teach in academia.

During your PhD in English Literature, you will also be learning transferable core skills that apply to jobs both in and out of academia, including:

By the end of your research degree, you will be able to articulately apply these skills to enhance your career path.

• written and oral communication
• research and information management
• public speaking
• project management
• leadership
• critical thinking
• collaboration
• analysis and problem-solving
• conflict resolution
• negotiation.

Job roles

• journalist
• copy editor
• copywriter
• literary agent
• academia.

Graduate employers

• publishers
• film and television
• radio
• advertising sector
• journalism sector
• public relations companies
• literary agencies
• new media.

Our West London Campus

Explore our fantastic facilities at the University of West London's West London Campus.

The Paul Hamlyn Library

The Paul Hamlyn Library provides an extensive range of books, journals and digital resources, PC and Mac workstations and a variety of study spaces.

Rami Ranger House (Postgraduate Student Centre)

Rami Ranger House is a focal point for the University’s postgraduate and international students, providing dedicated space for social and learning interaction.

This building, which is three storeys high, offers spaces for collaborative working, socialising, supervision and mentoring on the ground floor. The first floor has work spaces for the postgraduate support teams to use, while the second floor provides guest accommodation for visiting scholars.

Media facilities

You will have access to a range of facilities within the London School of Film Media and Design, from our fully staffed media resource centre to TV studios.

The Graduate School

If you are interested in studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate, the Graduate School is here to support your research.

Professor Garin Dowd

I am a Professor of Film, Literature and Media, and my current research focuses on representations of space, location and spatial relations in the novel and in film. I am a member of the European Network for Cinema and Media Studies (NECS), the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) and the Samuel Beckett Society.

English

Our English courses at the University of West London enable you to specialise in media and communications, film or creative writing. With a contemporary emphasis, your studies will help you respond to the demands of a content-hungry media industry and build a successful career.

Find out more

Discover seven reasons to study with us and how studying at UWL will support your future career.

Find out about student accommodation and the support for students.

Explore our campus and sites and book onto a campus tour or open day .

Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

Rankings

• † Fees - the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the course. Fees are subject to change. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full-time taught international fees are subject to an annual increase.
• Teaching - your course will primarily be delivered in-person, however it may include delivery of some activities online, either in real-time or recorded.
• Testimonials - quotes are provided by current or former UWL students. These are mostly from the course but quotes from a UWL student on another course may be used if, for example, the course is new.
• Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.
• Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming, however staff and course content may have since changed.
• Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route and a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.
• The National Student Survey 2026 result is based on the average of all answers by the taught student populations.
• Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and after, 1992.
• PRES - rank out of 53 institutions.

Research areas