French PhD

Overview

Research interests in French Studies cover all areas of French literature, culture and history, including medieval studies, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth-century studies, French theatre, French cinema, travel literature, francophone postcolonial studies (including French language representations of India), modern and contemporary France, and sociolinguistics.

Introduction

Our standout quality is the delivery of expert supervision in an extremely supportive environment.

Research topics

Potential topics for research include, but are not limited to:

PhDs submitted and awarded recently include:

You are welcome to suggest your own theme for a potential research project.

• Colonial and postcolonial museums, environmental history, and the connections between colonialism and the contemporary global far right
• Francophone and/or global cities, Central African and North African literatures in French, critical theory (post- and decolonial theory, critical animal studies, ecocriticism)
• Sociolinguistics, the Linguistic Landscape, language policy, and digital discourse
• The interface between Linguistic Landscape, memory studies, and museums/monuments
• Gender and materiality in the early modern world, including women writers, the representation of women and the history of the book
• Literature and visual culture in pre-modern France, especially the court of Burgundy in the period 1450–1530
• Medieval literature in French (1100-1500), the Burgundian court in the fifteenth century, the illustration of francophone vernacular manuscripts in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the history of dress in France and/or Belgium in all periods
• Francophone postcolonial studies, carceral cultures, visual culture and museum studies
• French language representations of India 1531 to the present day, Heritage Studies in the former French trading posts in India, Life-writing and Bio-fiction, Digital Humanities (discovery tools and data visualisation), and Genet studies
• Translation Studies (the theory, history, philosophy and practice of literary translation), literary multilingualism, and contemporary Francophone literatures
• Any aspect of French cinema, particularly the legacy of the Nouvelle Vague and associated ripples, and cinematic representations of multilingualism in Europe.
• Family Feuds and the (Re)writing of Universal History: The ‘Chronique dite de Baudouin d’Avesnes’ (1278–84)
• Competing Colonial Discourses in India: French and English Language Representations of the Indian Uprisings (1857–59)
• After the End of Travel: Twentieth-Century French Travel Literatures and Theories
• Victim or Goddess: The Representation of the Indian Woman in Literature in French 1744–1930
• Managing France’s regional languages: language policy in bilingual education in Alsace
• ‘To Prove the Possibilities of a Negro Magazine’: Cultural Engagement and Black Internationalism in the Interwar Press of New York and Paris
• Regional languages in the linguistic landscape: the visibility and status of Occitan and Corsican in southern France
• Dynamics of Domination? Rwandan Survivor-Witness Agency and Representation in Collaborative Testimonial Writing.

Research culture

Research groups include:

(Research Excellence Framework, 2021)

• Eighteenth-century worlds
• Migrations and Identities
• Sociolinguistics
• Postcolonialisms
• Beyond the Text
• Histories and Memories.

How to apply

• 1. Identify potential supervisors Potential supervisors for this PhD include: Dr Godfried Croenen Professor Robert Blackwood Dr Pollie Bromilow Dr Kay Chadwick Dr Rebecca Dixon Professor Charles Forsdick Ms Christine Giuliani Ms Clemence Laurent Dr Jonathan Lewis Dr Ian Magedera Professor Kate Marsh Ms Lara Punt Mr Edgar Rohan Dr Alison Smith View the staff list for the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film for details of potential supervisors across the department. If you’d like any help finding a supervisor, please email HLC-PGR@liverpool.ac.uk .

1. Identify potential supervisors

• Dr Godfried Croenen
• Professor Robert Blackwood
• Dr Pollie Bromilow
• Dr Kay Chadwick
• Dr Rebecca Dixon
• Professor Charles Forsdick
• Ms Christine Giuliani
• Ms Clemence Laurent
• Dr Jonathan Lewis
• Dr Ian Magedera
• Professor Kate Marsh
• Ms Lara Punt
• Mr Edgar Rohan
• Dr Alison Smith
• 2. Prepare your application documents You may need the following documents to complete your online application: A research proposal (this should cover the research you’d like to undertake) University transcripts and degree certificates to date Passport details (international applicants only) English language certificates (international applicants only) A personal statement A curriculum vitae (CV) Contact details for two proposed supervisors Names and contact details of two referees.

2. Prepare your application documents

• A research proposal (this should cover the research you’d like to undertake)
• University transcripts and degree certificates to date
• Passport details (international applicants only)
• English language certificates (international applicants only)
• A personal statement
• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• Contact details for two proposed supervisors
• Names and contact details of two referees.
• 3. Apply Finally, register and apply online. You'll receive an email acknowledgment once you've submitted your application. We'll be in touch with further details about what happens next.

Fees and funding

Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.

UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)

Full-time place, per year - £5,238 Part-time place, per year - £2,619

International fees

Full-time place, per year - £25,350 Part-time place, per year - £12,650

Fees stated are for 2026/27 and may be subject to change for academic year 2027/28. The University may administer inflationary rises to international fees in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

Additional costs

We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.

Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this degree, as well as general student living costs .

Funding your PhD

If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan worth up to £30,301 to help with course fees and living costs.

There’s also a variety of alternative sources of funding . These include funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities and trusts. Your supervisor may be able to help you secure funding.

We've set the country or region your qualifications are from as United Kingdom . Change it here.

Scholarships and bursaries

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that could help pay your tuition fees and living expenses.

Duncan Norman Research Scholarship

If you’re awarded this prestigious scholarship, you’ll receive significant funding to support your postgraduate research. This includes full payment of your PhD fees and a cash bursary of £23,000 per year while you study. One award is available in each academic year.

John Lennon Memorial Scholarship

If you’re a UK student, either born in or with strong family connections to Merseyside, you could be eligible to apply for financial support worth up to £12,000 per year for up to three years of full-time postgraduate research (or up to five years part-time pro-rata).

Sport Liverpool Performance Programme

Apply to receive tailored training support to enhance your sporting performance. Our athlete support package includes a range of benefits, from bespoke strength and conditioning training to physiotherapy sessions and one-to-one nutritional advice.

Facilities and resources

The Department of Languages, Cultures and Film is part of the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, with departments steeped in history and disciplines which have been taught for over a century.

Facilities for postgraduate researchers include designated shared office space and access to a vast repository of journals in the areas of Comparative and World Literature, including e-journals, through the Sydney Jones Library.

You will join a lively community with colleagues from all disciplines collaborating through institutional research groups and forums.

You’ll have access to the newly opened Newton Interpreting Suite. The suite uses the latest industry-standard technology, making it fully ISO compliant. It features 5 interpreter booths, a 12-person conference table, and an AV comms room to allow hands-on experience of interpreting in real time.

Careers and employability

The holder of a University of Liverpool PhD in French will, by definition, have made an original contribution to knowledge in a sub-discipline that is of relevance to both academia and the world outside it. The Annual Progress Review means that our graduate students are excellent communicators both to specialist and non-specialist audiences. Most of them also gain teaching experience.

Recent holders of our doctorates teach and research at the Universities of Warwick, Edinburgh and Bristol and St Andrew’s, but are also barristers, management consultants, translators and writers.

Career support from day one to graduation and beyond

Once you graduate after completing your PhD, you’ll gain free access to Prosper to help you unlock your potential and kickstart your postdoctoral research career.

Prosper provides structured career development and support, designed specifically for postdocs, in close collaboration with employer partners and principal investigators.

Opportunities include coaching, workshops, webinars and a buddy scheme designed to help you realise the next step in your career journey.

You can also access online resources including the Prosper portal so you can manage your personal and professional development at your own pace.

As a postgraduate researcher at the University of Liverpool, you have access to an exciting portfolio of development opportunities, designed to support your ongoing success and help you realise your ambitions.

These development opportunities, available through The Academy’s PGR Development Hub , are suitable for all subject specialisms. You might be just commencing your research or in the final stages of completing your PhD.

An initial Development Needs Analysis will encourage you to reflect on your abilities. This exploration of your personal, professional and career development needs will form the foundation of a bespoke development plan you’ll agree with your supervisor.

The aim is to immerse yourself in new experiences, engage in development opportunities designed exclusively for postgraduate researchers, and reflect on your progress.

Our campus Career Studio is a space for students and graduates to drop into and talk to a career coach. Career coaches are highly trained to help no matter what stage you are at in planning for your future career.

You can access tailored guidance and support to find and apply for full-time and part-time roles, placements, internships and graduate schemes. You will also find the help you need if you have a start-up idea or want to create a business plan. You can explore the world of work, prepare for job interviews, and access careers events and workshops.

The Career Studio is open Monday to Friday from 10am-5pm, simply drop in at a time that works for you.

Meet our PhD researchers

These are the trailblazers, the leaders, the true originals. Our postgraduate researchers are shaping their future, and the future of the world we live in, advancing knowledge with each discovery.

Entry requirements

Discover the qualifications you'll need to apply for this course.

We typically require a UK master’s degree and 2:1 undergraduate degree, in subjects relevant to the proposed field of research, or equivalent academic qualifications from non-UK institutions.

English language requirements

You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country .

We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications .

International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.

Qualification | Details

IELTS | 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0

TOEFL iBT | If you took a TOEFL test on or before 20 January 2026, you’ll need 88 overall, with minimum scores of listening 19, writing 19, reading 19 and speaking 20. If you took a TOEFL test from 21 January 2026 onwards, when a new scoring system was introduced, you’ll need 4.5 overall, with 4 or above in all components. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted.

Pearson PTE Academic | 61 overall, with no component below 59

Pre-sessional English

Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?

The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.

If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests , to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.

Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.

Your most recent IELTS score | Pre-sessional English course length | On campus or online

6.0 overall, with writing at 6.0 and no component below 5.5 | 6 weeks | On campus or online

5.5 overall, with writing at 5.5 and no component below 5.0 | 10 weeks | On campus or online

5.5 overall, with no more than one component at 5.0 | 12 weeks | Online

5.5 overall, with no component below 5.0 | 20 weeks | On campus

5.0 overall, with no more than one component at 4.5 | 30 weeks | On campus

4.5 overall, with no more than one component at 4.0 | 40 weeks | On campus

If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.

Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0, for further details.

Contact us

Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Research areas