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School of Modern Languages and Cultures

PhD in German Studies (P-R2P2)

German Studies at Warwick offers a high-calibre intellectual community for postgraduate students. Seven colleagues offer research expertise on topics ranging from the 18th century to the present day. We are renowned nationally and internationally for our ‘cultural studies’ approach to the study of literature, film and other forms of cultural production: staff and students characteristically look at cultural production in the context of historical, social, and political developments, and have an interest in theoretical models which promote understanding of the relationship between cultural artefacts and their social and historical environment.

Doctoral students prepare, over the course of 3 to 3.5 years of full-time study (or the part-time equivalent), a dissertation of 80,000 words. There is no coursework involved, though students are expected to take advantage of relevant training and skills development opportunities. Doctoral researchers are initially registered as MPhil students and proceed to the PhD upon completion of work of good standard, typically by the end of their first year.

Many students in German Studies receive guidance from a supervisory team (two supervisors) with complementary expertise. AHRC M4C-funded students may have a co-supervisor in another consortium institution.

Students working in relevant areas may be selected for the European doctoral network, PhDnet "Literary and Cultural Studies" (Gießen, Bergamo, Graz, Helsinki, Lisbon, Stockholm and Warwick), which offers an intense programme of jointly organised symposia, conferences and master classes and makes it possible for participants to obtain a binational (German and British) degree. Students will study for a year at one of the partner institutions.

In addition to students wishing to focus on German Studies, we also welcome applicants who would like to pursue cross- and interdisciplinary projects that align with other sections within the School (German, French, Italian, or Translation & Transcultural Studies) or another department, for example, History, or the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Studies. Students in German benefit from interdisciplinary research centres at Warwick, such as the Humanities Research Centre, or the Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts, as well as from the Arts Faculty's Centre for Arts Doctoral Research Excellence (CADRE).
Students in German Studies, in any case, form part of a larger community of some 30 research students (at present) across the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. For information on the SMLC’s research environment, click here.
  • Find out what particular areas of expertise we can offer through our staff research interests.
  • Learn more about current PhD students in German Studies and some of the funding opportunities we can offer on our postgraduate community page.

Information and application

Funding opportunities for PhD study are highly competitive and often worked with a staged process: applicants should make contact as soon as possible with a prospective supervisor in order to develop a sound and robust research proposal (in November/December for the January funding deadlines). An academic CV and draft research proposal may help us deal with your query more quickly.

If you have a project that you would like us to consider, please contact the School Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Ingrid De Smet and/or Prof. Elisabeth Herrmann through pglanguages@warwick.ac.uk before submitting a scholarship application.

Apply Online

Funding information

For enquiries, please contact

pglanguages@warwick.ac.uk