MPhil/PhD in English and Comparative Literary Studies (2023 Entry)
Find out more about our MPhil/PhD in English and Comparative Literary Studies.
With 91% of our research outputs ranked as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” in the 2021 REF, , Warwick's English and Comparative Literary Studies Department offers an innovative MPhil/PhD with a wide range of research areas to choose from. Harness your intellectual ambitions and study amongst a globally renowned network of experts on the MPhil/PhD in English and Comparative Literary Studies.
Course overview
A PhD is undertaken for a variety of reasons: as preliminary training for an academic career; as an advanced degree that may contribute to a future career in other sectors; or simply as an exciting and rewarding pursuit. Your final dissertation of approximately 80,000 words is expected to make an original contribution to knowledge.
Studying at Warwick means joining a supportive and world-leading network of experts across a broad spectrum of literary, cultural, and theoretical topics.
Our warm and vibrant research community is one of the largest in the UK, with around 80 postgraduates every year. We offer a full calendar of seminars, symposiums and conferences, with a busy diary of speakers from around the world. We also offer funding for postgraduate study, and career development support during your time here.
You will study alongside ambitious scholars and researchers at the forefront of their fields. We want you to harness your intellectual ambitions and interests and bring your own distinct personal experiences and circumstances to bear on your work.
Teaching and learning
As a research student, your closest contact will be with your supervisor, or co-supervisors, who will meet with you regularly to discuss your work. The supervisory relationship is at the heart of your research. Your supervisor(s) are experts in their field, who will guide you throughout your degree and will agree upon a programme of reading, research and writing with you.
You will also be able to seek advice from our Director of Graduate Studies, who oversees our research students; and participate in sessions organised by our PG Professionalisation Officer, who organises seminars on employment in both the academic and non-academic sectors. With your peers, you will have the chance to participate in seminars, conferences, reading groups, and symposia; and you will be encouraged to apply for internal funding to support research trips and participation in academic events outside of the University.
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. You must hold, or be currently studying for, an MA or international equivalent in a relevant discipline, with a predicted or final mark of 65 or above.
If you have not already taken an MA at Warwick, you may be required to take part in the ‘Foundation Module’ of the taught MA. This will not be formally assessed but will ensure that you have acquired the necessary skills for further research.
English language requirements
You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:
- Band C
- IELTS overall score of 7.5, minimum component scores of two at 6.5/7.0 and the rest at 7.5 or above.
International qualifications
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.
Additional requirements
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Our research
Our research is interdisciplinary and comparative. We have particular strengths in American studies, eighteenth and nineteenth-century studies, environmentalism and ecocriticism, gender studies, the literary and cultural history of the medieval and early-modern period, performance studies, poetics, and World Literature.
Our major research groups include the Critical Theory Network, Feminist Dissent, the Centre for Ecopoetics, Poetry at Warwick, and the Warwick Research Collective (WReC).
We also work closely with the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance; the Centre for Research into Philosophy, Literature, and the Arts; the Early Modern and Eighteenth-Century Centre; and the Yesu Persaud Centre for Caribbean Studies.
We particularly welcome research applications in the following research areasLink opens in a new window.
You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.
Find a supervisor
You can ask any academic from our department to be your supervisor. See our staff pages for more details and to see whose research interests align with yours.
You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.
Taught course fees Research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
English and Comparative Literary Studies at Warwick
Have the freedom to follow your own path.
We’re fond of freedom at Warwick. Freedom to learn, through an enormous array of modules to suit your interests, and through a range of innovative assessment techniques. You’re also free to explore the award-winning Warwick Arts Centre on campus, or you can travel further afield and visit the home of Shakespeare in Stratford or immerse yourself in the poetry scene in Leamington Spa and Birmingham. You can build your skills in public engagement with the Warwick Institute of Engagement and become involved in our exciting international consortia, including EUTOPIA and the Monash Warwick Alliance.
In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the Department ranked among the top 10 in the country for research environment: a great place for graduate study.
Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window
Our Postgraduate courses
Taught course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for taught postgraduate courses at Warwick.
Research course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for research postgraduate degrees at the University of Warwick.
After you’ve applied
Find out how we process your application.
Applicant Portal
Track your application and update your details.
Admissions statement
See Warwick’s postgraduate admissions policy.
Join a live chat
Ask questions and engage with Warwick.
Postgraduate Open Day
Our Postgraduate Virtual Open Day will help you find out more about your course of interest, as well as general topics like applying to Warwick, accommodation, careers and funding.Postgraduate fairs
Throughout the year we attend exhibitions and fairs online and in the UK. These events give you the chance to learn about our Master's and PhD study routes, and the wider context of postgraduate study.
Live chats
Every week, you can connect directly with representatives from Warwick, who will be answering your questions on applying to and studying postgraduate studies at Warwick.
Departmental events
Some academic departments hold events for specific postgraduate programmes, these are fantastic opportunities to learn more about Warwick and your chosen department and course.
Connect with us
Want to hear more about postgraduate study at Warwick? Register your interest and find out more.