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MPhil/PhD in Renaissance Studies (2024 Entry)

PhD/MPhil in Renaissance Studies at the University of Warwick

Find out more about our Renaissance Studies MPhil/PhD.

Warwick's PhD/MPhil in Renaissance Studies offers you the opportunity to join an exciting, internationally renowned research culture. Studying at the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance (CSR), you will receive specialist guidance as you conduct your research project.


Course overview

As a PhD/MPhil Renaissance Studies student you will focus on completing a dissertation of up to 80,000 words in a period of up to four years. You will work closely with a supervisor (and often two) from the Centre’s allied departments (Classics, English, History, History of Art, and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures).

You are encouraged to develop an interdisciplinary profile, as well as to strengthen your skills in palaeography and ancient and modern languages. Warwick’s CSR is in fact a worldwide leader in doctoral training: every year it organises a training programme (‘Resources and Techniques for the Study of Renaissance and Early Modern Culture’) together with the Warburg Institute.

You will benefit from an Early Career Club and from the Centre’s unusually broad international connections, for instance with Johns Hopkins University (student exchange) and Monash University (Prato Consortium).

Our community of doctoral students is tight-knit, fairly small, and very well looked after. As an applicant, we will do everything possible to help our applicants secure funding.

Teaching and learning

You will be able to attend skills training, language, and palaeography sessions provided for our PGT students, and audit some taught MA modules in Renaissance Studies.


General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 undergraduate degree and Master’s (or equivalent) in a related subject.


English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

  • Band B
  • IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 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

Areas for PhD supervision:

  • History of the Book and Reading Practices
  • Religious Art, Polemics, Thought, and Literature
  • The Classical Tradition (including neo-Latin and vernacular cultures; Plato; Aristotle)
  • The History of Ideas (especially science and medicine, ethics and politics)
  • Theatre and Performance (especially in England)
  • Gender; Society and Power
  • Court and Civic Culture
  • Renaissance Learned Culture (including humanist circles, academies, universities)
  • Popular Culture
  • Visual Culture and Debates on the Arts
  • Venetian Economy, Art and Culture
  • Travel, Colonialism and the New World

Full details of our research interests are listed on the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance web pages.

You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.

Find a supervisor

Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.

Explore our Centre for the Study of the Renaissance Staff Directory to see our staff and their current research interests.

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.

Find your 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.

Department content block about careers

Centre for the Study of the Renaissance

The Centre for the Study of the Renaissance (CSR) is a world-leading research community based at the University of Warwick. It is one of two 'category one' research centres of the University. As an independent and interdisciplinary centre, it has very strong international connections and an active programme of MA and PhD study.

The CSR aims to support – through research, teaching, and outreach – the study of the period stretching from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, at Warwick and beyond. It is particularly dedicated to exploring Renaissance Studies in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary way and within a context of international collaboration. It also promotes activities that intersect with the work of medievalists and early modernists.

Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window


Our Postgraduate courses

How to apply

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2024 will open on 2 October 2023.

For research courses that start in September and October 2024 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2024. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.

How to apply for a postgraduate research course  

After you’ve applied

Find out how we process your application.

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Admissions statement

See Warwick’s postgraduate admissions policy.

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Throughout the year we attend exhibitions and fairs online and in-person around the UK. These events give you the chance to explore our range of postgraduate courses, and find out what it’s like studying at Warwick. You’ll also be able to speak directly with our student recruitment team, who will be able to help answer your questions.

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Join a live chat with our staff and students, who are here to answer your questions and help you learn more about postgraduate life at Warwick. You can join our general drop-in sessions or talk to your prospective department and student services.

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A Warwick talk and tour lasts around two hours and consists of an overview presentation from one of our Recruitment Officers covering the key features, facilities and activities that make Warwick a leading institution. The talk is followed by a campus tour which is the perfect way to view campus, with a current student guiding you around the key areas on campus.