Course summary
Research in the Department of English brings the core values of our discipline - textual scholarship, critical and theoretical analysis, and contextual knowledge - to the dynamic and changing field of English literary studies. We cover the full chronological range, from the medieval to the contemporary period, with many colleagues engaged in interdisciplinary research. We are proud of our expertise in medieval and early-modern literature, in Romantic and Victorian literature, in modernism, and in contemporary writing in English. The department is notable for its breadth of research in English poetry across the periods, and our range of specialist interests includes literary theory, the history of the book, literature and science, literature and medicine, literature and the environment, digital humanities, women's writing and gender studies, queer writing, postcolonial literature, Black British writing, world literatures in English, 20th-century American literature, and Welsh and Anglo-Welsh writing. In these and other areas we foster doctoral research both within the department and in collaboration with other departments at Bristol and beyond, including in art history, medical sciences, philosophy, history, politics, drama, classics, theology and modern languages.
Assessment method
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/postgraduate/admissions-statements/2025/phd-english-literature.pdf
How to apply
International applicants
The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students and accepts a wide range of qualifications for postgraduate study. If you study or have studied at a university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualifications, scholarships and education representatives in your country/region: bristol.ac.uk/international/countries
Entry requirements
PhD: A master's qualification, or be working towards a master's qualification, or international equivalent. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent). Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study. See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
England | £4850 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £4850 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £4850 | Year 1 |
Wales | £4850 | Year 1 |
Channel Islands | £4850 | Year 1 |
EU | £21300 | Year 1 |
International | £21300 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Sponsorship information
The University of Bristol is part of the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWW DTP), which will be offering studentships for September 2025. For information on other funding opportunities, including University-funded studentships, please see the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences funding pages. Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/support/finances/
Provider information
University of Bristol
Beacon House
Queen’s Road
Bristol
BS8 1QU