Skip navigation
English Literature at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
Apply

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Open days

19Feb
The University of Edinburgh - Postgraduate Discovery Day
Postgraduate

Course summary

Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research, and to make an original, positive contribution to learning in literature and related fields. As the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, based in one of the largest and most diverse Schools in the University of Edinburgh, we are the ideal place for PhD study. Our interdisciplinary environment brings together specialists in all periods and genres of literature and literary analysis. Research excellence Based on our performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), over 90 per cent of our research and impact is classed as world-leading and internationally excellent by Research Professional. 69 per cent is graded at the world-leading level – the highest of REF’s four categories. In Times Higher Education's REF analysis, English at Edinburgh is ranked fifth in the UK (out of more than 90 institutions) for:

  • the overall quality of our publications and other outputs
  • the impact of our research on people’s lives
  • our supportive research environment
Given the breadth and depth of our expertise, we are able to support students wishing to develop research projects in any field of Anglophone literary studies. These include American studies, literary and critical theory, the history of the book, gender and sexuality studies, and global Anglophone literatures - where our specialisms include Pacific, African, South Asian, and African-American writing. We have particular strengths in each of the main periods of English and Scottish Literature:
  • Medieval
  • Renaissance/early modern
  • Enlightenment
  • Romantic
  • Victorian
  • Modernist
  • Post-war
  • 21st century
  • Contemporary
Emergent research themes in the department include the digital humanities, the economic humanities, the environmental humanities and literature and medicine. Working with colleagues elsewhere in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, and across the wider University, we are able to support PhD theses crossing boundaries between disciplines and/or languages. Over the course of your PhD, you’ll be expected to complete an original body of work under the expert guidance of your supervisors leading to a dissertation of usually between 80,000 and 100,000 words. You will be awarded your doctorate if your thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and your research makes a definite contribution to knowledge. Go beyond the books Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen. Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.

Modules

See the University of Edinburgh website for detailed programme information.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, so please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on the University of Edinburgh website. You will also need to meet the University’s language requirements.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

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

Tuition fees vary between degree programmes. Find the specific fees for your chosen programme on our website.
English Literature at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS