German and Comparative Literature - PhD

A PhD, also known as a doctorate, is a requirement for a career as an academic or researcher. In addition, it has become a qualification valued by many employers who recognise the skills and commitment a PhD requires. Employers also recognise that a PhD indicates excellent research capabilities, discipline and communication skills. Over the duration of the PhD, you produce an original piece of research of up to 100,000 words, in English or in German. Recent and ongoing research topics include a comparison of W.G. Sebald and Orhan Pamuk as ‘marginal’ writers, a study of post-Holocaust and post-colonial ‘trauma’ discourses, and the literary motif of wandering from Romanticism to the twentieth century. The University of Kent’s Language Centre offers supervision from world-class academics with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, able to support and guide you through your research. Your progress is carefully monitored to ensure that you are on track to produce a thesis valued by the academic community. Throughout your programme, you are able to attend and contribute to research seminars, workshops, and research and transferable skills training courses, many of which benefit from the broader context of the Research Network for Languages, Linguistics and Literatures. You are also likely to gain experience teaching. You may be eligible for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to support your studies with us. For a list of scholarships available, please see our postgraduate funding page.

IELTS 6.0 overall, minimum 5.5 in each component

International students: £19,300 per year

UK students: £5,238 per year

UK/Home: £5,238 per year

International: £19,300 per year

September, January, April

April intake; 29 June 2026 (September intake)

• Canterbury, United Kingdom