English - Research

Overview
English offers pathways in Literary Studies, Creative Writing or Language and Linguistics.

Proposals are welcomed in all areas from Medieval to Modern. Areas of expertise in a School that brings together award-winning writers and critics working across British, Irish and American Literature include Poetry; Irish Literature; American Literature; Shakespeare and Renaissance Studies; Literature and Place; Culture, Geography and Identity, from the local to the global, from earliest writing to the contemporary; Literature, Crime and Conflict; and, Science, Medicine and Culture. The School’s Centre for the Americas, its involvement in the Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the Institute of Irish Studies, and the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry - an internationally-recognised centre of excellence for the study and production of literature – mean that your project in literary studies, creative writing or linguistics will be supported by dynamic research groups and experts in the field.

Details of current staff expertise can be found on the School of Arts, English and Languages website.

Mode of study/duration
Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University. You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD (or part-time equivalent).

Subject Summary
English at Queen’s incorporates a diverse range of dynamic projects across literary studies, creative writing and linguistics but also forms a close-knit community of fellow scholars, writers and critics. You’ll be taught by international experts in your field and have access to outstanding resources such as The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, the Institute of Irish Studies and the manuscript and print collections held by the McClay Library.

Course structure
There is no specific course content as such. You will be able to take training courses in research skills and professional development organized by the School and the Graduate School. You will also have the opportunity to hear global subject experts at the English research seminar and to present your own work at this seminar series.

You will normally register, in the first instance, as an ‘undifferentiated PhD student’ which means that you have satisfied staff that you are capable of undertaking a research degree.

Differentiation takes place about 9-12 months after registration for full time students and about 18-30 months for part time students: You are normally asked to submit work to a panel of up two academics and this is followed up with a formal meeting with the ‘Differentiation Panel’. The Panel then make a judgement about your capacity to continue with your study.

To complete with a doctoral qualification you will be required to submit a thesis of approx 80,000 words and you will be required to attend a viva voce [oral examination] with an external and internal examiner to defend your thesis.

A PhD programme runs for 3-years full-time or 6 years part-time. Students can apply for a writing up year should it be required.

Graduate
A 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. While a Master’s degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) is not essential, it is desirable and applicants without this qualification will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How to Apply
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

Assessment processes for the Research Degree differ from taught degrees. Students will be expected to present drafts of their work at regular intervals to their supervisor who will provide written and oral feedback.

A formal assessment process takes place annually. This Annual Progress Review requires students to present their work in writing and orally to a panel of academics from within the School. Successful completion of this process will allow students to register for the next academic year.

The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their thesis of approx. 80,000 words to an internal and external examining team who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

A PhD programme runs for 3-years full-time or 6 years part-time.

Entry Year: 2024/25

Career Prospects
For further information on career opportunities at PhD level please contact the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Career Development Team on ahssdevoffice@qub.ac.uk / +44 28 9097 5175 Development Officers Cathy Wilson and Aileen Carson will be happy to provide further information on your research area career prospects.

Associated Research
A number of major research projects (including Doctoral and Postdoctoral posts in Language and Linguistics, Medieval Studies, Modern Literary Studies and Renaissance Literature) have been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Poetry and Irish writing remain at the core of the School's research expertise. The School is home to the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry and the Centre for the Americas. A number of staff participate in the Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the Institute of Irish Studies, and are fellows of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute For Global Peace, Security And Justice.