English Literature

On this English Literature programme at the University of Surrey you will perform innovative and world-leading research across literature, writing and linguistics.

Surrey’s diverse mix of subject specialities means we are a vibrant and imaginative community with lots of opportunity for intellectual exchange. The research-active staff at the University of Surrey University of Surrey are at the forefront of knowledge in English Literature English Literature , creative writing, film studies, translation studies, theoretical and applied linguistics, and literary and cultural studies.

Career opportunities

This English Literature PhD will train you in critical and analytical skills, research methods, and knowledge that will equip you for your professional or academic career. It normally takes around three or four years to complete our full-time PhD. You’ll be assigned a primary and secondary supervisor, who will meet with you regularly to read and discuss your work and progress. For us, writing is essential for understanding and developing new perspectives, so you’ll be submitting written work right from the start of your course. In the first year of your PhD, you’ll refine your research proposal and plan the structure of your work with the guidance and support of your supervisors. As you go into your second and third year, you’ll gradually learn to work more independently, and your supervisors will guide you on how to present at conferences and get your work published. After 12-15 months, you’ll submit a substantial piece of work for a confirmation examination. The confirmation examination will be conducted by two internal members of staff not on your supervisory team and will give you the opportunity to gain additional guidance on your research-to-date. The final two years of your PhD will be devoted to expanding and refining your work ready for submission of the final thesis. As a doctoral student, you’ll receive a structured training programme covering the practical aspects of being a researcher, including grant-writing, publishing in journals, and applying for academic jobs.

Research themes

• Women’s writing (especially medieval women’s writing, early modern women’s drama and Victorian women writers)

• Medieval romance

• Romanticism

• Victorian studies

• Modernism and modernity

• Travel and mobility