PhD at the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 up to 6 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 6,130 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
* home, full-time | £15500: international, full-time. fees vary depending on mode of study and fee status. please visit our website for updated fees
Introduction
Undertaking doctoral research allows you to develop in-depth knowledge while making a meaningful contribution to your chosen field.
With guidance from our expert supervisors, you'll carry out extensive independent research culminating in a thesis of up to 100,000 words. Broadly speaking, the area covered by the Institute’s expertise is within the fields of French and Francophone, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, and Latin American/Caribbean studies; Literature; Cultural studies; and, Comparative and interdisciplinary studies are also available in several subject areas.
This degree presents the opportunity to gain expertise in your area of interest while also honing a range of transferable skills. On completing this course, you'll be well prepared for specialist career paths both within academia and beyond.
The Institute of Languages, Cultures, and Societies provides first-class Ph.D. supervision and guidance from academics who are leaders in their field, in collaboration with specialists at other institutions where appropriate. You'll have access to networks associated with the Centres for German and Austrian Exile Studies, Contemporary Women’s Writing, Cultural Memory, Ernst Bloch and German Thought, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Austrian Literature and Culture.
Graduates are awarded a University of London degree.
The Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies
The Institute of Languages, Cultures, and Societies provides first-class Ph.D. supervision and guidance from academics who are leaders in their field, in collaboration with specialists at other institutions where appropriate.
You'll have access to networks associated with the Centres for German and Austrian Exile Studies, Contemporary Women’s Writing, Cultural Memory, Ernst Bloch and German Thought, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Austrian Literature and Culture.
The School of Advanced Study
The School of Advanced Study at the University of London brings together eight internationally renowned research institutes to form the UK's national center for the support of researchers and the promotion of research in the humanities.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Our students fund their studies in a variety of ways including scholarships, bursaries, and fellowships, as well as government loans and postgraduate loans.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that you don't need to pay back and are awarded based on personal circumstances or academic achievement. Funding at the postgraduate level is competitive so it’s a good idea to plan financially before starting your course.
- The London Arts and Humanities Partnership Studentship
- University of London Scholars Awards
- Yusuf Ali Scholarship offered by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies
- Stefania Barichello International Travel Bursary
- JB Trapp Scholarship offered by the Warburg Institute
- Rubinstein Scholarship offered by the Warburg Institute
Curriculum
The Institute of Languages, Cultures, and Societies offers doctoral research supervision in the following broad areas:
- French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese studies
- Literature in a Modern Language
- Cultural studies (especially migration and 'belonging' or translingual and transcultural creative practice)
Comparative and interdisciplinary studies are available in:
- Cities and cultures
- Comparative/world literature
- Digital Humanities
- Exile writing
- Film and cultural studies
- French and Francophone studies
- Gender and sexuality
- German philosophy
- German studies
- German-Jewish writing
- Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean studies
- Italian Studies
- Memory studies
- Multilingualism
- Translation studies
- Women’s writing
Before submitting an application you are advised to contact a member of the Institute's academic staff who has interests in your proposed field of study to discuss your proposal.
Course structure
The degree can be taken full-time over three years (or a maximum of four) or part-time over five years (or a maximum of six), with entry in October and January. You'll initially be registered for our MPhil and, providing your progress has been satisfactory, will then be upgraded to our Ph.D. program.
The primary activity of the Ph.D. program is the writing of a thesis of up to 100,000 words. There is no formal coursework, but you are encouraged to participate in the regular seminars held at the Institute during the academic year. An extensive research training program is on offer, with sessions provided by leading scholars and practitioners.
After submission of the thesis, you'll attend an oral examination conducted by an internal examiner from the University of London, and an external examiner, normally from another university in the UK.
Distance Learning
The School of Advanced Study will offer students with an appropriate topic and level of local resources the opportunity to undertake a Ph.D. by distance learning. These students are required to attend our London campus at set intervals to complete an intensive research training module, for upgrade, and for the viva but will otherwise study at their location. This option is available to UK, EU, and international students on the same basis as our on-campus PhD programs (three years full-time, six years part-time). Fees are the same as for our on-campus Ph.D. programs. Please note that not all institutes and supervisors offer this option and that some topics are not appropriate to be studied this way.
If you would like to be considered for our Research Degree program via Distance Learning, please download and fill out the Research Degrees by Distance Learning form, to attach to your online application.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
As part of the School of Advanced Study (SAS), University of London, you will benefit from a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment. You’ll learn from leading specialists in your field; hone your research skills in our sector-leading training programs; expand your knowledge through an extensive calendar of events, conferences, and seminars, and become part of a worldwide network of humanities scholars.
The Institute of Languages, Cultures, and Societies enjoys close links with other SAS members and is home to a diverse, international, and vibrant community of scholars covering its major language and culture areas. Throughout the academic year, it is host to a lively program of events, conferences, and seminars that is at the heart of the functioning of the disciplinary area.
In addition to publishing the Journal of Romance Studies, the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies also has an outstanding Germanic Studies Collection, located on the fourth floor of Senate House Library. With holdings devoted principally to German language and literature from their beginnings to the present day, the collection comprises a substantial number of books, journals, microfiches, theses, and archives.
Because of its function as a center for academic interest in a very extensive range of topics, the Institute has national and international contacts with researchers in all of the fields that it represents. It is therefore particularly well placed to offer supervision for projects that cross national and disciplinary boundaries.