Overview

A PhD, also known as a doctorate, is a requirement for a career as an academic or researcher. It is also a qualification valued by many employers who 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. Previous doctoral theses from the departments of French and Comparative Literature have included 'Logos, Bios and Madness in Nietzsche, Bataille, Foucault and Derrida', 'The Representation of Women Musicians in French, English and German Literature of the Nineteenth Century’ and ‘L’Éclat du voyage: Blaise Cendrars, Victor Segalen, Albert Londres’.

The Department of Modern Languages and the Department of Comparative Literature offer 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 Centre for Modern European Literature.

You may be eligible for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to support your studies with us. The PhD in French and Comparative Literature at Kent can be funded through the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) collaborative doctoral partnerships. Please indicate in your application if you want to be considered, and explain your eligibility for the scheme. For the full list of scholarships available within the School, please see our postgraduate funding page.