Key information
Duration
- Full-time: 36 months (3 to 4 years)
- Part-time: 72 months (5 to 6 years)
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting October 2026 — Application deadline not specified.
- Starting January 2027 — Application deadline not specified.
- Starting April 2027 — Application deadline not specified.
Although there is no fixed closing deadline for applications to research degrees, we strongly recommend that you apply as soon as possible.
Language
English
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
Canterbury, United Kingdom
Disciplines
German and Scandinavian studies
Overview
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 German literature and mathematics from 1800 to the present, 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.
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- The research culture is consciously conceived as interdisciplinary, through close links with the Centre for Modern European Literature (co-directed by German). Regular research seminars help to bring postgraduates together as a community.
- We can supervise postgraduate students in any of the areas listed in our staff research interests, as well as in other main fields of German and European literature. We encourage you to contact us to discuss your plans at an early stage of your application.
Admission requirements
Academic requirements
GPA: Upper Second Class
English requirements
- Duolingo English Test: 110
- TOEFL iBT: 80 (or 4 on the new TOEFL iBT 1-6 score, CEFR-aligned)
- PTE Academic: 63
- OTE (Oxford Test of English): 118
- IELTS: 6
Other requirements
General requirements
- A first or upper-second class BA honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, a distinction or merit in an MA programme or equivalent in a relevant subject and the appropriate language skills.
- All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Fees and funding
Tuition Fees
fees tbc
Living costs
Canterbury, United Kingdom — 1,241-2,143 AUD / month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
Scholarships are available. Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for German.