MPhil and PhD  Programmes

The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics offers excellent supervision for postgraduate research in an array of subjects in English Literature, English Language and Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Cultures of the British Isles, and Theatre and Performance.

The School has over forty staff, each of them internationally renowned in their field of expertise and with many years of experience in research supervision.

What is a PhD and what is an MPhil?

A PhD is a piece of original research, which makes significant contributions to scholarly debates. What our research degrees offer, in other words, is a truly exciting opportunity for you to push forward the boundaries of knowledge, and to become an authority in your chosen field.

Most research students intending to complete a PhD are initially registered as MPhil students and take an upgrade examination towards the end of their first year. This examination provides a useful focus for research in the first year, and an opportunity to spot and iron out any problems with your research project. Should you wish to conclude your postgraduate work at an early stage, after about two years of full-time research (four years part-time) you may submit a dissertation of 40,000 words for examination as an MPhil degree.

The PhD is usually examined by a thesis of around 75,000 words, the research and writing of which usually takes a minimum of three years (six years part-time), and an oral examination (a viva) on this work. Some of our PhD programmes, such as those in the area of Theatre and Performance, also offer the possibility of a practice component to the PhD examination.

As a research student in the School of English, you will be assigned two supervisors (one primary and the other secondary) to guide you through your project. In addition, you can expect regular meetings co-ordinated by the Director of Graduate Studies to help you assess your progress and to see what the School can do to help make your research more productive. All postgraduate research students are eligible to apply for financial assistance to help them attend conferences and carry out other research-related activities outside the University.

Please look at 'Our Staff' in the left-hand menu to find more about the range of research expertise offered in the School. If you are particularly interested in researching into theatre, drama and performance follow this link

Research in Theatre, Drama and Performance

Research Training and Skills Development

As well as being given the opportunity to develop teaching skills and acquire teaching experience, postgraduate researchers in the School of English also participate in the Doctoral Development Programme in order to refine and build on their research skills and subject-specific knowledge.

Our graduates go into higher education, teaching, management and consultancy, advertising, writing, and all branches of the arts – especially theatre, film and publishing. We will equip you with the necessary analytic, evaluative, and presentation skills to succeed in your chosen field.

Entry Requirements

For research degrees in Linguistics, our standard English language requirements for overseas students are an IELTS score of 7 or TOEFL 250 (computer based) or equivalent.

For research degrees in English Literature, English Language, or Theatre our standard English language requirements for overseas students are an IELTS score of 7.5 (with at least 5.5 in each part), or TOEFL 95 with TWE 5 (computer based) with minimum individual component scores of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking, and 17 in writing, or equivalent.

Studentships

Two AHRC studentships covering all aspects of English Language and Literature are available annually as well as a number of University studentships and bursaries. Postgraduate research students in the School of English are also eligible to apply for a bi-annual AHRC studentship in Linguistics. Our internal deadline for funding applications is the end of December each year. You must be holding an offer of a place from the School in advance of this deadline in order to be eligible to apply for an award.

Further Information

For further information about research degrees in all areas of English Language and Linguistics, please contact:

School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics
University of Sheffield
Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
Sheffield
S3 7RA
UK

For further information about research degrees in all areas of English Literature, please contact:

You can also make an online application for this programme.
See  Online application