English
PhD or MA by Research
Key facts
Start dates
June 2025 / September 2025 / January 2026 / June 2026 / September 2026
Application deadline
It typically takes up to four months (five months for International and EU applicants) from application to enrollment on your programme. This is subject to all the necessary documentation being in place.
Location
Course length
Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years
Overview
Located in a city with an unparalleled literary history and one that cherishes the power of the written and spoken word, the School of Education, Humanities and Languages is a place to be both inspired and inspiring.
Our teaching, learning and research is rooted in strong disciplinary foundations whilst encouraging bold interdisciplinary collaborations within the school, across Oxford Brookes University and beyond.
Staff in English offer supervision across a range of subject areas, and have an excellent track record of supervising PhDs and MAs by Research. We pride ourselves on the quality of our research and the support that we give to our postgraduate students.
The School of Education, Humanities and Languages is a vibrant and inclusive research community whose work is supported by a variety of research councils, charities and international agencies, among them the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust and the Wellcome Trust.
Degree routes
All students enrol as probationer research students. During the first year you will formally register your research proposal for one of the below routes.
The degree for which you register will depend on your academic qualifications and research experience.
MA by Research
These research degrees allow students to critically investigate and evaluate an approved topic and combine the equivalent of up to one semester’s taught programme (focusing on research training) with a major research project. As with other research degrees, they are examined by thesis and viva.
Thesis: 30,000 words.
Length of study: 1 year full time or 2 years part time.
Entry requirement: The minimum entry requirement for the degree of MA, MSc and LLM by Research is a lower second-class UK honours degree or equivalent qualification.
PhD
There are two routes toward obtaining a PhD.
MPhil/PhD route
By far the most popular and common is the MPhil/PhD route. This entails students initially registering for the degree of MPhil/PhD, before transferring to full PhD status, should sufficient progress have been made with their work. Transfer to full PhD status normally happens after 18 months for full time students and after roughly 24-26 months for part time students.
Thesis: 80,000 - 100,000 words.
Length of study: minimum of three years full time and four years part time.
Entry requirement: the minimum entry requirement for the MPhil/PhD route is:
- a first-class or upper second-class UK honours degree
- a relevant master’s qualification
- or an equivalent qualification.
Applications from those holding qualifications other than the above will be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the work proposed.
PhD Direct
The alternative route toward obtaining a PhD is known as a PhD Direct in which the student registers directly to study for a PhD. Accordingly, the student does not need to undergo a formal transfer assessment and the minimum period of study is shorter compared to the MPhil/PhD route.
Thesis: 80,000 - 100,000 words.
Length of study: minimum of two years full time and three years part time.
Entry requirement: This is the same as for the MPhil/PhD route, except that the student must demonstrate an exceptional level of preparedness and aptitude for PhD study, for instance in the form of an MPhil degree or an outstanding performance at Masters level in an area very closely aligned with the PhD.
Research Degree involving Creative Work
You may undertake a postgraduate programme of research in which your own creative work or practice forms part of the intellectual enquiry. This must be undertaken as part of a registered research programme.
The thesis consists of an original body of work - normally a novel, or a collection of poetry/short stories - with an accompanying critical element. The critical element will place the creative work in an informed and theorised analytical context.
Thesis: for the MPhil / PhD, 80,000 -100,000 words (15,000 - 25,000 words for critical element + 65,000 – 75,000 words for original body of work).
Length of study: minimum of three years full-time and four years part-time.
Research Degree involving preparation of an Edition of Works
This allows you to complete a programme of research where the main focus is the preparation of a scholarly edition of:
- a text or texts
- musical or choreographic work
- other original artefacts.
The final submission includes:
- a copy of the edited text(s) or collection of artefact(s)
- appropriate textual and explanatory annotations
- a substantial introduction and critical commentary which set the text in the relevant historical, theoretical or critical context.
Thesis: for a PhD, 30,000 - 40,000 words.
for an MPhil, 15,000 - 20,000 words.
Length of study: minimum of three years full time and four years part time.
Entry requirement: a recent master’s degree in a discipline appropriate to the proposed research. The master’s needs to have included research training and a research project.
In exceptional cases, applicants who have a good honours degree (or equivalent) may apply if they have appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment.
PhD by Published Work
The degree of PhD on the basis of published work may be awarded to candidates whose submitted work:
- reflects the same academic standards as those which operate for a traditional PhD based upon an approved programme of supervised research
- forms a coherent programme of research
- demonstrates the use of appropriate research methodology
- and makes an original and sufficient contribution to the present state of knowledge in a particular field to the satisfaction of the examiners.
Thesis/critical appraisal: 7,500 - 15,000 words.
Length of study: Normally 1 year.
Entry requirements: Applicants should normally have had a very clear and demonstrable association with Oxford Brookes University (e.g. as a past student or member of staff, as an associate lecturer undertaking regular teaching at Brookes, or as a research collaborator with an established member of staff). The submission for examination comprises the published work on which the application is based, together with a supporting critical appraisal of this work.
Additional details
The main research areas relevant to this degree are:
- Ecology and Ecocriticism
- Technology and Literature
- Shakespeare Studies
- Early Modern Drama
- Children’s literature and fairy tales
- Victorian poetry, esp. Pre-Raphaelitism
- Victorian occult literature and practice
- Modernist literatures and cultures
- Literature and psychoanalysis
- Literature of the 21st century
- American Literature of the 19th-21st centuries
- Contemporary drama and performance
- Literature and Memory
- Poetry and Poetics
- Textual Scholarship and Editorial Practice
- Critical-creative practice
- Cognitive Poetics.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
- Each research student in the Faculty will be allocated £700 (£350 for MA by Research students) towards the costs associated with specific research activities during the research programme.
- Close supervision from experts in your chosen research area, including joint supervision across departments for interdisciplinary projects.
- Plentiful opportunities to present your work. Depending on your chosen subject you may have the opportunity to attend:
- research seminars with presentations from high profile external guest speakers
- specialist seminars organised by individual research groups and clusters
- methodology workshops.
- You will also be encouraged to submit publications to leading research journals.
- You may have the opportunity to develop your teaching, mentoring and demonstrating skills by undertaking paid teaching activities for up to six hours a week. You may also be required to attend the Associate Teachers course which is run by the University Oxford Centre for Academic Enhancement and Development.
- As a core part of the Faculty’s Doctoral Training Programme, the School also offers high quality research training and study facilities that can be accessed by both full-time and part-time students. PhD students can also apply for reader access to the Bodleian Library.
- All our research students also become part of the University’s Graduate College, which runs a comprehensive programme of training sessions and workshops.
Learning and assessment
The MA by Research in English builds on the School’s expertise to give you a unique and clearly focused programme of study. You will have the opportunity to develop a high level of subject knowledge, together with the ability to develop and undertake independent research in your own particular area of interest.
The programme will be attractive to applicants seeking to pursue intellectual interests beyond first degree level for further personal or professional development. The MA route is also designed to prepare you to undertake further research at MPhil or PhD level.
At the heart of the MA by Research is the close working relationship between candidate and supervisor. While the final thesis must be the candidate’s independent work, it is the supervisor who offers advice on refining the topic (if necessary), on primary sources, on secondary reading, on research techniques and on writing the final thesis. Supervisors and candidates meet frequently throughout the year, and not less than twice a term.
Learning and teaching
You will also receive training in research methods and skills appropriate to the stage they have reached and the nature of their work. This includes:
- guidance on planning and writing your thesis
- using bibliographic and archival resources (both electronic and printed)
- handling research data
- making conference presentations
- preparing and submitting material for publication.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
You will embark on a substantial piece of independent research (an MA thesis of up to 30,000 words) guided by your supervisor in regular meetings. A shorter assessment of 5,000 words, conceived as a formative essay precedes the dissertation in the programme. A viva voce examination is held at the end.
After you graduate
Career prospects
We are passionate about fostering the careers of our researchers and ensure that they gain research skills training, leadership experience and teaching practice as part of the doctoral programmes we offer.
Bespoke careers advice is also embedded into our programme as we think this is a key element of your personal and professional development during your time with us.
How to apply
Entry requirements
Please see the specific entry requirement details in the degree routes section above.
If you choose to study full-time you must be able to devote a minimum of 35 hours per week over a 44-week year to your research. You should not undertake more than 20 hours per week paid employment or other commitments (including a maximum of six hours per week teaching, demonstrating, or other paid work directly related to your research training).
If you choose to study part-time you must be able to devote a minimum of 15 hours per week over a 44-week year to the programme of research.
You must also meet our residence requirements.
English language requirements
Applicants whose main language is not English must meet the Faculty’s English language requirements. The minimum IELTS score required for entry to the research degree programme is 6.5–7 overall.
In addition, we require a minimum of 6.5 in each component of the test. We do not accept IELTS certificates that are over two years old.
Application process
It is essential that you first check whether your specific research interests can be adequately supervised before submitting a full application. To do this please email the Research Administrator (hss-researchdegrees@brookes.ac.uk) your provisional research proposal. This should be 1500–2000 words in length and should include a title and a summary of the proposed subject area.
There is no specific format for research proposals but the following areas are usually covered:
- introduction
- evidence of background reading and knowledge/previous experience of research area
- details of research methods proposed to carry out the project
- the aims of the research project and any proposed hypotheses/outcomes
- literature review
- how your research project will make an original and independent contribution to knowledge.
If your area of research can potentially be supervised you will be encouraged to submit a full application via our online application system.
The Research Administrator will acknowledge receipt of your application by email. We strive to make a decision within one month of receiving your application. Please note, however, decisions may take longer during busier periods of the academic year.
Supporting documents
Please read through the list of supporting documentation that must be uploaded along with your application or emailed separately.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
For International fees the following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
Home fees are set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and are released approximately five months before the start of each academic year.
If you have any questions about fees, get in touch with the Research Degrees Team at rdt-researchdegrees@brookes.ac.uk.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Compulsory costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
Continuation fee The continuation fee, where it is payable is compulsory, but not applicable to Masters by research or PhD by Published Work, detailed as follows:
|
£1455 |
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. For the 2025/26 academic year, the University is introducing an alternative subsidised travel offer for all students with further information on our Travel webpages. |
From £10 |
Resubmission fees If following viva, examiners recommend that a student is required to revise and resubmit their thesis for re-examination, they must pay the resubmission fee for the duration of that period. |
£1455 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.