We’re committed to reading literature in ways that extend beyond single languages and cultures. When you study our Comparative Literature PhD, you’ll benefit from cross-departmental expertise and supervision that spans various language areas and methodologies.
With specialists across the range of languages taught in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film, we provide varied supervision in the areas of comparative and world literature so you can undertake groundbreaking research. Our postgraduate researchers have played a pioneering role in work on postcolonial and translingual writing and have contributed to major research programmes and projects, including Translating Cultures and Transnationalising Modern Languages.
Collaboration between schools means that postgraduate researchers from the Department of English make a full contribution to our comparative literature pathway, extending the range of comparison to literatures throughout the Anglophone world. This ensures that our students have full access to the Centre for New and International Writing.
Additionally, our researchers contribute to the wider field of translation studies and include practicing translators committed to researching multilingually, extending theoretical bases beyond conventional understandings of the field.
Our Comparative Literature PhD covers a broad range of potential topics for investigation. We welcome research proposals in topics including:
Our staff have demonstrated international excellence in emerging areas such as digital media. We offer specialisms across a range of genres, including the novel, short story, travel writing and graphic fiction. Supervisors have an interest in canonical literatures and emerging voices and offer expertise across a range of theoretical approaches.
Additionally, our research groups provide a forum for the exchange of new concepts and knowledge produced by staff and postgraduate researchers. This gives you the opportunity to present your research, develop your research profile, and interact with other leading figures in your field of study.
Research groups include:
If you need help identifying a supervisor, please contact our Postgraduate Support team: hlc-pgr@liverpool.ac.uk.
Co-supervision is also available with the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology and the Institute of Irish Studies.
You may need the following documents to complete your online application:
Finally, register and apply online. You'll receive an email acknowledgment once you've submitted your application. We'll be in touch with further details about what happens next.
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Full-time place, per year - £5,006
Full-time place, per year - £24,600
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this degree.
If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan worth up to £30,301 to help with course fees and living costs.
There’s also a variety of alternative sources of funding. These include funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities and trusts. Your supervisor may be able to help you secure funding.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that could help pay your tuition fees and living expenses.
If you’re awarded this prestigious scholarship, you’ll receive significant funding to support your postgraduate research. This includes full payment of your PhD fees and a cash bursary of £17,000 per year while you study. One award is available in each academic year.
If you’re a UK student, either born in or with strong family connections to Merseyside, you could be eligible to apply for financial support worth up to £12,000 per year for up to three years of full-time postgraduate research (or up to five years part-time pro-rata).
Apply to receive tailored training support to enhance your sporting performance. Our athlete support package includes a range of benefits, from bespoke strength and conditioning training to physiotherapy sessions and one-to-one nutritional advice.
Our postgraduate researchers benefit from excellent facilities within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. This includes designated shared office space and access to a vast repository of journals in the areas of comparative and world literature through the Sydney Jones Library.
These are the trailblazers, the leaders, the true originals. Our postgraduate researchers are shaping their future, and the future of the world we live in, advancing knowledge with each discovery.
Want to find out more about studying a PhD with us? Chat with our postgraduate research student ambassadors and ask any questions you have.
Discover the qualifications you'll need to apply for this course.
You’ll need a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree, and a UK master’s degree or international equivalent relevant to the proposed field of research.
You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country.
We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications.
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
| Qualification | Details |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 7.0 overall, with no component below 7.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | 100 overall, with minimum scores of listening 24, writing 24, reading 24 and speaking 26. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted. |
| Pearson PTE Academic | 69 overall, with no component below 69 |
Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests, to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.
Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.
| Your most recent IELTS score | Pre-sessional English course length | On campus or online |
|---|---|---|
| 7.0 overall, with no component below 6.5 | 6 weeks | On campus |
| 7.0 overall, with no component below 6.0 | 10 weeks | On campus and online options available |
| 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0 | 12 weeks | On campus and online options available |
| 6.0 overall, with no component below 5.5 | 20 weeks | On campus |
| 5.5 overall, with no component below 5.0 | 30 weeks | On campus |
| 5.0 overall, with no component below 5.0 | 40 weeks | On campus |
If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.
Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 7.0 overall, with no component below 7.0, for further details.
Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.