Overview

While the aims and objectives remain the same as on any other PhD programme in the humanities, for example, you are expected to contribute new knowledge of some sort, and to explore original, contemporary research questions, you are expected to achieve almost all of this in the novel itself. There is no long critical piece attached to this PhD programme. Instead, you produce a 3-5,000-word essay that works like a preface to your project, linking your concerns with others’, demonstrating your awareness of theme and locating your work within/without one or more traditions etc. You also need to produce a full bibliography.

All UK universities and relevant funding councils and bodies (including REF panels) now support the idea that literary novels are research outputs in their own right and in themselves make significant contributions to knowledge. The idea that a novel might ‘know’ something about war that a piece of historical research could not know (in the case of Art Spiegelman’s MAUS, for example), or that philosophy can be undertaken in fiction (as in the work of Borges) is one that we have been embracing at Kent for several years now.

Careers

Many career paths can benefit from the writing and analytical skills that you develop as a postgraduate student in the School of English. Students of the The Contemporary Novel - Practice as Research course from University of Kent have gone on to work in academia, journalism, broadcasting and media, publishing, writing and teaching; as well as more general areas such as banking, marketing analysis and project management.

Programme Structure

Research areas:

Eighteenth Century

Nineteeth Century

American Literature

Creative Writing

Medieval and Early Modern

Modern Poetry

Postcolonial

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months
Part-time
- 24 months
- Flexible

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-04 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-04 00:00:00 , National

More details

No fixed deadline for applications from home students, but we recommend to apply as soon as possible; no later than three months before your start date.

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

95

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

76

Schedule a PTE test!

OTE

141

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

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4.9/5 student rating

Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Canterbury, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Creative Writing Literature View 228 other Masters in Literature in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

GPA

First Class

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

95

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

76

Schedule a PTE test!

OTE

141

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

A first or upper-second class honours degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent) and, normally, a taught MA qualification of an excellent standard (Distinction or high Merit).
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.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

19300 GBP / year

≈ 19300 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

5006 GBP / year

≈ 5006 GBP / year

Additional Details

EU Full time: £19300

EU and International Part time: £9,650
UK Part time: 2,503

Living costs

Canterbury

United Kingdom

660 - 1140 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for The Contemporary Novel-Practice as Research.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Careers

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Canterbury

Funding

Need help with your student visa?

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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