PhD bursaries in department of English

English PhD Studentships and Bursaries
Department of English

The Department of English at the University of Exeter is ranked 1st in the UK for world-leading research. With a large postgraduate community and over 40 academic staff we offer an exciting place to pursue postgraduate studies with excellent supervision and our student satisfaction is amongst the highest in the country. We are currently offering:

7 PhD Studentships: all fees paid for three years plus an annual maintenance grant equivalent to the AHRC per year for three years. In 2008/09 this was £12,940, the 2009/10 grant will be announced later in the year.

16 PhD Bursaries: £7,000 per year for three years. Bursary recipients will be required to carry out 80 hours support work a year within the School in the form of teaching, research support or as International Ambassador.

We offer supervision in all areas of research, with research groups and strengths in the following areas: Medieval and Renaissance; Eighteenth-Century; Victorian; Twentieth-Century and Contemporary English literature; American literature; Film; and Creative Writing. Postgraduate activity is also growing in Cornwall with a distinctive theme of research on Place and Environment. There are also specialist Centres for Creative Writing; Literature, Identity and Place (in Cornwall); South West Writing; and Victorian Studies. We can also offer the opportunity for interdisciplinary research and the contextual study of culture. We participate in interdisciplinary centres or networks dedicated to Early Modern Studies, Film, Medical History, Medieval Studies, Migration, and Sex and Gender.

We offer an excellent postgraduate study environment including a postgraduate suite, dedicated IT rooms, specialist training, funding for travel, Research Assistantships, a nationally-acclaimed Teaching Assistantship scheme and support for PG conferences. Students also have access to unique research resources and collections.

Entry criteria
We invite applications for any of our specialisms from candidates with a strong academic background and a clear and engaging research proposal which can be developed through available research supervision. Successful applicants normally have a good first degree (2.1 or equivalent) in English or the field of humanities, and a Masters degree at Merit level.

To apply
To apply please send the following documentation to Morwenna Hussey at the address below by 20 March 2009:

* Completed University of Exeter application form in hardcopy (download an application form)
* Two academic references (download a reference form)
* Curriculum vitae
* A 750 word outline research proposal identifying research aims and questions, methodology, any required resources and/or sources, and accompanied by a contextual bibliography.
* Additionally, in practice-based subjects (e.g. filmmaking) students may submit one film and a short theoretical/ practical reflective commentary on the film.

Morwenna Hussey, Postgraduate Administrator
Department of English, University of Exeter
Queen's Building, The Queen's Drive
Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QH.

Interviews will be held on 1st and 2nd April 2009.

Visit www.exeter.ac.uk/english for more information.