French - PhD

Canterbury campus, Canterbury, United Kingdom

Shortlist

# 251-300QS Subject Rankings

36 monthsProgram duration

18,600 GBPTuition Fee/year

31 Jul, 2025Application Deadline

Program overview

Main Subject

Modern Languages

Degree

PhD

Study Level

PHD

Study Mode

On Campus

Kent offers an excellent environment for postgraduate study in French literature, thought, culture, society and the visual arts from the 18th century to the present.

Overview

A PhD in French enables you to undertake a substantial piece of supervised research in the subject that makes an original contribution to knowledge and is worthy of publication.

Over the duration of the PhD, you produce an original piece of research of up to 100,000 words, in English or in French.

Previous doctoral theses have included ‘Deleuze and Anti-Humanism: The Sense of Deleuze's Spinozism’, ‘Haptic Experience in the Writings of Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot and Michel Serres’, ‘Le Livre Fermé: The Fortune of Rousseau's Educational ideas in the Primary Schools of England and France during the 1960s’, ‘Photobiographies: pour une écriture de notation de la vie (Roland Barthes, Denis Roche, Annie Ernaux)’, and ‘De l'abject et du sublime: Georges Bataille, Jean Genet, Samuel Beckett’.

The Department of Modern Languages offers supervision from world-class academics with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, able to support and guide you through your research. Your progress is carefully monitored to ensure that you are on track to produce a thesis valued by the academic community. Throughout your programme, you are able to attend and contribute to research seminars, workshops, and research and transferable skills training courses.

The University of Kent is an ideal location to study French. Canterbury is the closest British university city to mainland Europe, and our proximity to the Channel ports and Ashford International station means you can be in Paris in just a couple of hours. PhD students may also benefit from an optional year in Paris at the École Normale Supérieure.

You may be eligible for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to support your studies with us. The PhD in French at Kent can be funded through the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) collaborative doctoral partnerships. Please indicate in your application if you want to be considered, and explain your eligibility for the scheme. For the full list of scholarships available within the School, please see our postgraduate funding page.

Program overview

Main Subject

Modern Languages

Degree

PhD

Study Level

PHD

Study Mode

On Campus

Kent offers an excellent environment for postgraduate study in French literature, thought, culture, society and the visual arts from the 18th century to the present.

Overview

A PhD in French enables you to undertake a substantial piece of supervised research in the subject that makes an original contribution to knowledge and is worthy of publication.

Over the duration of the PhD, you produce an original piece of research of up to 100,000 words, in English or in French.

IELTS

PTE Academic

63+

TOEFL

85+

Cambridge CAE Advanced

169+

Bachelor GPA

3.3+

A first or upper-second class BA honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, and a distinction or merit in an MA programme or equivalent in a relevant subject and the appropriate language skills.

Application Deadline

31 Jul 2025

Program Duration

3 Years

Starting Month(s)

Jan

Starting Month(s)

May

Tuition fee and scholarships

Tuition Fee
Scholarships

Domestic Students

Tuition Fee/year

Tuition Fee (Out of State)

International Students

Tuition Fee/year

18,600 GBP

Other Expenses

One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

In this guide you will find:

Where to look for scholarship opportunities

How to apply to scholarships relevant to you

A list of available scholarships around the world

A scholarship application checklist

Download Scholarship Guide

More programs from the university

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Here at the University of Kent we understand your passion to progress. Whether gaining advanced skills or joining a global academic research community drives you, our networks and facilities will help you achieve your ambition. With a diverse group of peers and supervisors, you’ll be inspired as well as challenged to push the boundaries of current thinking and research. We believe in the potential of everyone involved in the University of Kent, on campus and in our wider community, to make a difference. With every human connection we make, we become stronger, building determination and a community spirit that lasts a lifetime.

We understand that postgraduate students need flexibility, so many of our taught and all of our research degrees offer September or January starts. Many of our courses will consider applicants either holding or projected 2:2 UK Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, we also offer distance-learning options and short courses. We also offer career-focused conversion courses for those looking for a change of direction.

January 2025 starts - You can start some of our postgraduate degrees in January. If you’re taking a career break to study this could be the best option for you. Find out more about our January intake programmes.

To support you during your studies, our generous scholarship fund includes awards for musical and sporting excellence and exclusive scholarships for international students. 

Apply now to take your ambition further.