Program Overview

French PhD

Overview

The French PhD program at the University of Nottingham is a research-based degree that allows students to explore their passion for French language, culture, and history. The program is designed to provide students with advanced research training, expert supervision, and a supportive community to help them achieve their academic goals.

Research Overview

The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Nottingham is a leading center for research in French and Francophone Studies. The department offers supervision across a wide range of research areas, including:

• Francophone Studies
• Enlightenment and encyclopédie
• Post-war French thoughts
• Migrant writers in Paris
• The 19th century novel
• Contemporary French social theory
• Post-war French society, culture, and politics
• Reception of jazz in inter-war France
• Politics and the media
• Political communication
• Gender, ethnicity, politics, and the media in France
• 20th century literature
• Travel narratives
• Urban studies
• Nineteenth and 20th century poetry
• Word and image studies
• French feminism under the Third Republic
• French senate
• Interwar French politics and society
• French constitutional history
• 18th century writing
• Feminist and post-structuralist theory
• Theories of hospitality and the gift
• Translation theory
• Translation and philosophy
• Film studies

Course Content

The French PhD program is a research-based degree that requires students to complete a thesis of 80,000-100,000 words. Students will work closely with their supervisors to develop their research topic and complete their thesis.

• Before starting the program, students will have completed a research-preparation master's degree in a related discipline and agreed on their research topic with a main supervisor and co-supervisor.
• Students are required to attend all departmental research seminars and special lectures and deliver at least one paper of their own each year.
• The program is designed to provide students with advanced research training, expert supervision, and a supportive community to help them achieve their academic goals.

Entry Requirements

• Home/UK students: 2:1 (or international equivalent) in an arts, humanities, or social science subject. A master's degree in a relevant subject is usually expected.
• EU/International students: 2:1 (or international equivalent) in an arts, humanities, or social science subject. A master's degree in a relevant subject is usually expected.
• English language requirements: IELTS 7.0 (6.5 in each element) or equivalent.

Fees

• Home/UK: £5,006
• International: £23,000

Funding

There are various funding opportunities available for PhD students, including scholarships and government loans.

Support

The University of Nottingham provides a range of support services for PhD students, including:

• Advanced research training
• Expert supervision
• Frequent reviews and feedback on progress
• Departmental research seminars/work-in-progress sessions
• Well-equipped work bases, with excellent library and IT facilities
• Support for research trips and conference attendance, inter-library loan

Careers

The French PhD program at the University of Nottingham is designed to provide students with advanced research training and a supportive community to help them achieve their academic goals. Many of our postgraduates have chosen academic careers and are currently in full-time posts in the UK. Others have moved into the civil service, the cultural industries, the media, publishing, teaching, or translation.

Research Excellence Framework

The University of Nottingham is ranked 7th in the UK for research power, according to analysis by Times Higher Education. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a national assessment of the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

• The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures was placed 6th nationally.
• 88% of research in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures was graded as world-leading or internationally excellent.
• 88% of the Faculty of Arts' research was graded as world-leading or internationally excellent.
• 90% of our research is classed as 'world-leading' (4) or 'internationally excellent' (3).
• 100% of our research is recognized internationally.
• 51% of our research is assessed as 'world-leading' (4*) for its impact.