About This Programme
The Doctor of Philosophy in Literature-in-English is a research degree of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts. It creates flexible learning opportunities that equip students with a broad knowledge base in Literary Studies while leaving room for specialisation and innovation, and it aligns the postgraduate levels (MA, MPhil, PhD) so that the School of Graduate Studies Step-Up, Step-Down policy can be applied in practice.
The programme runs over six semesters. Students entering with an MPhil begin in Year 1, while those upgraded (Step-Up) begin in Year 2, which is why the structure is expressed as Year 1/2, Year 2/3 and Year 3/4. The first year of study carries twelve (12) credits a semester: Research and Professional Ethics, Research Synthesis and Meta-analysis in English Studies and Advanced Literary Theory in the first semester, and Academic Writing for Graduate Students and Guided Study in Literary Studies in the second. The remaining four semesters carry nine (9) credits each, made up of Graduate Research Seminars I to IV and the Thesis.
Students admitted to the PhD level directly may be required to take additional core or elective courses from the MA/MPhil level if there is a deficiency in their earlier academic record, and students who took Academic Writing for Graduate Students at the MPhil level are exempted from taking it again. A PhD student is required to publish at least two papers in recognised peer-reviewed journals, or in edited volumes published by a reputable publisher, before submitting the thesis; a paper submitted and marked 'Under Review' is considered a publication.
Programme Aim
Aim(s)
To produce globally competitive, self-independent researchers with in-depth knowledge and advanced expertise to conduct useful research on literary productions and to engage theoretically with the socio-cultural, political, ideological and economic contexts of those productions.
