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Comparative Literature MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Comparative Literature MPhil/PhD (2025/26), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£6,400

£3,200

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£31,300

£15,650

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

October 2026

February 2027

May 2027

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, and a Master's degree with Merit in a relevant field. In the first instance, candidates should establish a dialogue with a potential supervisor before making a formal application. Admission is normally dependent on the submission of a detailed research project proposal.

The English language level for this course is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

This PhD is offered by the Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) within the School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS). The Comparative Literature research degree draws on the collective expertise of specialists in the Faculties of Arts & Humanities, Social & Historical Sciences, the Institute of Education, the School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES).

Research students can specialise in any aspect of comparative literature for which suitable supervision is available. Potential supervisors' disciplinary perspectives are drawn from language departments including the School of Slavonic & East European Studies, Greek & Latin, Anthropology, Geography, literary studies and queer studies and across UCL.

In the first instance, candidates should establish a dialogue with a potential supervisor before making a formal application. We are especially interested in creative critical research and in proposals that articulate and examine new developments in literary and cultural studies, in the English-speaking world and beyond.

Training courses are designed on an individual basis by the student's supervisor and generally involve participation in activities offered by the department of the primary supervisor. You will also participate in a mandatory skills seminar programme in CMII. Regular research seminars are run by individual PhD Courses and research centres, such as Gender and Sexuality Studies, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies, Health Humanities, French and Francophone Studies, Translation Studies, Film Studies, and Comparative Literature. All students are welcome to attend relevant sessions, offering opportunities for cross-fertilisation of ideas.

Who this course is for

This course is for applicants with a background or interest in comparative literary study and research. It is suitable for both recent Masters graduates as well as early or mid-career professionals. This MPhil/PhD is for applicants who want to do multi-disciplinary research, who may have completed post-graduate training or study and want to develop an advanced critical analysis in a specific research area.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

Supervision and mentorship is available from world-leading researchers with international and national contacts and collaborations across policy, government, cultural institutions, academia and industry. With 83% of SELCS-CMII research activity being graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’ in the REF 2021.

Training includes regular skills-based research seminars for all CMII research students. Throughout your PhD you may also participate in activities and events offered by the departments of different supervisors beyond the CMII, which offers opportunities to broaden your expertise and adapt your research for different audiences.

Students also take advantage of training provided by the UCL Doctoral School and our departmental research student seminars. Our unrivalled multiplicity of languages and strong connections to other UCL departments, nearby institutions and libraries, place us in an ideal position to forge collaborative research partnerships and be attentive to different media and cultural perspectives.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

PhD students may go on to academic careers in higher education or careers in research, in publishing or in creative writing. Graduates are able to use to their language, writing and communication skills in a range of different fields and industries such as translation, consultancy, teaching, marketing, international NGO's, charities, the arts and heritage.

Recent research degree graduates from SELCS-CMII, have also gone on to work in sectors such as: health and social care (9.5%); policy and government (2.4%); accountancy and financial services (4.8%), teaching and other educational activities (7.1%). They have gone on to work for employers such as the University of Sussex, University of Exeter, the Home Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.*

*Graduate Outcomes Survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017 - 2022 cohorts.

Employability

Skills acquired as a result of taking this course include: ability to conduct research in library archives and electronic archives; ability to synthesise and summarise large amounts of information; ability to use evidence in order to construct a convincing argument; ability to work with texts in more than one language; acquisition of sensitivity to the cultural register of texts; ability to plan workloads efficiently and meet deadlines.

Doctoral students develop a range of skills that are invaluable in academia and in numerous other fields where PhD holders are prized for their skills in communication, critical analysis, management of projects and intercultural mediation.

Networking

There are many opportunities for networking whilst undertaking this course, namely in areas within membership of cultural institutions like the British Museum. There are also research organisations such as the British Library and cultural organisations, such as the Cervantes Institute. There are research hubs at UCL (IAS or the SAS) all available for great networking opportunities.

A wealth of talks, roundtables, book launches and events across UCL offer opportunities to connect with staff working on cutting-edge research in the field. Students are encouraged to attend and give papers at conferences, establishing contacts with academics and also peers working in their field.

PhD students take a central role in the research culture of their department and beyond, supported to organise reading groups, seminar series and symposia to present their own and others’ research. UCL Careers also offers a range of services, providing access to recruitment and networking events.

An additional benefit of studying Comparative Literature at UCL is the opportunity to meet students from a wide range of national and disciplinary backgrounds. These links create valuable networking opportunities, both in the UK and overseas.

Teaching and learning

Research students undertake relevant induction sessions within SELCS & CMII and attend a series of skills-based research seminars throughout their first year, which are accompanied by presentations by staff in the department of their research trajectories.

All students (except for students on Completing Research Status, for whom it is optional) will be required to register for and attend one ongoing disciplinary seminar. There are seven seminar groups which reflect the main areas of research within our academic community. There are fortnightly sessions every term.

Students can also take advantage of the Doctoral Skills Development Programme to design a training programme tailored to their needs. PhD students meet with their supervisors regularly in term time, where workplans, milestones and activities are tracked on the UCL Research Student Log. Each training activity on the Doctoral Skills Development Programme website is assigned a number of points. A point is worth approximately half a day of training: two weeks per year is therefore equivalent to 20 points per year. Research students are required to accrue 20 points per year from the courses on offer through the programme, departmental courses and other point bearing activities listed.

In Term 3, first year students give a presentation about their research at our postgraduate conference, in front of other doctoral students and faculty. The aim is to get useful feedback and some experience in presenting your research.

You are expected to submit a revised title and short plan of your PhD (around 500 words) during the Spring Term of your first year as a full-time student, or the late summer of your first year as a part-time student.

All students are required to upgrade from MPhil to a PhD degree after the groundwork for the project has been developed. To successfully upgrade to a PhD you are required to submit a piece of writing (this is usually based on one chapter from your thesis and a chapter plan for the remainder). You are also required to discuss the project with a panel consisting of your Subsidiary Supervisor and another member of the faculty who acts as an independent assessor.

At the end of the Second and Third Years of study, students will undergo a formal review of their progress. It is important to note that this is not strictly an academic assessment (like the upgrade), but rather a tool to identify where students, individually and collectively, require further support to ensure that they are on the right track to finish their studies in a timely manner and successfully enter the job market upon completion.

After the PhD thesis has been submitted, the assessment is by viva voce examination with an internal and an external examiner.

PhD students should treat their research degree as a full-time job, which equates roughly to 35 hours per week, or 15 hours for part-time students. Students agree to a timetable of regular meetings with the Principal Supervisor to effectively manage the progression of project aims. This is flexible, at some points it may be necessary to meet more or less often.

Full-time students can expect to meet supervisors together or individually every 2-4 weeks during the academic year, and part-time students every 4-6 weeks. If a student has external funding, they should also ensure they meet the Terms & Conditions of the funder.

Research areas and structure

We invite proposals with a comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary focus, including comparative studies of themes, genres, and periods, and research in the following fields: world literature, literary and cultural theory; material and visual cultures; reception studies; cultural history; comparative gender studies and performance studies; diasporas and migration studies; new media.

Research environment

Research students are encouraged to participate in research seminars across and outside SELCS-CMII including networks such as the London Intercollegiate Network for Comparative Studies. Students contribute significantly to the research environment through the organisation of annual conferences, and participation in seminars and online journals. Students can access special collections in Modern Languages, Culture and History at UCL and other world-class libraries (Senate House and British Library) within walking distance of campus. As well as access to research support in the form of academic skills courses, student-led workshops and reading groups.

The length of registration for the research degree is usually three years for full-time study. You register for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transferring to a PhD degree after successful completion of an upgrade viva 9-12 months after initial registration.

In Year 1, you will be required to take part in a mandatory skills seminar programme at CMII. You are expected to agree the basic structure of your research project with your supervisor early on, including an appropriate research method and a realistic plan of work. You will produce and submit a detailed outline of your proposed research for your supervisor to give their comments and feedback, including written work towards a draft chapter such as a literature review.

To successfully upgrade to a PhD, you are required to submit a piece of writing (this is usually based on one chapter from your thesis and a chapter plan for the remainder). You are also required to discuss this work with a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and another member of the faculty who acts as an independent assessor. Once upgraded to PhD, you will spend a further two years conducting and writing up your research.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration (three years full time), you may register as a completing research student (CRS) while you write up your thesis.

The length of registration for the research degree is usually five years for part-time. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transferring to a PhD degree after successful completion of an upgrade viva 15-18 months after initial registration. The course structure is otherwise the same as for full-time students, with the same requirements, with appropriate adjustments of timelines.

Placement

There is no compulsory placement in this course, but we encourage students to apply to the Yale-UCL exchange programme that offers students to pursue their Comparative Literature studies for one term at the University of Yale. Additional costs associated with this opportunity may include living expenses such as food and accommodation, as well as visas and vaccinations. For full details on the terms and conditions, as well as guidance on costs and funding, please visit the Doctoral School's Yale-UCL Student Exchange page.

All expenses will be the personal responsibility of the Exchange participant. There are a limited number of Yale-UCL Bursaries available, otherwise participants will need to cover costs themselves.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£6,400	£3,200
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£31,300	£15,650

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, subscriptions or conference registration fees. Students receive a free printing allowance each year and pay for any additional printing (see details), while books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

Conference fees vary depending on the specific event, attendee category, location, and the price of travel and accommodation, but this may be between £200 and £500 per event, based on typical events and destinations attended by recent students.

Subject to availability and deadlines, the department may be able to offer funding to contribute towards the costs related to conference attendance or training workshops. These would be limited to one award per year, assessed on a case-by-case basis and may be for part or all of the costs.

For students who take part in the Yale-UCL Student Exchange, expenses will be the personal responsibility of the Exchange participant. There are a limited number of Yale-UCL Bursaries available, otherwise participants will need to cover travel and living costs themselves. Further information on additional costs and eligibility can be found online.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

All applicants must identify and contact potential supervisors before making their application. For more information see our 'Need to Know' page.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.