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Early Modern Studies MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Early Modern Studies 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

6 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 a first or a very high upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard and a Distinction or indication of Distinction-level work at Master's level (or equivalent).

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). Research students can specialise in any aspect of Early Modern Studies and utilise the multi-disciplinary nature of resources available in a range of subjects, including art, digital humanities, history, law, literature, politics and science.

In the first instance, candidates should establish a dialogue with a potential supervisor before making a formal application. 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.

You will participate in a mandatory skills seminar programme in CMII. The wealth of seminars, conferences, exhibitions and other academic events across UCL means that there is a broad and supportive community of early modernists here. Regular research seminars are also 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 MPhil/PhD is for applicants with a strong interest in conducting multi-disciplinary research, who may have completed postgraduate training or study and want to develop an advanced critical analysis in a specific research area. The course is for applicants with a background or interest in history, heritage or cultural sectors, sociology, literary studies, the arts, politics or relevant disciplines. It is suitable for both recent Masters graduates as well as early or mid-career professionals.

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

What this course will give you

The historic collections relating to the period 1500-1800 in London are unrivalled, offering the broadest range of opportunities for research and study. These resources are reflected by the extraordinary human capital to be found in the metropolis.

Our expertise and interest are reflected by two dedicated Research Centres at UCL: the Centre for Early Modern Exchanges and the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters. A supportive and resource rich environment of scholars and researchers with shared interests in the early modern make this one of the best places to pursue doctoral research in these disciplines.

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. 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.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

While the course is predominantly aimed at equipping the early modern scholars of the future, it would equally be an excellent preparation for work in the heritage, museum, gallery or arts sectors. Many graduates have pursued academic research or teaching careers. Working in a range of roles in international universities, financial institutions, and government departments

Recent research degree graduates from SELCS-CMII, have gone on to work in sectors such as: publishing, journalism and translation (9.5%); 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

Beyond becoming an expert in your chosen field, you will gain employable attributes including leadership, communication, teamwork, language and business skills, refined in a dynamic cross-disciplinary research environment.

PhD graduates from UCL have previously gained academic fellowships as well as postdoctoral placements in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Research students develop a range of skills that are invaluable in academia and in numerous other fields such as critical analysis, management of projects and deadlines, and intercultural mediation.

Networking

We've collaborated on research with many of the world's leading organisations in the field and have The Centre for Early Modern Exchanges for dedicated research.

These links provide opportunities to network and collaborate with a wide variety of external partners. Our students gain access to a range of networking events, career workshops and seminars, offering opportunities to connect with staff working on cutting-edge research in the field. Students are strongly 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 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.

The UCL Doctoral School runs a full programme of doctoral skills trainings across a broad range of subjects from Academic Writing to Conference Presentation and preparing for the viva. A full list is available on our website.

Students are expected to submit a revised title and short plan of your PhD (around 500 words) during the Spring Term of Year 1 as a full-time student or the late summer of Year 1 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 Year 2 and 3, 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 course 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

Renaissance Literature, early modern history, the literature and cultures of the early modern world, book history, marginalia and annotation, history of reading, colonial history, Spanish imperial history, Italian academies and pastoral drama, Mesoamerican art, drama.

In addition to these areas, the Centre for Early Modern Exchanges promotes interest in the following broad areas:

Travel, exile and migration in early modern Europe and the New World
Trade and flows of material as well as cultural goods within and beyond Europe
Translation, translators and language learning
Literary influences across national, provincial and linguistic borders
Representations of intra- and extra-European ‘others’ in literature and art
Religious and political interactions in the wake of the Reformation
Occasions of significant cultural contact and/or heightened intranational anxiety
The production, circulation, and collection of books and manuscripts across Europe, the emergence of libraries and the book trade
Dissemination and development of scientific and medical knowledge, spread and transfer of technology
Old worlds and New worlds, from botanical and medicinal exchanges to pathogens, people and practices, colonialism and ethnography
Interplay between past and present, historiography, the archaic, nostalgia and the newfangled, classical and medieval pasts, archaeology and material cultures.

More information about staff research interests is available here.

Research environment

Research students are encouraged to participate in research seminars across and outside SELCS-CMII including networks such as the Centre for Early Modern Exchanges and 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 course 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 course 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.

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

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 some 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 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.