Loughborough University's School of Arts, English and Drama, located on our Loughborough campus, has a thriving team of research students with a proven record for both creative and scholarly outputs of international excellence in the fields of the arts in the broadest sense of that term: visual, literary and performative.
Our research takes place both through individual scholarship and in collaboration with research partners across the UK and the world, and we investigate new directions in both the creation and the analysis of a wide range of cultural forms.
Research at Loughborough University
Our research contributes at the very highest levels to new knowledge and understanding; helping businesses and industry to compete more effectively, shaping public policy and, ultimately, helping to improve the quality of people's lives.
In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, Loughborough was ranked 14th in the UK and 9th among universities in England for research intensity. Almost 66% of the work of Loughborough's academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading' or ‘internationally excellent', compared to a national average figure of 43%.
The PhD Programme
A PhD is one of the highest awards a student can study for, and involves an extensive research project in which the student reviews existing knowledge, and creates new knowledge, on a subject.
Students will have two supervisors who provide academic support throughout their research. In addition to the University's extensive training provision, the School organises a specific programme tailored to the needs of arts, English and drama research, which includes practice-based methodologies. We encourage students to present at conferences, publish, exhibit their work, and to contribute to our lively research community.
As a PhD student you will be linked with one of the School's research groups:
Animation Academy
Drawing and Visualisation
Politicised Practice
Sexual Politics
Textiles
Early-Modern Culture
Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture
Theatre and performance
Publishing
Gendered Lives
Find out more.
Funding opportunities
A number of students fully, or part-fund their studies themselves. You can find more information about funding your PhD on our website. We also offer a number of studentships each year, which cover tuition fees and a living allowance, based on a UK/EU student studying a full-time PhD over three years.
How to apply
Please see our website for more guidance on how to apply for a PhD programme at Loughborough University.
Entry Dates
We offer four entry dates for our PhDs. Please contact the university for more details.