England

Please tell us where you live so that we can provide you with the most relevant information as you use this website.
If you are at a BFPO address please choose the country or region in which you would ordinarily be resident.
Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate the English and Creative Writing research area
Research in this area embraces a diverse range of periods, topics and approaches. Our research extends from the early modern to the contemporary, includes all the main literary genres, and is characterised by a strongly interdisciplinary approach and ethos.
Current PhD students are working on a wide range of topics, which include: close analysis of specific books and authors in their contexts; literature in relation to themes like gender and sexuality, ethnicity, war and conflict and the way literary works are produced and received. Creative writing candidates are working on collections of poetry, or novels with wide ranging themes and concerns.
We welcome applications from prospective research students and offer full-time and part-time places. Please contact us, using the email address below, if you are interested in exploring PhD study with us.
Most of our research students are based away from our Milton Keynes campus, but are resident in the UK, see Full-time study and Part-time study.
The Open University houses publicly accessible digital archives based on the English discipline's research projects:
Explore specific areas of research, current and prospective projects, entry requirements, fees and funding, available supervisors, how to apply and contact details for advice.
Creative writing
Digital humanities
Early modern literature
History of books and reading
Language, literature and politics
Literature and music
Otherness in the humanities
Postcolonial and global literatures
Romanticism and 19th century literature
20th century and contemporary literatures
Consider linked topics from other research areas.
Greek and Latin texts