American_Studies_History

Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Education

American Studies research degrees

Postgraduate - Research

MA by Thesis PhD

Looking for a funded PhD?

Check out our current PhD scholarship opportunities now

About our programmes

Hull pioneered American Studies in Britain. After more than half a century, American Studies at Hull has one of the finest collections of American resources of any British university. This is a superb archive for postgraduate research students on our PhD courses. Our academic staff have distinguished national and international reputations for teaching and research, and, like the University of Hull as a whole, American Studies at Hull is known as one of the friendliest departments in the country.

One of our strengths is our ability to carry our research across disciplinary borders best illustrated through recent PhD projects such as 'How Can One Tell the Truth About My Lai?', which examined how historians, novelists, journalists, filmmakers, and the US Army sought to ‘explain' the notorious Vietnamese massacre of 1968. Another recent project drew upon cultural studies, gender studies and political history to analyse Cold War history to explore 'Masculinity and Myth in Marvel Comics, 1961-74'. Many of our successful PhD candidates have published books or have gone on to become lecturers at universities including Cambridge, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bangor, Manchester and Northumbria. Others have entered teaching, publishing, arts administration and broadcasting.

Apply for research programmes in American Studies

Details

Open for admission in 2024/25

Qualification Full time Part time
MA by Thesis 1 year* 2 years*
PhD 3 years* 5 years*

* The length of programme registration will be longer as it includes the maximum writing-up phase.

Start in January, May or September

Research

Our academic experts welcome applications for postgraduate research across a broad range of topics. 

Our principal areas of historical expertise include:

  • Gang culture and the incarceral society
  • History on film
  • Mexican-American history
  • African-American history
  • The Civil Rights movement
  • The Civil War
  • War and 20th-century American society

In literary and cultural studies, our main areas of research activity include:

  • Cinematic and televisual narratives
  • American gothic and horror literature and culture
  • Modern American poetry
  • Modernist and Postmodernist aesthetics
  • Race, gender and sexuality in contemporary American culture
  • 20th-century visual art (painting, photography, sculpture and architecture)
  • Radical culture

Fees and funding

Home


Full time:
£4,712 per year

Part time: £2,356 per year

International


Full time:
£17,300 per year

These fees are for all research degree programmes on this page. For courses lasting more than one year, annual increases apply. For more information, please visit the fees and funding page. 

Postgraduate research programme structures


PhD

  • Full-time: 3 years of research, with up to 12 months writing up if required
  • Part-time: 5 years of research, with up to 20 months of writing up if required

Masters

  • Full-time: one year of research, with up to 12 months writing up if required
  • Part-time: 2 years of research, with up to 24 months of writing up if required

Writing-up and thesis submission


A standard full-time PhD programme comprised three years of research plus up to 12 months of writing-up. Part-time is five years plus up to 20 months writing-up if needed. Full-time standard Masters programmes are comprised one year of research plus up to 12 months of writing-up if needed; and part time Masters programmes have two years of research with up to two years of writing-up.

For full-time students, the writing-up phase typically takes about three months but may be extended to one year without further paperwork. For part-time students, writing-up typically takes one year, but may be extended to two years without further paperwork. The maximum writing-up period is included in your overall programme length, which means that international PGRs will not need to apply for an additional visa to cover the writing-up phase.

If you need to move into the writing-up period of your research degree, you must enrol for this phase and you will be liable to pay a continuation fee.

The fees for the writing-up period for 2023/24 are:

Full time

  • Writing-up fee £345
  • Rebate for submission within first 3 months of the research period end date 100%
  • Rebate for submission between 4- 6 months of the research period end date 50%
  • Rebate for submission between 7-9 months of the research period end date 25%

Part time

  • Continuation Fee £170
  • Rebate for submission within first 3 months of the research period end date 100%
  • Rebate for submission between 4- 6 months of the research period end date 50%
  • Rebate for submission between 7-9 months of the research period end date 25%

Thesis submission timelines


It is expected that you will submit your thesis within the timeframes outlined below:

Masters degrees

  • Submission by one year and 3 months full-time.
  • Submission by 2 years and 6 months part-time.

Doctoral degrees

  • Submission by 3 years and 3 months full-time.
  • Submission by 5 years and 6 months for part-time.

Doctoral Loan

UK students who haven’t secured a scholarship can take out a Doctoral Loan to help with tuition fees and living costs. They provide up to £29,390 for full-time and part-time PhDs in all subject areas.

EU students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance. Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Additional costs

There are some extra costs that you may have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make. The list below has some examples, and any extra costs will vary:

  • Student visas (international students).
  • Books (you’ll have access to many books through the University library, but you may want to buy your own copies).
  • Optional conference/field/archive/library trips (Faculties support some travel and conference attendance financially. Details vary. Please check with the Department/School to which you are applying).
  • Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and PCs on campus, but you may want to buy your own).
  • Printing and photocopying (There is a printing allowance in place for all students, currently £20 a year. Some Faculties grant PGR students access to printing and photocopying as staff. Please check with the Department/School to which you are applying).
  • Professional-body membership.
  • Graduation (gown hire and photography).

Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel and food – to name just a few.

For information about bursaries and how to fund your studies see our money page, or take a look at our PhD scholarships page for specific funded PhD opportunities.

Watch: find out more about postgraduate study at the University of Hull.

The University’s Postgraduate Training Scheme (PGTS) provides a range of generic and discipline-specific modules to support research students through their programme.

The library has an exclusive lounge for postgraduate research students and a dedicated Skills Team to provide a wide range of study and research skills help.

The Doctoral College provides support to postgraduate research students. Offering skills development opportunities and dedicated facilities, the school is here to help you achieve your potential.

Research at Hull tackles big challenges and makes an impact on lives globally, every day. Our current research portfolio spans everything from health to habitats, food to flooding and supply chain to slavery.

Entry requirements

For entry onto one of our MA by Thesis programmes, you should normally have, or expect to obtain, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or international equivalent) in American Studies or another subject with relevance (such as history, literature, politics, cultural studies, sociology or economics).

For entry onto our PhD, you should normally have, or expect to obtain, at least a Master’s degree (or international equivalent) in American Studies or a related subject.

With your application, you should submit a comprehensive research proposal including an outline of the proposed field of study, the research methodology, a literature review, and—crucially—an indication of the significance of the research and its original contribution. You should also include a 200-300 word example example of written work.

International students

If you require a student visa to study or if your first language is not English you will be required to provide acceptable evidence of your English language proficiency level.

  • For 2024 entry, this course requires IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each competency.
  • For 2025 entry, this course requires IELTS 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in each competency.

See other English language proficiency qualifications accepted by this University.

If your English currently does not reach the University's required standard for this programme, you may be interested in one of our English language courses.

Visit your country page to find out more about our entry requirements.

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