Doctoral study in English

Why study with us?

We were placed 38th in the world in the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

As a doctoral candidate, you'll benefit from: financial support for research expenses through PReSS funding; high-calibre supervision practices; and the networks and expertise of our world-class academic researchers.

Research opportunities

We offer supervision in the standard PhD and in the PhD with creative practice.

We welcome PhD proposals in areas including:

  • Māori, Pasifika and New Zealand literature
  • Global Indigenous literatures
  • Literature, evolution and cognition
  • Digital arts theory
  • American literature
  • Medieval literature, culture and drama
  • Shakespeare and early modern drama
  • 19th-century literature
  • Modernist literature, culture and drama
  • Contemporary literature
  • Contemporary theatre
  • Transcultural creative writing
  • Poetry and poetics
  • Narrative and literary theory
  • Trauma and cultural memory

Our people

Our internationally renowned researchers work in literary studies and drama and include a number of award-winning poets and novelists.

Past research topics

  • "Mana moana: Wayfinding and five Indigenous poets" | Supervised by Professor Selina Tusitala Marsh
  • "Reading space-time: A chronotopic analysis of the science fiction genre" | Supervised by Professor Alex Calder
  • "Recycled alterity: Familiar dehumanisation in the contemporary fiction of genetic posthumanism" | Supervised by Emeritus Professor Brian Boyd
  • "Catalyst for change: The dramaturge and performance development in New Zealand" | Supervised by Associate Professor Murray Edmond and Professor Lisa Samuels
  • "Neo-Victorian Dickens(es): The Hogarth/Dickens circle and recent biofiction" | Supervised by Emeritus Professor Joanne Wilkes
  • "Examining the particular, illuminating the singular: Gender, sexuality and desire in the lives and works of Marianne Moore and Bryher" | Supervised by Professor Erin Carlston

Scholarships and awards

There are several scholarships you may be eligible for when you decide to pursue your PhD in English:

Help and advice

Our friendly staff will provide you with advice on enrolling in your PhD at Student Hubs.

If you would like to discuss your plans for your doctoral research you can contact our PhD Adviser.

Apply for doctoral study