university of oslo phd in english literature

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Home » Scholarships by Majors » English Scholarships » Doctoral Research Fellowships in Literature in English at University of Oslo in Norway, 2015-2016

Doctoral Research Fellowships in Literature in English at University of Oslo in Norway, 2015-2016

University of Oslo is inviting applications for doctoral research fellowships in literature in English. A Master’s Degree or equivalent in English (literature in English). The Master’s Degree must have been achieved by the time of application. Personal suitability and motivation for the position. The application deadline is 1 February 2017.

Study Subject(s): Fellowships are provided in literature in English (Literature, Rights and Imagined Communities) at University of Oslo in Norway. Course Level:   Fellowships are available for pursuing doctoral research program at University of Oslo in Norway. Scholarship Provider:  University of Oslo, Norway Scholarship can be taken at: Norway

User Review

Eligibility: A Master’s Degree or equivalent in English (literature in English). The Master’s Degree must have been achieved by the time of application. Personal suitability and motivation for the position. In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on: -the applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame -the applicant’s ability to complete research training -good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communties -the project’s scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation -Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may also be given preference.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Norwegian and Foreign applicants are eligible for these doctoral research fellowships.

Scholarship Description: Two positions as PhD Research Fellow (SKO 1017) within literature in English are available in the   Literature, Rights, and Imagined Communities project   in the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages (ILOS) at the University of Oslo (UiO). Literature, Rights, and Imagined Communities studies the relationship between conceptions and practices of rights, forms and habits of imagining community, and the structure and practice of literature. We seek a PhD candidate with excellent research qualifications who will contribute to the project. The applicant must present an independent subproject that lies within the scope of the Literature, Rights, and Imagined Communities project. This subproject should be within literature in English, focusing on any period or periods between the Renaissance and the present.

Number of award(s):   Not Known

Duration of award(s):   The appointment is for a duration of three years.

What does it cover?   Total offer is of: -Salary level 50 – 56 (NOK 430 500 – 475 400, depending on qualifications) -a professionally stimulating working environment -attractive welfare benefits

Selection criteria: Not Known

Notification:  Short-listed candidates may be invited for an interview at the University of Oslo.

How to Apply:   The mode of applying is online. Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application, preferably in pdf format: -letter of application -Curriculum Vitae -list of publications (if applicable) -transcript of records of your Master’s Degree. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system. -project description, including a detailed progress plan for the project -Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language. -Educational certificates, Master’s theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

Online Application

Scholarship Application Deadline:   The application deadline is 1 February 2017.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application

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English Literature PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: English Literature

Upcoming Introduction to Postgraduate Study and Research events

Join us online on the 19th June or 26th June to learn more about studying and researching at Edinburgh.

Choose your event and register

Research profile

Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research; and to make an original, positive contribution to learning in literature and related fields.

As the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, based in one of the largest and most diverse Schools in the University of Edinburgh, we are the ideal place for PhD study.

Our interdisciplinary environment brings together specialists in all periods and genres of literature and literary analysis.

Research excellence

Based on our performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), over 90 per cent of our research and impact is classed as world-leading and internationally excellent by Research Professional. 69 per cent is graded at the world-leading level – the highest of REF’s four categories.

In Times Higher Education's REF analysis, English at Edinburgh is ranked fifth in the UK (out of more than 90 institutions) for:

• the overall quality of our publications and other outputs
• the impact of our research on people’s lives
• our supportive research environment

Given the breadth and depth of our expertise, we are able to support students wishing to develop research projects in any field of Anglophone literary studies. These include American studies, literary and critical theory, the history of the book, gender and sexuality studies, and global Anglophone literatures - where our specialisms include Pacific, African, South Asian, and African-American writing.

We have particular strengths in each of the main periods of English and Scottish Literature:

• Renaissance/early modern
• Enlightenment
• 21st century
• Contemporary

Emergent research themes in the department include the digital humanities, the economic humanities, the environmental humanities and literature and medicine.

• Explore our range of research centres, networks and projects in English and Scottish Literature

Working with colleagues elsewhere in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, and across the wider University, we are able to support PhD theses crossing boundaries between disciplines and/or languages.

• Be inspired by the range of PhD research in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Over the course of your PhD, you’ll be expected to complete an original body of work under the expert guidance of your supervisors leading to a dissertation of usually between 80,000 and 100,000 words.

You will be awarded your doctorate if your thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and your research makes a definite contribution to knowledge.

• Read our pre-application guidance on writing a PhD research proposal

Go beyond the books

Beyond the Books is a podcast from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen.

Listen to a mix of PhD, early career and established researchers talk about their journey to and through academia and about their current and recent research.

• Browse Beyond the Books episodes and hear our research community talk about their work

Training and support

Between the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the Careers Service, and the Institute for Academic Development (IAD), you’ll find a range of programmes and resources to help you develop your postgraduate skills.

You will also have access to the University’s fantastic libraries, collections and worldwide strategic partnerships.

Part of a community

As part of our research community, you will be immersed in a world of knowledge exchange, with lots of opportunities to share ideas, learning and creative work.

Activities range from talks by visiting speakers and work-in-progress seminars, to reading groups, conferences, workshops, performances, online journals and forums, many of which are led by PhD candidates.

Highlights include student reading for the James Tait Black Prizes, Britain's oldest literary awards which typically involve reading submissions across fiction and biography and advising the judges on the shortlists.

• Read an interview with 2022 James Tait Black reader, Céleste Callen

Our graduates tell us that they value the friendliness of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), the connections they make here and the in-depth guidance they receive from our staff, who are published experts in their field.

A UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

Take a PhD with us and you will be based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) in the historic centre of this world-leading festival city.

You will have access to the University’s many literary treasures. These include the libraries of:

• William Drummond
• Lewis Grassic Gibbon
• Hugh MacDiarmid
• Norman MacCaig

The Centre for Research Collections holds the W.H. Auden collection; the Corson Collection of works by and about Sir Walter Scott; and the Ramage collection of poetry pamphlets.

It also holds a truly exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays put together by the 19th century Shakespearean James Halliwell-Phillipps, the correspondence of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (the focus of one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century), and the extensive Laing collection of medieval and early modern manuscripts, as well as letters and papers by - and relating to - authors including:

• Christopher Isherwood
• Rudyard Kipling
• John Middleton Murry
• Walter de la Mare
• George Mackay Brown
• Compton Mackenzie

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, Computing Labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

Look inside the PhD study space in LLC

In the city

Our buildings are close to the National Library of Scotland (where collections include the Bute Collection of early modern English drama and the John Murray Archive), Edinburgh Central Library, Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Writers’ Museum and a fantastic range of publishing houses, bookshops, and theatres.

We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK masters, or its international equivalent, with a mark of at least 65% in your English literature dissertation of at least 10,000 words.

If your masters programme did not include a dissertation or included a dissertation that was unmarked or less than 10,000 words, you will be expected to produce an exceptional research proposal and personal statement to show your ability to undertake research at the level required by this programme.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

• Fees and costs

Read our general information on tuition fees and studying costs:

Scholarships and funding

Featured funding.

There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.

• Find out more about scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• 50 George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: English Literature
• School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This programme is not currently accepting applications. Applications for the next intake usually open in October.

Start date: September 2024

Awards: PhD (36 mth FT, 72 mth PT)

Application deadlines

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

• How to apply

The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.

For a PhD programme, you should include:

• a sample of written work of about 3,000 words (this can be a previous piece of work from an undergraduate or masters degree)
• a research proposal - a detailed description of what you hope to achieve and how
• Pre-application guidance

Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.

This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.

The guidance will also give you practical advice for writing your research proposal – one of the most important parts of your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

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The work of MultiLing – Center for Multilingualism in Society has brought the research frontier forward. Results include a better basis for treatment of language disorders in multilingual persons with aphasia and dementia, and a better understanding of children’s language development.

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The Centre for Ibsen Studies engages in multidisciplinary research and education on the nineteenth-century Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.

The Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing) is a research center financed by the Research Council of Norway as a  Center of Excellence .

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How to apply for admission to the PhD programme

Below you will find information about admission requirements and which documents to submit with your application.

Admission requirements

The PhD programme is regulated by the  University of Oslo's Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and the Faculty's Supplementary rules . To get admission to the PhD programme, you must, among other things, meet the educational requirements, funding requirements and have an approved project description. Documentation that you meet the requirements must be attached with your application according to the current rules and regulations. 

How to submit your application

Applications for admission to the PhD programme (PHD-MED) at the Faculty of Medicine must be submitted through Søknadsweb . When you have uploaded a complete application, you must submit a confirmation email to [email protected] Applications for admission are processed throughout the year, but you must normally apply within 3 months after the project has commenced, ref. Supplementary rule to § 5.3 Admission period .

Case processing time

Within 3 weeks from submitting your application you will receive a confirmation that your application has been received. Complete applications are normally processed within 6 weeks. In some cases, a conditional right to study is granted while the application is processed. 

Application requirements

1. contracts.

Admission to one of the university's PhD programmes is formalized in a written contract signed by the PhD candidate and supervisors, and the Faculty signes the contract when a decision is made. The contract governs the parties' rights and obligations during the admission period, cf.  Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) . 

All candidates must fill out a  contract (docx)  when applying for admission to the PhD programme. PhD candidates with funding from, employment at or who receive contributions from an external party, e.g. from a university hospital, must also complete a contract with an external party, cf. Supplementary rules for PhD §5.1 Requirement for access to resources , se Contract with an external party (docx) .

All candidates admitted to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Medicine are affiliated to the programme either through a research fellowship or a supervisor at the faculty. If you have an external principal supervisor and have internal co-supervisors from different departments/institutes at the faculty, you must have an agreement concerning institute affiliation (docx) See affiliation criteria in order of priority for PhD candidates at the faculty .

2. Education

For admission to the PhD programme, you are required to have completed at least 5 years higher education, i.e. a master’s degree or equivalent professional studies. Supplementary rules for the degree of PhD § 5.1 Educational and grade requirements describe the requirements in more detail.

In cases where the applicant does not meet the grade requirements or the normal rule regarding a 5-year master’s degree, the academic environment to which the candidate is to be affiliated must explain in a separate attachment why the candidate is considered qualified for admission.

English language skills : Applicants who have attended Norwegian primary school meet the requirements for English language skills. International students must normally document their English language skills. See Supplementary rules § 5. Documentation of English language skills

The PhD education has a stipulated length of 3 years’ full-time study. As a rule, you must be able to document funding for the entire admission period, cf. Supplementary rules for the degree of PhD § 5.1 Funding requirements Minimum one year continuing funding (or two years with 50% continuing funding) earmarked the PhD education must be in place upon admission. A realistic and binding plan for funding of the remaining admission period must also be provided (see Contract with an external party). As a rule, self-funding (salary to yourself, own company etc.) will not be approved.

4. Project description

You must submit a project description that applies to your specific PhD project only. The project description must follow the faculty’s template (docx) .

All PhD project descriptions must be peer reviewed in connection with admission. For projects where a peer review has not previously been conducted, it is the principal supervisor’s responsibility to obtain a review. See information on peer review of the project . If you need more information, please contact the Research education team (email) .

All necessary approvals regarding the PhD project must be obtained before you can receive final admission to the PhD programme. You may apply for and be granted conditional admission to the programme, but the project must not commence before the approvals are obtained. Initial REK approval and recommendation from SIKT must be attached with your application when relevant. You yourself are responsible for finding out which approvals your project needs. Information about applications to REC and other bodies .

5. Supervision

You must have one principal supervisor and, as a rule, up to two co-supervisors. You can apply to the faculty for an additional co-supervisor. An application must be well-founded and included in your application in a separate attachment. The principal supervisor should as a rule be internal and employed by the faculty, but this can be waived if it is appropriate for the project. An explanation and an abridged CV listing his/her degree, position, and experience as supervisor at PhD level, must be included in the application. See Supplementary rules § 7 for information about appointment of academic supervisors and restrictions on how many principal- and co-supervisors a candidate can have .

Impartiality requirements

The requirements of impartiality in the Public Administration Act Chapter II concerning disqualification (section 6-10) apply to all appointed supervisors. Appointed supervisors cannot be directly related (father, mother, daughter, son), or have other close relationships either to each other or to the candidate, ref Supplementary rules for the degree of PhD section 7 .

NB! Neither supervisor nor candidate can have financial interests in a project that will lead to a doctorate. See regulations regarding sideline jobs point 2 “Legal limitations in the supervisory relationship” of Ethical guidelines for supervisory relationships .

6. Requirement of residency at UiO

Candidates with external funding or workplace must reside at the Faculty of Medicine for at least 6 months of their PhD training. Candidates employed by the faculty’s collaborating hospitals are exempted. Information about residency requirement must be given in the project description when relevant. For more information, see Supplementary rules § 5.1 Requirement of residency at UiO .

What happens to incomplete applications?

You will receive an email if your application is incomplete. Your application will be considered withdrawn if incomplete documentation is not received within 6 weeks. Applications that are significantly incomplete will be rejected.  

• Contract for admission to the PhD programme (docx)
• Contract with an external party (docx)
• Agreement concerning institute affiliation (docx)  
• Agreement for third party cooperation agreement between UiO/OUS/company for Industrial PhD (docx)
• Agreement for two party cooperation agreement between UiO and public company for Public Sector PhD (docx)  
• Project description (docx)  
• Peer review of the PhD project (docx)

Do you have questions about admission and document requirements? Please send an email to: [email protected]

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English Literature, American and British Studies (programme option)

Through a Master’s degree in English Literature, American and British Studies you will achieve a high level of competence in English and an in-depth understanding of American or British culture, literature and history.

• Why choose this programme option?
• Learning outcomes
• Programme structure
• Semester abroad
• Career opportunities

The programme option is part of the programme

European languages (master's two years).

This study option had its last admission in 2023.

The study option will be replaced by two new study options soon, with Autumn 2024 as the first teaching semester.

The two options will be:

• English Literature
• American and British Studies
• Powerpoint from the Information meeting Aug. 16, 2023 Aug. 16, 2023 2:22 PM