English (Renaissance Literature)

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Masters (Pass).

Months of entry

January, April, October

Course content

Cambridge is a superb place to study for a PhD in early modern literature. A large and lively faculty with a wide range of interests means that we can consider and support research proposals in a very wide range of aspects of the field. This period is central to the life of the Faculty also because almost all our undergraduates take papers on "English Literature and its Contexts, 1500–1700" and on Shakespeare. Some go on to further early modern options in their final year. This means there are good opportunities for postgraduate students to get involved in teaching.

Training in teaching and in other aspects of professional life (such as presentation skills) are all available. The early modern community in Cambridge is a lively one, with various links between different faculties. Among the more recent and exciting are the Centre for Material Texts, based in the Faculty of English, and the Interdisciplinary Renaissance Seminar.

The resources for studying this period in the University Library and the College libraries are world-class, and we encourage students to explore these materials whenever possible. Many former Cambridge PhD students have gone on to be leaders in the subject around the world.