The Department of American and Canadian Studies offers promising candidates the opportunity to carry out research in one of the most dynamic institutions in Britain. We give all possible support to our researchers, developing the resources available at the University and encouraging an active postgraduate environment for the exchange of information and concepts.

The Department of American and Canadian Studies has a vibrant and fast-growing postgraduate community. The Department draws on the research interests and projects of our staff in postgraduate teaching and on contributions from staff in allied Departments at University of Birmingham.

The MA by Research programme requires you to prepare a dissertation of up to 40,000 words on a topic of your choice, for which an academic staff member will provide expert supervision.

The PhD – the most advanced research degree - leads to a dissertation of up to 80,000 words on a subject of your choice and under the expert supervision of an academic member of staff.
You can study for a PhD on campus or by Distance Learning.

We have recognised research strengths in the fields of urban culture and representation, US foreign policy and intelligence services, literary and cultural studies, film and visual studies and African American studies. Staff contribute to joint initiatives in the presentation of research, notably through electronic publishing and the development of websites, and we work with staff in allied departments across the University so that you benefit from an interdisciplinary approach to teaching.

At Birmingham you also have the option of studying languages, free of charge. Almost no other UK University offers you the opportunity to learn the intense graduate academic language skills which you may need to pursue your research.

Entry Requirements

International Students
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Either: A four year Bachelors degree (first class or very good upper second class)

Or: A three year Bachelors degree (first class) from recognised institutions in India.

English language requirements
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Students can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

by holding an English language qualification to the right level

by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Other Fees

Domestic fee for part-time - £1,998

Notes

Part time duration for domestic students - 36 months

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The Department of American and Canadian Studies offers promising candidates the opportunity to carry out research in one of the most dynamic institutions in Britain. We give all possible support to our researchers, developing the resources available at the University and encouraging an active postgraduate environment for the exchange of information and concepts.

Entry Requirements

English language requirements
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Students can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

by holding an English language qualification to the right level

by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Other Fees

Domestic tuition fee for part-time students - £1,998

Notes

Duration for part-time students - 72 months

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The Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage (IIICH), based at the University of Birmingham, takes a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of heritage. The IIICH draws on a global network of researchers and practitioners, as well as its long established links with the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and one of the World’s largest independent museums run by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. We offer promising candidates the opportunity to carry out research in cultural heritage, heritage management and related areas.

Entry Requirements

Typically, applicants for these research programmes will already have undertaken postgraduate study.

English language requirements for international students
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Students can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

by holding an English language qualification to the right level
by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Other Fees

Domestic tuition fee for part-time - £1,998

Notes

Duration of part-time course - 72 months

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The MA in Applied Linguistics is intended for anyone interested in the application of language research to language pedagogy, and for teachers of English who wish to upgrade their professional standing. We provide a set of interactive course materials for working professionals to complete in part-time, self-study mode over a period of at least 30 months.

Entry Requirements

We usually ask for a good Honours degree, or overseas equivalent. However, when considering your application, we always look at your qualifications and work experience as well as your academic credentials. For this reason, it is important to provide details of any current and/or previous employment in your application; it is always helpful to include a current CV but please complete the relevant sections of the application form as well

International students
Academic requirements

We accept a range of qualifications; our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country.

English language requirements
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Students can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

by holding an English language qualification to the right level

by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Other Fees

Dissertation fee - £2,820

Notes

This is available only in part-time for distance learning.

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We offer promising candidates the opportunity to carry out research in one of the most dynamic institutions in Britain, while remaining in your resident country. Our principal areas of research expertise are Corpus Linguistics, Stylistics and Discourse Studies, and Language Learning and Teaching.

Doing a PhD in Applied Linguistics via Distance mode allows you to study while remaining in your resident country, keeping in contact with your supervisor via email and skype. This is a perfect way to study, especially if you are interested in relating research work to your current professional environment.

Extensive online research training is provided in the first year of the programme and, whilst there is no requirement to spend any time in Birmingham, you are encouraged to visit for short periods, if at all possible. These visits provide valuable opportunities for face-to-face supervision, to meet other PhD students and to make use of the library and other research and training opportunities.

There are two distance learning PhD programmes in English Language and Applied Linguistics. Both programmes involve regular contact with a supervisor by email and/or skype. There is no assessed taught component, but students follow online research training modules.

At Birmingham you also have the option of studying languages, free of charge. Almost no other UK University offers you the opportunity to learn the intense graduate academic language skills which you may need to pursue your research.

Sandwich PhD
The Sandwich programme requires a ‘traditional' 80,000 word thesis. The work is examined at the end of the programme, as with other PhD programmes. Students identify and refine a thesis topic in consultation with their supervisor and send drafts of the various chapters for comment as they work through the programme.

As with all PhDs, progress is monitored throughout the registration period.

Modular PhD
The Modular programme requires 3 modules: 2 shorter research papers (Module 1 - 12,000 words, Module 2 - 20,000 words) and a final thesis of 50,000 words (Module 3). The work is examined in three phases, at the end of each module. The final product (in terms of total quantity and quality of work) is therefore similar to the Sandwich (or full-time) PhD; however the Modular option provides an incremental, continuously assessed route allowing students to progress through explicitly marked stages to a PhD. Students identify a topic they wish to work on and to which all their written work should be related; the nature of the assessment means however that the topic may not be as tightly focused as that in a traditional PhD.

Our principal areas of research include:

Corpus Linguistics – our work in this area incorporates interests in linguistic theory and language description, including descriptive translation and contrastive studies, phraseology and the lexis–grammar interface, and in the application of corpus investigation techniques to areas such as translation, lexicography and diachronic language study. Corpus techniques also underpin much of our work in discourse studies and in language learning and teaching.

Stylistics and Discourse Studies – our work here focuses on themes such as narrative analysis, critical discourse analysis, translation studies and social theory, and on topics such as literary stylistics, workplace discourse, academic discourse, the relationship between language and social class, evaluation, language and new media, everyday creativity, and multi-modal discourse.

Language Learning and Teaching – our work in this area incorporates corpus approaches to phraseology, lexis and grammar, and discourse approaches to academic literacies. This also includes a focus on the teaching and learning of figurative language, collocation, and business English in the context of English as a global language. We also focus on cognitive linguistics and its applications to language learning and teaching.

Entry Requirements

English language requirements for international students
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Students can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

by holding an English language qualification to the right level

by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Other Fees

Notes

This course is available only in part-time

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