English Literature

The Doctor of Philosophy is University of Malaya’s premier research training degree. The pinnacle of academic achievement, the Ph.D, is awarded based on the foundation of the thesis prepared under supervision, resulting in an original and significant contribution, displaying extensive knowledge and comprehension of the subject and field of study.

Students applying for the PhD programme must meet the University’s admission requirements, and should have a relevant MA degree for admission into the PhD programme. The PhD programme is by research only, and students are expected to produce an original thesis of up to 100,000 words in length.

Through our academic staff’s specialization and research interests, our Department offers expertise in a wide variety of literary fields, including Medieval literature, Renaissance literature, 19th century literature, Modernist and Postmodernist literature, Postcolonial literatures (with a strong interest in Malaysian literature), travel literature, ecocriticism, African literature, feminist literature, modern drama, literary theory and more.

We warmly welcome prospective students, both from Malaysia and from abroad, who wish to pursue advanced studies in literature in English.

You can find out more about our academic staff and their research and supervision interests under the heading ‘List of Expertise and Research Interests’.

The programme must be completed within 12 semesters. At the end of the candidate’s study, a thesis not exceeding 100,000 words must be submitted and upon successful defense of the paper, the candidate will be granted Ph.D status. All research proposals must be approved and supervised by the Faculty. 

• a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; and
• a Master’s Degree
• any other qualification as may be approved by the Senate from time to time.