
Overview
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Duration
- 3 years [full-time], 6 years [part-time]
- Entry requirements
-
We require successful completion of a master's course with an overall classification of Merit or higher, or its overseas equivalent, with an element of research training. A research proposal must be included with the formal application materials.
- Number of places/applicants
- There is no limit on the number of places available.
- How to apply
-
Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. A Personal Statement is NOT required to be submitted. You should select 'Supporting Statement is not required for this programme'.
Application Deadlines
Admission to studying for a PhD is highly competitive, so please allow as much time as possible to prepare your application, browse our research pages and academics' profiles, and familiarise yourself with the application process and any important deadlines.
To be considered for all funding sources, you need to apply far enough in advance of the relevant funding competition deadlines, which are usually much earlier than the programme deadline listed below. For studentships within the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (including AHRC NWCDTP and ESRC NWSSDTP), you must submit your completed programme application by Friday 13 January 2023 unless specfied otherwise in the funding competition information at www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/opportunities/
If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the relevant deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these deadlines have passed.
- For September 2023 entry: 30 June 2023
- For January 2024 entry: 30 September 2023
Programme options
Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
PhD | Y | Y | N | N |
Programme description
Our PhD East Asian Studies programme enables you to carry out significant and original research into an area of interest concerning the East Asian region, broadly defined (including south-east Asia, especially when related to areas and cultures which use Chinese writing characters).
You will do this while transcending specific cultural boundaries or seeking to utilise the academic specialism and guidance of scholars in East Asian Studies to engage with academic topics within the region.
We have academics with a range of interests within Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies, as well as language teaching teams in Chinese and Japanese.
Our staff can offer postgraduate supervision in a variety of areas related to religion, education, popular culture, art, history, gender studies, identity formation, literature, social dynamics, social and business networks, as well as medical history and policy, either in terms of specific East Asian cultures or relating to topics defined as crossing national and cultural boundaries within the wider East Asian context.
Find out more about our research , our staff and what our current postgraduate students are working on within Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies .
Open days
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2023, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
PhD (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £4,712
International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,000 -
PhD (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £2,356
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Please note for the majority of projects where experimentation requires further resource: higher fee bands (where quoted) will be charged rather than the base rate for supervision, administration and computational costs. The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive and, therefore, you will not be required to pay any additional bench fees or administration costs.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of the course for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your project.
Scholarships/sponsorships
The School offers a limited number of bursaries and studentships on a competitive basis, details of which can be found via the links below.
Please note that whilst we do not have closing dates for programme applications, all funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below:
- ESRC North West Social Science DTP (NWSSDTP) PhD Studentships in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
- AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
- President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Awards in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures PhD Studentships 2023-24
- China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester Joint Scholarship for PhD Study in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- Rachel Corbishley
- HUMS.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/modern-languages/research/postgraduate-research/chinese-studies/
- School/Faculty
-
See: About us
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require successful completion of a master's course with an overall classification of Merit or higher, or its overseas equivalent, with an element of research training. A research proposal must be included with the formal application materials.
English language
Students whose first language is not English require one of the following:
- an overall IELTS score of 7.0 with 7.0 in the writing component, or
- a TOEFL score of 600 paper-based test or 100 internet-based test, or
- a Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall with 76 in the writing component, or
- an overall Trinity Integrated Skills in English (ISE) III grade of Merit with Merit in the writing component.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Other entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. A Personal Statement is NOT required to be submitted. You should select 'Supporting Statement is not required for this programme'.
Application Deadlines
Admission to studying for a PhD is highly competitive, so please allow as much time as possible to prepare your application, browse our research pages and academics' profiles, and familiarise yourself with the application process and any important deadlines.
To be considered for all funding sources, you need to apply far enough in advance of the relevant funding competition deadlines, which are usually much earlier than the programme deadline listed below. For studentships within the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (including AHRC NWCDTP and ESRC NWSSDTP), you must submit your completed programme application by Friday 13 January 2023 unless specfied otherwise in the funding competition information at www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/opportunities/
If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the relevant deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these deadlines have passed.
- For September 2023 entry: 30 June 2023
- For January 2024 entry: 30 September 2023
Advice to applicants
We recommend all research applicants attempt to find a suitable supervisor here at Manchester by browsing the subject website and looking at the staff list .
Find out more on the how to apply page.
Interview requirements
The University requires an interview for all applicants to whom we consider making an offer.
Interviews will be conducted by two academics, usually the proposed main supervisor and the subject PGR Director (or an assigned representative).
The interview can be either face-to-face or via Skype, conference call or email.
The interview serves several purposes, allowing us to:
- get a better picture of your ability to carry out the proposed doctoral project than the research proposal on its own;
- tell you what the proposed supervisor(s) can bring to the project;
- discuss with you directly any potential problems with the practical aspects of your studies and explore solutions together.
Re-applications
Programme details
Programme description
Our PhD East Asian Studies programme enables you to carry out significant and original research into an area of interest concerning the East Asian region, broadly defined (including south-east Asia, especially when related to areas and cultures which use Chinese writing characters).
You will do this while transcending specific cultural boundaries or seeking to utilise the academic specialism and guidance of scholars in East Asian Studies to engage with academic topics within the region.
We have academics with a range of interests within Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies, as well as language teaching teams in Chinese and Japanese.
Our staff can offer postgraduate supervision in a variety of areas related to religion, education, popular culture, art, history, gender studies, identity formation, literature, social dynamics, social and business networks, as well as medical history and policy, either in terms of specific East Asian cultures or relating to topics defined as crossing national and cultural boundaries within the wider East Asian context.
Find out more about our research , our staff and what our current postgraduate students are working on within Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies .
Special features
Graduate School
All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Manchester. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.
REF 2014
In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) Japanese Studies and Chinese Studies were assessed as part of The University of Manchester's 'Modern Languages and Linguistics' submission.
We were confirmed as a leading centre for research in Modern Languages and Linguistics, ranking third in the UK in terms of research power (an established criterion which values research quality in relation to the number of staff submitted).
We achieved joint fourth in terms of the overall amount of world-leading' (4*) research activity and 80% of our research was judged to be in the highest two categories (4* or 3*).
Specifically, 73% of our publications were judged as either 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*); moreover, 85% of our research activity achieved 'outstanding' (4*) or 'very considerable' (3*) public impact in areas spanning policy, public discourse, education, cultural life and society.
Our research environment was also judged to be strong, with 100% judged to be 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*).
Teaching and learning
The PhD is the major postgraduate research degree. It involves three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study and the preparation of a thesis of not more than 80,000 words that makes a significant contribution to knowledge.
A satisfactory PhD topic is one that a suitably qualified and properly supervised student can bring to completion within the permitted timeframe.
Please note that all PhD students are required to undertake research training as part of their PhD programme.
Coursework and assessment
Your research will normally be supervised by two members of staff at the University. Your supervisors will most likely be members of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, but if your research requires it, we may arrange for supervision by someone outside the School.
Supervisory arrangements at Manchester are governed by a Code of Practice which is available on the University's website.
Regular meetings will be held with the supervisors, and details of each of the meetings will be recorded.
Research panels (consisting of at least three academic staff, including the supervisors) are held once per semester to monitor progress.
Please note that the first year of the full-time programme and the first two years of the part-time programme are probationary. This means you will be required to show evidence of satisfactory progress to proceed with the programme.
Facilities
Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.
Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.
We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.
Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.
The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.
Find out more about facilities for Modern Languages and Cultures students.
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Many of PhD graduates in Modern Languages and Translation and Interpreting Studies have gone on to academic positions at leading universities in the UK, Europe, USA, East Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Our graduates have been also successful with receiving prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, including the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship and the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship.
The interdisciplinarity nature of PhD programmes in Modern Languages and Cultures and Translation and Interpreting Studies prepares our graduates successfully to apply to a wide range of academic posts. In addition to those in European and Middle Eastern Languages and Translation/Interpreting, our graduates have been appointed to permanent academic positions in Film Studies; History; Journalism and Political Communication; and Sociology. Recent examples include:
Dr Abi Bharat (PhD French Studies), tenure-track assistant professorship, the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan, USA
Dr Ignacio Aguiló (PhD Latin American Studies), lectureship in Latin American Cultural Studies, University of Manchester
Dr Ibrahim Alfraih (PhD Middle Eastern Studies), lectureship, King Saud University, Saudi Araba
Dr Liwen Chang (PhD Translation Studies), senior lectureship, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Dr Chonglong Gu (PhD Translation Studies), lectureship in Translation and Interpreting, the University of Liverpool
Dr Leanne Dawson (PhD German Studies), lectureship in German and Film, the University of Edinburgh
Dr Melanie Foedisch (PhD Translation Studies), lectureship in Translation Studies, the University of Manchester
Dr Eleanor Jones (PhD Portuguese Studies), lectureship in Portuguese and World Literatures, University of Southampton
Dr Sue-Ann Harding (PhD Russian Studies), senior lectureship in Translation and Intercultural Studies, Queen's University, Belfast
Dr Emma Heywood (PhD Russian Studies), lectureship in Journalism, Politics and Communication, University of Sheffield
Dr Paulina Henry-Tierney (PhD French Studies), lectureship in French Translation, Newcastle University
Dr Mila Milani (PhD Italian Studies), senior lectureship in Italian Studies, Warwick University
Dr Gozde Naiboglu (PhD German Studies), lectureship in Film Studies, University of Leicester
Dr Bryan Roby (PhD Middle Eastern Studies), assistant professorship at the Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, University of Michigan
Dr Neil Sadler (PhD Translation Studies), lectureship in Translation Studies, Queen's University, Belfast
Dr Elisabeth Schimpfoessl (PhD Russian Studies), lectureship in Sociology, Aston University
Dr Ewa Stanczyk (PhD Polish Studies), lectureship in East European Studies, University of Amsterdam
Dr Joseph Twist (PhD German Studies), lectureship in German Studies, University College Dublin
Dr Denis Volkov (PhD Middle Eastern Studies), associate professorship in Iranian Studies and Middle Eastern history, Higher School of Economics, Moscow
Dr Ilya Yablokov (PhD Russian Studies), lectureship in Russian Studies, University of Leeds
Research and communication skills which our PhD programmes help developing also position our graduates to get highly competitive posts outside academia, including in civil service, media and business.
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help support you with your goals for the future.