German MPhil

University of Bristol

MPhil: a standalone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research project, concluding in the submission of a 25,000 word dissertation. Students may have the option to audit units from our taught master's programmes if they are relevant to their research.

PhD: a research project undertaken across three years (full-time, plus a writing up period), culminating in an 80,000 word thesis. As well as having the option to audit taught units, there may be the potential for PhD students to teach units themselves from their second year of study onwards.

Staff and postgraduate students in the Department of German pursue research across a broad spectrum of German studies, covering many aspects of language and linguistics, literature, history and culture from the early modern period to the present day. We have particular expertise in historical and modern sociolinguistics, in modern literature (the novel, poetry and drama, especially in the classical age, the early 20th century and the post-Wende period), the history and politics of Germany and Austria since 1800 (particularly the political East), German children's literature, exile writing, and comparative literature. We also benefit from strong links with partner universities and research centres in Germany and Austria.

We welcome applications from graduates wishing to pursue custom-designed research programmes. Interdisciplinary and cross-language research is particularly encouraged and well supported across the School of Modern Languages and the wider faculty. Our postgraduates are fully integrated in a professionally and personally supportive departmental and school community.

You will be part of a departmental reading/study group, and you will have the opportunity to present your work at departmental, school-level research events and colloquia elsewhere within the faculty. We will help develop your full range of academic skills, including publication, and may be able to offer opportunities for undergraduate teaching after your first year.

Dedicated research facilities foster interdisciplinary collaboration through a series of research seminars and other events. In addition, the Multimedia Centre is a specialist language centre comprising a language laboratory, media suite, a library of foreign films, newspapers and magazines, and a screening room.

Accreditation by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), working in partnership with University Archaeology UK (UAUK), recognises academic programmes which provide students with appropriate workplace skills relevant to both a career in the historic environment and CIfA membership at Practitioner grade.