A PhD in Hispanic Studies enables you to undertake a substantial piece of supervised research in the subject that makes an original contribution to knowledge and is worthy of publication. Overview A PhD, also known as a doctorate, is a requirement for a career as an academic or researcher. In addition, it has become a qualification valued by many employers who recognise the skills and commitment a PhD requires. Employers also recognise that a PhD indicates excellent research capabilities, discipline and communication skills. Over the duration of the PhD, you produce an original piece of research of up to 100,000 words, in English, Spanish or Catalan. Current research students are working on topics such as Spanish film legislation, contemporary Spanish film cultures, and the voluntary sterilisation campaigns under Alberto Fujimori’s government in Peru. Previous research theses have included work on avant-garde theatre group Els Joglars, novelists Esther Tusquets and Ferran Torrent, or the translation of culture-bound elements found in Catalan films. The Department of Modern Languages offers supervision from world-class academics with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, who are able to support and guide you through your research. Your progress is carefully monitored to ensure that you are on track to produce a thesis valued by the academic community. Throughout your programme, you are able to attend and contribute to research seminars, workshops, and research and transferable skills training courses. You may be eligible for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to support your studies with us. The PhD in Hispanic Studies at Kent can be funded through the Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) scheme, or through the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) collaborative doctoral partnerships. Please indicate in your application if you want to be considered for any of these programmes, and explain your eligibility for the chosen scheme. For the full list of scholarships available within the School, please see our postgraduate scholarship page. National ratings In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, modern languages and linguistics was ranked 3rd for research quality, 3rd for research output and in the top 20 for research intensity, research impact and research power in the UK. Our submission was the highest ranked nationally to include modern languages – a testament to our position as the UK’s European university. An impressive 100% of our research was judged to be of international quality and the School’s environment was judged to be conducive to supporting the development of world-leading research.