Subject overview

Specialist facilities

Our Library boasts one of the strongest American studies collections in Europe. It has large holdings of printed books and serials, which are exceptional in history and literature. The Library has invested in an array of electronic resources, including Early American Newspapers, African- American Newspapers, Chicago Defender, New York Times, US government documents, and the Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice database. Microform archival collections include the Mattachine Society Papers, the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union Papers, and the Butler Plantation Papers. Manuscript collections include the Harvey Matusow Papers, the Kenneth Allsop Papers, and the Rosey Pool Papers. 

Academic activities

Open seminars in subjects related to various Americanist topics – history, critical theory, English literature, lesbian and gay studies, international relations, postcolonialism – are scheduled in addition to the regular American studies research seminar. 

Programmes

• PhD in American History or Literature
• MPhil in American History or Literature

MPhil in American History or Literature 
1-2 years full time/up to 4 years part time

An MPhil is a Masters-level research degree on a topic of your choice, achieved through personal research and the close guidance of an academic supervisor with relevant expertise. A highly flexible qualification, your MPhil can either be ‘stand alone’ or, via an upgrade examination, can form part of doctoral-level work, extending your thesis further and leading to a PhD. 

To facilitate greater autonomy and develop a range of appropriate skills, all MPhil students are normally required to take one or more research training modules during the first year of their study. 

Recent MPhil thesis titles

Savage desert, American garden: popular imagery in the selling of California, 1876-1929 

Selective amnesia: truth and reconciliation in the American South 

Assessment 

You are assessed by a 40,000-word thesis.

PhD in American History or Literature

Research applications are actively sought in the following areas: American poetry and fiction from the 18th century to the present, and the history of the US. We have specialist expertise in the history and literature of the American South and of American literature since 1900. Proposals on other or related topics are welcome.

Recent PhD thesis titles

Blank fiction: culture, consumption and the contemporary American novel

‘City of refuge’: Harlem and the urban aesthetic in 20th-century American literature

Ronald Reagan and the mythology of American history

Entry requirements

MPhil in American History or Literature

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in history, literature or American studies.

For advice on research supervision, prospective applicants are encouraged to look at the research areas in the faculty interests section, and to contact the relevant Coordinator (see the School and Contacts section).

Overseas entrance requirements

If your country is not listed below, please contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Country	Overseas qualification
Australia	Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
Brazil	Bacharel, Licenciado or professional title with a final mark of at least 8
Canada	Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3/4.0 (grade B+)
China	Bachelor degree from a leading university with overall mark of 75%-85% depending on your university
Cyprus	Bachelor degree or Ptychion with a final mark of at least 7.5
France	Licence with mention bien or Maîtrise with final mark of at least 13
Germany	Bachelor degree or Magister Artium with a final mark of 2.4 or better
Ghana	Bachelor degree from a public university with second-class upper division
Greece	Ptychion from an AEI with a final mark of at least 7.5
Hong Kong	Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
India	Bachelor degree from a leading institution with overall mark of at least 60% or equivalent
Iran	Bachelor degree (Licence or Karshenasi) with a final mark of at least 15
Italy	Diploma di Laurea with an overall mark of at least 105
Japan	Bachelor degree from a leading university with a minumum average of B+ or equivalent
Malaysia	Bachelor degree with class 2 division 1
Mexico	Licenciado with a final mark of at least 8
Nigeria	Bachelor degree with second-class upper division or CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0
Pakistan	Four-year bachelor degree, normally with a GPA of at least 3.3
Russia	Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
South Africa	Bachelor (Honours) degree or Bachelor degree in Technology with an overall mark of at least 70%
Saudi Arabia	Bachelor degree with an overall mark of at least 70% or CGPA 3.5/5.0 or equivalent
South Korea	Bachelor degree from a leading university with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
Spain	Licenciado with a final mark of at least 2/4
Taiwan	Bachelor degree with overall mark of 70%-85% depending on your university
Thailand	Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or equivalent
Turkey	Lisans Diplomasi with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 depending on your university
United Arab Emirates	Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
USA	Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3-3.5/4.0 depending on your university
Vietnam	Masters degree with CGPA 3.5/4.0 or equivalent

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications, contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

PhD in American History or Literature

UK entrance requirements

A Masters degree in a subject relevant to your chosen area of research.

For advice on research supervision, prospective applicants are encouraged to look at the research areas in the faculty interests section, and to contact the relevant Coordinator (see the School and Contacts section).

Overseas entrance requirements

If you are an international student and wish to find out if you have the necessary qualifications for this degree, please refer to Overseas qualifications.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with not less than 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in the other sections. Internet TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 20 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

Related subjects

• English
• History

Fees and funding

Fees

MPhil in American History or Literature

Home UK/EU students: £3,900¹
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,900²
Overseas students: £13,000³

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
³ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

PhD in American History or Literature

Home UK/EU students: £3,900¹
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £3,900²
Overseas students: £13,000³

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
³ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

Faculty interests

Professor Stephen Burman International political economy, class and race in the US. 

Professor Robert Cook 19th- and 20th-century political and social history, the American Civil War and Civil War memory. 

Dr Sue Currell American literature and culture 1890-1940, 20th-century mass culture. 

Dr Richard Follett 19th-century US history, slavery, emancipation in the Americas: the American South. 

Dr Doug Haynes European and American modernism, postmodernism. 

Dr Michael Jonik 19th-century American literature including Thoreau and Melville. 

Dr Daniel Kane 20th-century American literature, the avant-garde, poetry since the 1960s. 

Dr Maria Lauret American feminist fiction and theory, race and ethnicity. 

Professor Clive Webb Race and ethnic relations in the 19th and 20th centuries, civil rights movement. 

Dr Tom Wright 19th-century American literature and transatlantic rhetoric. 

Careers and perspectives

Our graduates have gone on to careers in teaching and tutoring, and also hold posts in communications. 

School and contacts