PhD

Cymraeg

Key Facts

Course Code Q5562

  • Qualification

    PhD

  • Course duration

    3 years

Available for September start 2025

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For over a century the Department of Welsh at Aberystwyth has been an internationally renowned centre of research. The expertise of its 8 teaching members spans all areas and periods of Welsh literature and language as well as Celtic Studies. We offer tuition and supervision for research students (MPhil or PhD), and we welcome applications from well-qualified candidates.

The Department of Welsh is situated in the Parry-Williams Building, near the University's Hugh Owen Library with it's outstanding Welsh and Celtic collections. Close at hand is the National Library of Wales, one of the few copyright libraries in Britain. Its manuscript and archival holdings in particular are a prime resource for Welsh scholars.

The University has a lively postgraduate scene: regular research seminars are held in the Department of Welsh and in other departments, and students may also attend seminars in the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. There are ample opportunities to gain fluency in Welsh, and to practise Irish, Breton and Scottish Gaelic with other graduates and undergraduates in informal groups.

Typical Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements 2:1 Bachelors (Honours) degree in a relevant subject area, or equivalent.

English Language Requirements IELTS 6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent

Other Requirements Applicants should submit a full research proposal at the point of application

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Fees and Finance

Course Fees:

Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase.

Funding:

Funding opportunities may be available; please check our funding calculator for details.

Course Overview

For these degrees any subject may be chosen from the whole field of Welsh language and literature. Researchers in recent years have worked on topics as varied as: personal names of men in Wales, Cornwall and Brittanny, 400-1400AD; masculinity and medieval Welsh literature; costume in medieval literature c1100-c1600; the early poetry of Guto’r Glyn; the Red Bandits of Mawddwy in folklore and literature; the poetry of Lewis Morris; the Lleifior novels of Islwyn Ffowc Ellis; aspects of the novels of Marion Eames; and the contribution of Myrddin ap Dafydd as a cultural figure. Students can draw on the very wide range of academic expertise provided by the Department’s staff in both Welsh and other Celtic languages.

Modules September start - 2025

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Principles of Research Design PGM0210 10
Ways of Reading PGM0410 10

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh