As a first-year PhD student in the Department of English, I’d like to share with you what my experience has been like so far, give you an idea of what you might expect as an Arts & Humanities doctoral student at King’s, and maybe even dispel some misconceptions you may have about doing a PhD.
Let’s start with a very basic question – what does a PhD in the Arts & Humanities actually entail? Put simply, it gives you the chance to develop your own research project – one that is uniquely personal to you. You then get to devote your time to learning more about a topic that genuinely interests you and, ultimately, become an expert in a niche you’ve carved out for yourself. This might seem a bit daunting, especially if you’re used to the more structured approach of a BA or an MA course, and it definitely takes some getting used to, but it’s also one of the most rewarding aspects of the PhD and the thing that gets you excited about picking up your work again on a Monday (I mean it!).
On the flip side, precisely because your project relies so heavily on your own independent work, you might think that you’ll feel alone in tackling the challenges of the doctoral journey. At King’s, I can assure you that this will not be the case. You’ll find that from the get-go, you’ll be supported and encouraged not only by your supervisors, but other academics in your department, as well as in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities.
There are also plenty of opportunities to connect with other PhD students, both within your field and beyond. You can get involved with what’s going on in your department, come to socials held by the Arts & Humanities PGR Events Committee or join one of the training sessions held by the King’s Doctoral College and meet your fellow PhDs while also learning some useful academic skills.
Finally, doing your PhD at King’s means that you have access to all the incredible resources London has to offer. As a student in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, you’re based at the Strand campus, which is any culture-lover’s dream location: you’re only a short walk away from some of the city’s best museums and art galleries, the National Theatre and the BFI are just across the river, and you can get to the British Library in under half an hour. Most excitingly, you can take advantage of the proximity of these institutions and use them for research purposes – if you’re working, say, on the history of theatre, you could visit the National Theatre Archives to have a first-hand look at some of the materials they hold in their collections. This hands-on learning has definitely been an unexpected highlight of the first term of my PhD, and a very welcome break from reading in the library.
I hope this has given you a flavour of what an Arts & Humanities PhD at King’s might be like. If you have any questions, why not join one of our Postgraduate Open Days to find our more?