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Japanese

MPhil/PhD

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Key information

Key information for 2026-27

Start date:
October 2026 | January 2027
Study route:

  • Seven years part-time, on campus

  • Four years full-time, on campus

Status:
Fully approved
Location:
Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | On campus

Key information for 2027-28

Start date:
October 2027 | January 2028
Study route:

  • Four years full-time, on campus

  • Seven years part-time, on campus

Status:
Fully approved
Location:
Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | On campus

Course Overview

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck.

Our aim is to assist you with the transition to become a fully fledged, independent academic researcher. Our doctoral programme is geared towards enabling you to produce top-quality work that questions the boundaries of the disciplines we work in and seeks to bring new materials, theories and methods into them. Becoming a successful academic researcher is achieved on the basis of a full appreciation of the hallmarks of good scholarship, such as original thought, the proper use of references and background material, appropriate use of methodology and reporting procedures, and it is these priorities that we aim to impart to our students.

Once equipped with the generic and discipline-specific tools for carrying out research, you will pursue your particular research interests, supported by regular meetings with your supervisors and attendance at the MPhil/PhD seminars. We seek to create a mutually supportive environment, informed by discussion and dialogue.

MPhil students may be required to take appropriate courses from our MA programmes in their first year.

Attendance

Regular meetings with your supervisor(s).

More Highlights

  • Birkbeck's research excellence was confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
  • Our academics in this subject area bring together research and teaching in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish, making them an outstanding multidisciplinary team.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirement for this MPhil/PhD Japanese is a good honours degree with a Japan-related subject as a main component.

Graduates in other subjects may be asked to take a qualifying examination.

You will need to submit a 2000-word research proposal prior to interview.

  • What are the English language requirements?

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

    If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

    Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

  • What are the visa and funding requirements?

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

    As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study  (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

The school's teaching and research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning cultures and periods. Academic and practice-based study will equip you for a career in the creative and cultural industries.

Visit the school

Fees

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £2,780 per year
Full-time home students: £5,238 per year
Part-time international students: £8,230 per year
Full-time international students: £16,285 per year

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in January 2027

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £2,780 per year
Full-time home students: £5,238 per year
Part-time international students: £8,230 per year
Full-time international students: £16,285 per year

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2027

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in January 2028

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.

Lifelong Learning Guarantee

If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

Fees and finance

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £30,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost. Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

Do you offer international scholarships?

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship.

Birkbeck's campus is located in the historic and vibrant Bloomsbury area of central London - named one of the best places to live in London 2025 by The Times.

Our Research Culture

Research students collaborate through our research seminars and are encouraged to participate in academic conferences. In your first year you will undertake research methods training, and in subsequent years there are opportunities to develop your skills in academic teaching.

As a research student, you will be given help to establish contacts in Japan with universities and individual scholars working in your subject area. We encourage our research students to carry out fieldwork and research in Japan, and to that end, provide support for grant applications. Our students have studied in such prestigious universities as University of Tokyo, Meijigakuin University, Hitotsubashi University and Waseda University, among others.

Current research topics include:

  • Media mixes and global flows: rethinking Japanese entertainment and globalisation through the Italian mediascape
  • Cultural identity in post-redress Canadian nikkei cultural productions
  • Representations of South Asians in contemporary Japanese popular culture
  • Yaoi and online fan practices: a netnographic approach to an online Yaoi Manga fan community
  • The evolution of female identities in Japanese television
  • An analysis of production, circulation and consumption of J-dorama.

You are expected to participate in our research events, including attending lectures, research skills sessions and other classes/workshops as appropriate.

Read more about our vibrant research culture.

Finding a Supervisor

A critical factor when applying for postgraduate study in Japanese is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors.

Find out more about the research interests of our academic staff and their areas of research:

  • Irene González-López, BA, BA, MA, PhD: Japanese cinema and modern and contemporary Japanese visual cultures; gender and sexuality studies, feminist film theory; representations of sex work in popular culture and media; Japanese female directors and female authorship; adaptations and remakes; stardom and authorship.
  • Michael Tsang, BA, MPhil, PhD: East Asian literatures; East Asian popular cultures; world literature; postcolonial theory; gender studies; critical theory.

Joint supervisions for interdisciplinary projects can be arranged with other academic schools at Birkbeck.

How to Apply

Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:

  1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.
  2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. Check the ‘Find a Supervisor’ area on this page or search our staff directory.
  3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the school they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish  if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.) Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research.
  4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding.
  5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the 'Apply Now' link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe.

What are the application deadlines?

You can apply at any time during the year. Entry months for the programme are October and January of each year.

If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.

Related courses

Study routes for Japanese (MPhil/PhD)

Please select a study route below to continue your application.

Please note that international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK can only apply for full-time, on campus routes.

Starting in October 2026

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in January 2027

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in October 2027

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in January 2028

Full-time

Part-time