This is an archived page and for reference purposes only
Biological anthropology focuses on the study of human evolution and adaptation. Biological anthropologists are particularly interested in investigating why variation arose and how it is maintained, as well as trying to explain how people are adapted to the environments in which they live. They study the human fossil and stone tool record, primate behaviour, human material culture and the development of modern human behaviour in evolutionary and comparative perspective.
Overview
Typical questions that interest biological anthropologists could be: why do people have different skin colours or facial shapes? Does the environment affect fertility? What are the best ways to assess childhood malnutrition? When and how did humans evolve? What does chimpanzee aggression say about human violence? How much can you really tell about a person from their skeleton? Why is sex fun?
Biological anthropology is not often studied at school, but if you have taken biology or psychology you may have already covered many of the basic principles that biological anthropologists use in their work. Biological anthropology is not offered as a stand-alone degree at many universities, and Kent offers a fantastic opportunity to study the subject in great detail.
Between stages 2 and 3 you will spend a minimum of 24 weeks working in professional practice through one or more placements, either in the UK or abroad.
Think Kent video series
In this talk, Dr Tatyana Humle, senior lecturer in Primate Conservation and member of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent, summarises some of the main challenges faced by people and chimpanzees in West Africa and highlights the key drivers putting at risk co-existence between them.
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2015, Anthropology was ranked 6th in the UK for student satisfaction with 95% of our students satisfied with the overall quality of their course.
Course structure
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Year in industry
The Year in Professional Practice involves a minimum of 24 weeks spent on placement at one or more organisations whose work is relevant to your degree programme. This contributes to 10% of your final degree classification.
It is your responsibility to find a placement, but the department offers help and support. If you cannot find a placement, your registration will change to the equivalent BSc programme without the Year in Professional Practice option.
During your placement, you work under the direction of a designated line manager within the host organisation with additional support via a named member of academic staff from the University.
You will work on one or more tasks agreed in advance, for example, a management plan, a policy report, consultation process, a piece of applied research, or development of a set of educational materials.
Assessment comprises an appraisal by your designated line manager (10%) and a written report (80%) and presentation (10%) which are assessed by a member of academic staff.
Teaching and assessment
Anthropology at Kent uses a stimulating mix of teaching methods, including lectures, small seminar groups and laboratory sessions. For the Project in Anthropological Science, you will be assigned to a supervisor with whom you meet regularly. You will also have access to a wide range of learning resources, including the Templeman Library, research laboratories and computer-based learning packages. On average, you have four hours of lectures and six hours of seminars and/or lab sessions each week.
The School of Anthropology and Conservation has dedicated teaching and research laboratories. The teaching lab has a completely integrated audiovisual system, providing cutting-edge lectures and is primarily used by BSc students. You also have access to an excellent fossil cast collection with more than 50 casts of extant and extinct primates and hominins, including an entire Homo erectus skeleton.
We are associated with the nearby Quex Museum, which has one of the largest collections of primate skeletal material in the world, to which our undergraduates have access; the biological anthropology research laboratory houses the Powell-Cotton collection of human skeletal remains, which provides you with material for hands-on learning and research. We have links with Howletts and Port Lympne wild animal parks, providing opportunities for students to conduct projects with non-human primates. We also have dedicated computing facilities within the School, in addition to the general University IT provision.
Many of the core modules have an end-of-year examination that accounts for 50% to 100% of your final mark for that module. The remaining percentage comes from practical or coursework marks. However, others, such as the Project in Anthropological Science and Human Osteology, are assessed entirely on coursework. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks count towards your final degree result.
The year in professional practice consists of a minimum of 24 weeks working in a professional environment, either as a single placement or as two or more shorter placements. Assessment is by means of a written report and a short presentation together with an appraisal by your manager.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- develop students’ critical and analytical powers with respect to biological anthropology
- provide the skills to adapt and respond positively to changes in the discipline
- provide a broad range of knowledge in the discipline of anthropology, stressing the need for a biological approach to the subject, and showing how it is closely linked to other academic disciplines such as biology, psychology, archaeology and forensic sciences
- provide a grounding in human and primate biological variation and distinguish the links between biological and sociocultural processes
- ensure that the research by staff informs the design of modules, and their content and delivery in a manner that is efficient, reliable and enjoyable to students
- prepare graduates for employment and/or further study in their chosen careers.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- major aspects of human evolution, including significant fossil evidence and its contextual associations, and behavioural and ecological reconstructions based on these
- the similarities and contrasts between humans and other primates, and their significance for human adaptive success
- selected aspects of primate diversity, behaviour, and acquaintance with relevant concepts of primatology
- aspects of human genetic and/or phenotypic diversity, their evolutionary implications and significance for schemes categorising human variability
- the range and flexibility of individual biological responses, and awareness of the distinction between such adaptability and population adaptation
- biosocial perspectives on human ecology, for example, subsistence and dietary diversity, and comparative study of health, well-being and disease across societies and/or over time
- consideration of human life history patterns, reproductive influences, population size and structure, and aspects of applied anthropology, including development studies
- awareness of the nature, complexity and richness of human biological diversity and an appreciation of its social and ethical implications
- an awareness of evolutionary principles relevant to the study of human evolution
- an in-depth understanding of current issues relating to biological anthropology.
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
- learning and study skills
- the capacity to express one's own ideas in writing, to summarise the arguments of others, and to distinguish between the two
- independence of thought and analytical, critical and synoptic skills
- scholarly skills such as ability to make a structured argument, reference the works of others and assess historical evidence.
Subject-specific skills
You gain specific skills in the following:
- the knowledge and ability to interpret information on aspects of human biological diversity
- the ability to analyse and evaluate relevant qualitative and quantitative data utilising appropriate techniques
- to design and implement a project involving data collection on some aspect(s) of biological anthropology, and to display relevant investigative, analytical and communication skills
- an in-depth understanding of the subject, and qualities of mind associated with intellectual reflection, evaluation and synthesis
- the ability to understand how human beings are shaped by, and interact with, their social and physical environments, and an appreciation of their social and biological diversity
- the ability to formulate, investigate and discuss anthropologically informed questions
- competence in using major theoretical perspectives and concepts in biological anthropology
- the ability to apply anthropological knowledge to a variety of practical situations, personal and professional.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in the following:
- information retrieval skills in relation to primary and secondary sources of information
- communication and presentation skills using oral and written materials and information technology
- time planning and management skills
- the ability to engage in constructive discussion in group situations and group work skills
- statistical and computing methods.
Careers
Studying biological anthropology gives you an exciting range of career opportunities. We work with you to help direct your module choices to the career paths you are considering. Through your studies, you learn how to work independently, to analyse complex data and to present your work with clarity and flair.
Our graduates have gone on to become professional biological anthropologists, science journalists, museum curators, forensic scientists, rescue archaeologists, or work in non-government organisations, development agencies like the World Health Organisation, Primate Conservation, business and the Civil Service.
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | ABB including Biology (preferred) or Psychology, Human Biology, Chemistry or Mathematics |
| GCSE | Mathematics grade C |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above. |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | The university will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 16 points at HL including mathematics 4 at HL or SL, and science 5 at HL or 6 at SL |
International students
The University receives applications from over 140 different nationalities and consequently will consider applications from prospective students offering a wide range of international qualifications. Our International Development Office will be happy to advise prospective students on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about our country-specific requirements.
Please note that if you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes through Kent International Pathways.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2016/17 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | ||
| Part-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
The University of Kent is currently considering whether to increase its regulated full-time tuition fees for all returning Home and EU undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250 in September 2017. This would be subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses might also rise by 2.8%.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
UK/EU/International students on an approved Year Abroad for the full 2016/17 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Those on an approved Year in Industry pay an annual fee of £865 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. Details of our proposed funding opportunities for 2016 entry can be found on our funding page.
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. For 2016 entry, the scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications as specified on our scholarships pages. Please review the eligibility criteria on that page.