Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

History and Drama - BA (Hons)

UCAS code VW14

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2016

Building upon their excellent research reputations, the School of History and the School of Arts both ensure that students are learning the very latest from academics working at the cutting edge of their fields.

Overview

Drama provides a distinctive balance of practical and theoretical elements allowing you to develop the skills and vision needed for employment in the creative industries and beyond. Similarly, the flexible and wide-ranging History programmes provide a diverse range of perspectives on the stage of world history, developing valuable skills in critical analysis, reconciliation of differing opinion and representation of complex arguments in a clear and cohesive manner.

Both subjects follow a modular structure allowing students to tailor their studies to their own interests.

Independent rankings

In the National Student Survey 2014 93% of History students were satisfied with the quality of their course and 95% of Drama students at Kent were satisfied with their course. 

History at Kent was ranked 1st for research in The Complete University Guide 2015

Drama at Kent was ranked 10th in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2015.

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.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is by a combination of lectures, providing a broad overview, and seminars, which focus on discussing particular issues and are led by student presentations. Lectures and seminars use a variety of materials, including original documents, films and documentaries, illuminated manuscripts, slide and PowerPoint demonstrations.

Assessment is by coursework, performances and examinations.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • provide students with a firm understanding of the tradition and discipline of history as a means of understanding cultures different from their own and changes in society over time
  • develop students' intellectual curiosity and initiative
  • encourage independent critical thinking and judgement
  • develop new areas of teaching and incorporate the research expertise of teachers into the programme
  • provide stimulating learning opportunities based on well-planned teaching strategies and offer effective support for students from a variety of backgrounds
  • prepare students for a range of careers and roles in a modern complex society or for further study
  • develop a critical understanding of the past
  • provide a flexible degree through which students can adopt a structure for their various interests.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • the complexities of human existence in the past while recognising that history does not consist of ‘a specific body of required knowledge’
  • texts and other source materials, while addressing questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose
  • the problems inherent in the historical record itself and the limits within which interpretation is possible
  • the value of neighbouring disciplines, recognised through the interdisciplinary nature of history itself
  • more than one country, period (medieval, early modern, modern) and analytical approach (social, political, economic, cultural history, history of science).

Intellectual skills

You gain intellectual skills in:

  • conceptualisation: the ability to relate concept to empirical evidence, and the ability to recognise the relative and contested character of concepts themselves
  • critical thought and independence of mind: the ability to challenge received conclusions and evaluate the work of others
  • the ability to synthesise material from a variety of sources to gain a coherent understanding of issues
  • reflexivity – an understanding of the nature of the discipline and our own involvement with it
  • recognising and distinguishing between the different sources of historical knowledge (epistemological awareness)
  • recognition and employment of what is required to solve particular problems.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in how to:

  • apply a range of historical methods and analytical approaches with awareness of the relevance of other disciplines
  • access a range of sources of information, including textual and non-textual material
  • present the results of historical work to a critical audience or readership using standard notes, reference systems and bibliography
  • marshall an argument: summarise, analyse and defend a particular interpretation or analysis of historical events.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in:

  • communication – how to organise information clearly; respond to written sources; present information orally; adapt style for different audiences; use of images as a communication tool
  • numeracy  – how to make sense of statistical materials; integrate numerical and non-numerical information; understand the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information
  • information technology – how to produce written documents; undertake online research; communicate using email; process information using databases
  • working with others – how to define and review the work of others; work co-operatively on group tasks; understand how groups function
  • improving own learning – how to explore personal strengths and weaknesses; time management; review your working environment; develop specialist learning skills (such as foreign languages); develop autonomy in learning
  • problem solving – how to identify and define problems; explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them.

Careers

You develop excellent skills of analysis, frequently assessing multiple and often conflicting sources before condensing opinions into concise, well-structured prose. Graduates are able to demonstrate self-motivation and the ability to work independently, demonstrating to potential employers that they respond positively to various challenges and that they can work to tight schedules and manage heavy workloads.

Many graduates find employment in fields such as journalism and the media, management and administration, event management, local and national civil services, the museums and heritage sector, commerce and banking, teaching and research, and the law.

In a report first published in 2005*, Professor David Nicholls stated: “In recent years, history graduates have become celebrated lawyers, press barons, well-known television and newspaper journalists, famous comedians and entertainers, award-winning authors, heads of advisory bodies and charities, directors of major museums, top diplomats and civil servants, chief constables, high-ranking officers in the armed forces and business millionaires.” In a recent follow-up to the report, Professor Nicholls concluded that, despite the increasingly competitive job market, History graduates continue to excel.

*The Employability of History Students by Professor David Nicholls, The Academy of Higher Education

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 History, Classics-Ancient History or Classics-Classical Civilisation grade B excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking

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 History 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

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

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. 

The Key Information Set (KIS) data is compiled by UNISTATS and draws from a variety of sources which includes the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistical Agency. The data for assessment and contact hours is compiled from the most populous modules (to the total of 120 credits for an academic session) for this particular degree programme. Depending on module selection, there may be some variation between the KIS data and an individual's experience. For further information on how the KIS data is compiled please see the UNISTATS website.

If you have any queries about a particular programme, please contact information@kent.ac.uk.