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Any study of history engages a natural human curiosity about the past. History is an exciting and diverse subject, which is reflected in the flexibility and breadth of the BA in History offered at Kent.
Overview
The School of History has established itself as one of the leading History departments in the country, recognised for its research excellence, flexible programmes and quality teaching. You are taught by passionate academics, active researchers and recognised experts. The School was placed eighth nationally for research intensity in the most recent Research Excellence Framework, and, over the past five years, has consistently scored over 90% for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey.
Our course is carefully crafted to allow undergraduates to tailor their degree to their own interests, with more than 70 undergraduate history modules to choose from, covering topics from the crusades to the Cold War; from the impact of science on 19th-century culture to the totalitarian regimes of Stalin’s Russia and Hitler’s Third Reich.
At Kent, you will join a large and thriving student body, benefiting from a strong tradition of student-led activities through the History Society. Alongside the extensive resources of the University library, you have the unrivalled privilege of access to the rare books and priceless manuscripts of Canterbury Cathedral. Opportunities are also available for work experience or a year studying in Europe.
Independent rankings
History at Kent was ranked 1st for research in The Complete University Guide 2015. In the National Student Survey 2015, 93% of History students were 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 abroad
Students on the European History programme have the opportunity to spend a year between Stages 2 and 3 studying at a university in France or Germany.
Students on the single honours History programme also have the opportunity to spend a term a
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.
The School of History uses a mixture of assessment patterns. The standard formats are 100% coursework or 60% examination and 40% coursework.
The School also has excellent student support arrangements. Alongside our Student Support Officer, each student is assigned an academic tutor. All module convenors keep regular office hours, and the School has a policy of returning at least one essay on each module in a one-to-one personal meeting allowing for additional verbal feedback and discussion.
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- foster an understanding of European History through an integrated four-year degree programme, in particular by studying abroad, making full use of the University's strong European connections
- encourage the study of History through foreign languages
- produce graduates with a firm understanding of the tradition and discipline of History as a means of understanding cultures that are different from their own and changes in society over time
- develop intellectual curiosity and initiative in students, and foster the appreciation of study as a value in itself
- encourage independent critical thinking and judgement
- develop new areas of teaching in response to the advance of scholarship and the needs of the community in a research-led environment
- provide stimulating learning opportunities and offer support for students from diverse backgrounds
- widen participation in higher education
- prepare students for a range of careers in a modern complex society, and 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 past societies, and of unfamiliar structures, cultures and mentalities
- European History and culture and the links between Britain and Europe
- experience of European systems of teaching and learning
- texts and other source materials, both critically and empathetically, while addressing questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose
- the problems inherent in the historical record, and the limits within which interpretation is possible
- texts and books written in a range of European languages
- historical work and to recognise the value of neighbouring disciplines
- more than one country, more than one period: medieval, early modern and modern, and several specialisms, including social, economic, political, and cultural history, and the history of science.
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
- conceptualisation: relate concept to empirical evidence and recognise the relative and contested character of concepts
- critical thought and independence of mind to challenge received conclusions and evaluate the work of others
- synthesise material from a variety of sources to gain a coherent understanding of issues
- an understanding of the nature of the discipline and our own involvement with it
- recognise and distinguish between the different sources of historical knowledge
- recognise and employ the skills required to solve particular problems.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
- apply a range of historical methods and analytical approaches showing awareness of the relevance of other humanities and social science disciplines
- access a range of sources of information, including textual and non-textual material
- present the results of historical work to a critical audience and/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 the following:
- communication: organise information clearly, respond to written sources, present information orally, adapt style for different audiences, and use of images as a communication tool
- mumeracy: make sense of statistical materials, integrate numerical and non-numerical information, understand the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information
- languages: build on existing skills to become fluent in one European language during the year abroad
- IT abilities: produce written documents, undertake online research, communicate using email and process information using databases
- work with others: define and review the work of others, work co-operatively on group tasks and understand how groups function
- improve your learning abilities: explore personal strengths and weaknesses, time management, review the working environment, in particular the student-staff relationship, develop specialist learning skills, such as foreign languages, and develop autonomy in the learning process
- problem solving: identify and define problems, explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them.
Careers
Historians 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, 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 Classical Civilisation grade B and excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking |
| GCSE | Grade B in chosen language |
| 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 a modern European language other than English 4 at HL or 5 at SL and 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 | ||
| 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.