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What makes countries, ethnic groups or individuals go to war? How has warfare changed with the introduction of new technology? How has propaganda been used? Can we learn anything from history? The University of Kent is in a unique geographic position to study war and its effects. Canterbury and Kent have been ‘Front-Line Britain’ in British military history, and contain significant military sites, ranging from Roman forts to Cold War nuclear bunkers. We have easy access to the continent, particularly the battlefields of the First and Second World Wars.
Overview
Our modules reflect the range of our research interests, from war and culture to the evolution of tank warfare. At Kent, we believe military history should form the main thrust of our programme, an area often sidelined by similar courses. In addition to War Studies modules, the diverse pool of History modules remains accessible to our students. In the recent National Student Survey, our graduates rated the enthusiasm of our teaching most highly and, with such passion and focus, War Studies at Kent has rapidly gained a strong reputation.
Think Kent video series
The famous Christmas Truce of 1914 now looms large in public perceptions of the First World War. In this lecture, Professor Mark Connelly from the University of Kent revisits this amazing event to explore Christmas 1914 in more detail and question what it tells us about the wider history of the conflict.
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.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching is through a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures are often used to provide the broad overview, while seminars focus on 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. Lectures usually last one hour and seminars are one or two hours, depending on the module.
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:
- place the study of war, in its historical and political contexts, at the centre of student learning and analysis
- ensure that students understand modes of theory and analysis used in history and politics/IR and be aware of the differing and contested aspects of these disciplines
- develop students' capacities to think critically about war in all its forms and interpretations
- encourage students to relate the academic study of war to questions of public debate and concern
- provide a curriculum supported by scholarship and research that promotes the breadth and depth of intellectual enquiry and debate
- assist students to develop cognitive and transferable skills relevant to their vocational and personal development.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- how people have reacted to and conceived of war in differing contexts, past and present
- the origins and development of warfare in human societies, the justifications for war and its outcomes
- the structure, nature and operation of institutions and states in differing contexts, through the medium of warfare
- the contestable nature of many interpretations of war, both from original sources and from contemporary academics and commentators
- questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose within a range of historical and contemporary texts and materials
- the problems inherent in the historical and contemporary record; awareness of a range of viewpoints, the limitations of knowledge, and the dangers of simplistic explanations
- war from different perspectives within the disciplines of history and politics/IR
- the social, political, cultural and military aspects of warfare
- the power structures and impulses to use war as a form of human interaction.
Intellectual skills
You gain intellectual skills in the following areas:
- show to gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources
- the ability to identify, investigate and analyse primary and secondary information
- how to develop reasoned arguments based on reflection, study and critical judgement
- how to differentiate between arguments
- the ability to reflect on and manage your own learning and make use of constructive feedback from peers and staff to enhance your own performance.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
- the understanding of the nature of war and its significance as a global and historical human activity
- the application of methods, concepts and theories used in the studies of history and politics/IR
- the evaluation of different interpretations and sources
- the ability to marshall an argument, to summarise and defend a particular interpretation or analysis of events.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills in the following:
- communication – the ability to organise information clearly; respond to written sources; present information orally; adapt style for different audiences; use images as a communications tool
- numeracy – the ability to read graphs and tables; integrate numerical and non-numerical information; understand the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information
- information technology – the ability to produce written documents; undertake online research; process information using databases and spreadsheets (where necessary)
- independence of mind and initiative
- self-discipline and self-motivation
- the ability to work with others and have respect for others' reasoned views.
Careers
As students of a historic discipline, our graduates 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 you respond positively to various challenges and that you can work to tight schedules and manage heavy workloads.
Many find employment in the armed services, journalism and the media, management and administration, local and national civil services, the museums and heritage sector, defence analysis, commerce and banking, teaching and research, and the law.
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 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 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 | ||
| 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
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.