Students preparing for their graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral

Philosophy and Computing - BA (Hons)

UCAS code VG54

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

2016

Graduates who can offer employers a thorough understanding of the application of computing to business situations, in addition to expertise in another specialism, are in great demand.  This joint-honours degree enables you to combine the study of computing with Philosophy – the study of knowledge.

Overview

Taking Computing alongside Philosophy enables you to gain a good practical understanding of computer systems, while studying major philosophers and contributing your own ideas to an on-going dialogue. You develop the ability to connect the most abstract ideas to the concrete experience. Taking  Philosophy alongside computing allows students to combine their analytical and critical skills with practical computing skills.

Some modules, such as those surrounding issues of Artificial Intelligence, Paradoxes, and the Philosophy of Science overlap between the two subjects and will develop your understanding of both Philosophy and computing. This will help with essay structure and composition, in putting across a clear line of argument as you explore the practical and scientific elements of computing studies, and apply your philosophical knowledge and skills to your learning.

Independent rankings

Philosophy was ranked 14th overall in The Guardian University Guide 2017. In the National Student Survey 2015, 94% of Philosophy students were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.

In The Guardian University Guide 2017, 87% of computing 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

Most modules run for a single 12-week term, and usually include a combination of lectures, seminars, private study and practical sessions. Assessment is by a combination of coursework and end-of-year examination and details are shown in the module outlines on the web. Project modules are assessed wholly by coursework.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • provide a sound knowledge and systematic understanding of the principles of computing
  • provide generally applicable skills which will be of lasting value in a constantly changing field
  • offer a range of modules covering the foundations of computing, and a range of options to enable students to study selected areas of computing in depth
  • provide teaching which is informed by current research and scholarship and which requires students to engage with aspects of work at the frontiers of knowledge
  • develop general critical, analytical and problem-solving skills which can be applied in a wide range of different computing and non-computing settings.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • hardware: the major functional components of a computer system
  • software: programming languages and practice; tools and packages; computer applications; structuring of data and information
  • communications and interaction: basic computer communication network concepts; communication between computers and people; the control and operation of computers
  • practice: problem identification and analysis; design development, testing and evaluation.

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills in:

  • modelling: knowledge and understanding in the modelling and design of computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the trade-off involved in design choices
  • reflection and communication: presenting succinctly to a range of audiences rational and reasoned arguments
  • requirements: identifying and analysing criteria and specifications appropriate to specific problems and planning strategies for their solution
  • criteria evaluation and testing: analysing; the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria defined for its current use and future development
  • methods and tools: deploying appropriate theory, practices and tools for the specification,design, implementation and evaluation of computer-based systems
  • professional responsibility: recognising and being guided by the professional, economic, social,environmental, moral and ethical issues involved in the sustainable exploitation of computer technology
  • computational thinking: demonstrating a basic analytical ability and its relevance to everyday life.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

  • design and implementation: specifying, designing and implementing computer-based systems
  • evaluation: evaluating systems in terms of general quality attributes and possible trade-offs presented within the given problem
  • information management: applying the principles of effective information management, information organisation and information retrieval skills to information of various kinds
  • tools: deploying effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of software, with particular emphasis on understanding the whole process involved in using computers to solve practical problems.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in:

  • teamworking: working effectively as a member of a development team
  • communication: making succinct presentations to a range of audiences about technical problems and their solutions
  • information technology: effective information-retrieval skills (including the use of browsers, search engines and catalogues) and effective use of general IT facilities
  • self management: managing one’s own; learning and development, including time-management and organisational skills.

Careers

Our reputation for providing top quality graduates puts Kent fifth out of all Computing departments for "Career after 6 months" in the Guardian league tables for 2013.  This is testimony to our strong links with industry and the unique opportunities provided by the Kent IT Clinic where students gain first-hand experience of working as IT consultants as part of their degree.

The Philosophy Department at Kent takes employability seriously, and all of our modules are designed to give you important skills that transfer to the workplace. These modules will not only improve your grasp of philosophy, but teach you how to critically evaluate ideas, think through problems and clearly communicate even complex material. We offer opportunities to discuss and defend your ideas, to give oral presentations, to work both individually and as part of a group, all of which will equip you with useful instruments for your future careers, whatever they may be.

Our high graduate employment rate speaks for itself, with recent graduates going on to work at Accenture, BT, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Intel, KCC, Lilly, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Thomson Reuters and T-Mobile.

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

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

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.