Anthropology - BSc (Hons)

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Anthropology is for creative and critical thinkers, fascinated by every aspect of human life. It addresses the big question – what makes us human?

You study how we evolved, why we live in different sorts of societies, and how we interact with both one another and the environment. You develop insight into social and cultural difference and an understanding of the history, behaviour, and evolution of our species – gaining a perspective that is particularly valuable to employers.

Overview

The School of Anthropology and Conservation uses a thought-provoking mix of teaching methods, including lectures, small seminar groups, field visits and laboratory sessions. You are taught by research academics at the forefront of their fields while our excellent student-to-staff ratio ensures a high level of academic support.

We are one of the largest and longest established groups of anthropologists in the UK. Our expertise spans the full breadth of the discipline and includes an innovative group of primatologists, a team who excel in paleoanthropology, and a centre for human ecology pushing the boundaries of environmental change research.

Whether your background is in arts, humanities or sciences, you will find our BSc in Anthropology an exciting, stimulating and rewarding opportunity.

Specialisation

If you are a budding Biological or Social Anthropologist, you can choose modules in these specific areas throughout your degree. Specialising in this way will allow you to graduate with either a BSc Anthropology (Biological) or BA Anthropology (Social). Otherwise, a BSc in Anthropology will signify your expertise across the discipline.

Our degree programme

In your first year, you are introduced to anthropology, its foundations and its leading thinkers. Elective modules allow you to expand on areas of particular interest. You can also benefit from practical learning through lab-based sessions and a number of visits away from campus.

In your second and final years, you take compulsory modules that further your understanding of the key areas anthropology, such as SE597 - Anthropology for a World in Crisis and SE625 - Homo sapiens: Biology, Culture and Identity, so your degree has a strong theoretical, interdisciplinary core.

You also enjoy a wide and varied choice of optional modules enabling you to expand your perspective or develop a specialism. You can study human sexual behaviour, or medical anthropology; take modules in ethnicity and nationalism, and power and money or discover more about primate communication or forensic anthropology. In your final year, you undertake a research project, choosing your topic and work one-on-one with your project supervisor.

You benefit from the intellectual breadth of our programme, and the high degree of flexibility in shaping it to your interests as they grow and develop.

Student view

Anthropology student Freya talks about her course at Kent.


Year abroad

A year abroad allows an immersive experience of living and studying in a different culture. Typically you spend a year studying at one of our partner institutions in Japan or Europe between the second and final years. You don’t have to make a decision before you enrol at Kent, but certain conditions apply.

Year in professional practice

If you want to stand out from other graduates in today's global job market, spending time in the work place as part of your degree is invaluable. It demonstrates your ability to adapt to new situations, your sensitivity to other cultures (intercultural competence) and your desire to stretch yourself.

You can extend your degree into a four-year programme by adding a work placement between the second and final years. You don’t have to make a decision before you enrol at Kent, but certain conditions apply.

Field trips

A number of our modules include opportunities for learning and experiences outside of the classroom through field trips in the UKand abroad. Potential excursions are: Paris, the Musee du Quai Branly and Musee de L'Homme Howletts Wild Animal Park St Leonard's Ossuary London Chinese temple Impact Hub Westminster London financial district Canterbury Cathedral and Canterbury Tales Experience. These may change from year to year and may incur additional costs. See the funding tab for more information.

Study resources

The School of Anthropology and Conservation has excellent teaching resources including dedicated computing facilities. Other resources include:

  • climate controlled human osteology lab housing an exceptional collection of Anglo-Saxon and medieval skeletons (>1000) and related radiographs
  • a visual anthropology room
  • an ethnobiology lab for studying human-related plant material
  • a dedicated teaching laboratory with first-rate equipment
  • an excellent fossil cast collection with hundreds of casts, including multiple entire skeletons of extant and extinct primates and hominins
  • 3D imaging paleoanthropology lab with state-of-the-art equipment and expert academic support
  • refurbished computer suite with 32 PCs with HD screens
  • an integrated audio-visual system to help provide stimulating lectures
  • student social spaces.

Extra activities

The Anthropology Society is run by Kent students and is a good way to meet other students on your course in an informal way. There are also many national societies, which are a great way to meet people from around the world and discover more about their countries and cultures.

The School of Anthropology and Conservation puts on many events that you are welcome to attend. We host two public lectures a year, the Stirling Lecture and the DICE Lecture, which bring current ideas in anthropology and conservation to a wider audience. We are delighted that these events attract leading anthropological figures from around the world; in 2017 we hosted paleoanthropologist Professor Lee Berger, one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people.

Each term, there are also seminars and workshops discussing current research in anthropology, conservation and human ecology.

10th
Anthropology at Kent was ranked 10th in The Guardian University Guide 2021.

Entry requirements

You are more than your grades

At Kent we look at your circumstances as a whole before deciding whether to make you an offer to study here. Find out more about how we offer flexibility and support before and during your degree.

Find out more
Entry requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Some typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.

If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country, including details of the International Foundation Programmes. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.

Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.

  • medal-empty

    A level

    ABB-BBB

  • medal-empty GCSE

    Mathematics grade C/4

  • medal-empty Access to HE Diploma

    The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. 

    If we make you an offer, you will need 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.

  • medal-empty BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)

    Distinction, Distinction, Merit in an academic based subject. Other subjects such as Hospitality, Catering, Art & Design, Music, Photography and Dance will be considered on a case-by-case basis

  • medal-empty International Baccalaureate

    34 points overall or 15 points at HL including 4 in mathematics at HL or SL (Mathematics Studies 5 at SL) 

  • International Foundation Programme

    Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average, including 60% in LZ036 Academic Skills, 60% in LZ045 Life Sciences (1 & 2), and 50% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics (if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 4/C or equivalent).

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

If you need to improve your English language standard as a condition of your offer, you can attend one of our pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes before starting your degree programme. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

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Course structure

Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.   

On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.

Stage 1

Compulsory modules currently include

Stage 2

Compulsory modules currently include

Optional modules may include

Stage 3

Compulsory modules currently include

Optional modules may include

Which one's right for you?

Some other similar courses you may be interested in.

Fees

The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
  • Home full-time £9250
  • EU full-time £15400
  • International full-time £20500
  • Home part-time £4625
  • EU part-time £7700
  • International part-time £10250

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

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.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Additional costs

Field trips

One day trips that are compulsory to a module are financially funded by the School. Optional or longer trips may require support funding from attendees.

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

Scholarships

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. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

trophy Scholarships

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

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Teaching and assessment

In our most recent national Teaching Excellence Framework, teaching at Kent was judged to be Gold rated. Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that the University of Kent delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

Our teaching is research-led as all our staff are active in their fields. Social and biological anthropology staff have been awarded national teaching awards, reflecting the quality of the undergraduate programmes.

Anthropology at Kent uses a stimulating mix of teaching methods, including lectures, small seminar groups, field trips and laboratory sessions. For project work, you are assigned to a supervisor with whom you meet regularly. You also have access to a wide range of learning resources, including the Templeman Library, research laboratories and computer-based learning packages.

Many of the core modules have an end-of-year examination which counts 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 are assessed entirely on coursework. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks and, where appropriate, the marks from your year abroad, count towards your final degree result.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

  • develop critical, analytical problem-based learning skills
  • provide students with the skills to adapt and respond positively to changes in the discipline
  • acquaint students with theoretical and methodological issues relevant to understanding anthropology
  • demonstrate the relevance of anthropological knowledge to an understanding of local, national and international biological and social phenomena arising from the changing nature of human organisation in the distant past and in the contemporary world
  • provide a broad range of knowledge in the discipline of anthropology, stressing the need for a biological approach, and showing how it is closely linked to other academic disciplines
  • provide a grounding in human and primate biological variation and demonstrate the links between biological and sociocultural processes
  • ensure that the research of staff informs the design of modules, 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 through developing students’ transferable skills.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You will develop knowledge and understanding of:

  • the principles relevant to the study of human biology, evolution and sociality
  • human diversity and an appreciation of its scope
  • the fossil evidence of human evolution
  • the similarities and differences between humans and other primates
  • biological perspectives on human ecology
  • the ethical implications of human biological diversity
  • the principles of Mendelian and population genetics, as well as molecular biology
  • the relevance of anthropology to understanding everyday processes of social life
  • social anthropology as the comparative study of human societies
  • specific themes in social anthropology such as religion, politics, kinship and religion
  • several ethnographic regions of the world.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual abilities:

  • general learning and study skills
  • critical and analytical skills
  • the ability to express ideas orally and in writing
  • communication and IT skills
  • statistical analysis
  • practical skills specific to the scientific study of anthropology
  • hypothesis testing.

Subject-specific skills

You gain specific skills in the following:

  • the ability to describe and analyse aspects of biological diversity
  • to identify the relationship between environmental and cultural influences in human ecology
  • the ability to engage in intelligent debate on the process of human evolution
  • to design and carry out a research project in the field of scientific anthropology
  • an understanding of the processes involved in the development of human variation, including a working knowledge of the principles of classical genetics and molecular biology
  • a general knowledge of human biology, and an appreciation of how biological processes interact with behaviour and culture in humans
  • the ability to compare and contrast the morphology and behaviour of humans to that of other animals, specifically primates
  • the ability to understand how people are shaped by their social, cultural and physical environments
  • to perceive the way in which cultural assumptions may affect the opinions of oneself and others
  • to be able to make rational sense of cultural and social phenomena, which may appear at first sight incomprehensible.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

  • the ability to make a structured argument
  • to make appropriate reference to scholarly data
  • time-management
  • familiarity working with equipment in a scientific laboratory
  • knowledge of IT
  • oral presentations and other methods of communication including poster and PowerPoint presentations
  • working in a team.

Teaching Excellence Framework

All University of Kent courses are regulated by the Office for Students.

Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that the University of Kent delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

Please see the University of Kent's Statement of Findings for more information.

TEF Gold logo

Independent rankings

Anthropology at Kent scored 90% overall and was ranked 13th in The Complete University Guide 2021.

Anthropology at Kent was ranked 5th for graduate prospects and 10th overall in The Guardian University Guide 2021.

Anthropology at Kent was ranked 13th in The Times Good University Guide 2021.

Careers

Studying 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, analyse complex data and present your work with clarity and flair.

Graduate destinations

Our recent graduates have found work in:

  • education
  • social work
  • town and country planning
  • advertising
  • journalism
  • film production
  • media research and production (TV and radio) 
  • overseas development
  • relief agencies
  • international consultancy firms
  • the civil service.

Help finding a job

The School offers an employability programme aimed at helping you develop the skills you'll need to look for a job.  This includes workshops, mentoring and an online blog featuring tips, advice from employers, job adverts, internship information and volunteering opportunities.

The University’s friendly Careers and Employability Service offers advice on how to:

  • apply for jobs
  • write a good CV
  • perform well in interviews.

Career-enhancing skills

As an anthropology student, you develop expertise in understanding, interpreting and responding to human behaviour. Alongside such specialist skills, you also develop the transferable skills graduate employers look for, including the ability to:

  • think critically 
  • communicate your ideas and opinions 
  • work independently and as part of a team.

You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Apply for this course

If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can choose to apply through UCAS or directly on our website.

Find out more about how to apply

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International applicants

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Anthropology - BSc (Hons) - part-time at Canterbury

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