Ancient, Medieval and Modern History - BA (Hons)

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Study the civilisations that fascinate you, develop new skills, and gain valuable experience ready for a wide range of careers from archaeology to the heritage industry.

Overview

Join world-leading experts, including practising archaeologists and historians, to study History in all its breadth, from ancient civilisations such as the Minoan and Mycenean period to the present day. You'll take a broad approach to the past, from ancient mythology and the world of predynastic Egypt to the Crusades and the age of Nazi propaganda.

Why study Ancient, Medieval and Modern History at Kent?

  • 95% of final-year Classics students who completed the National Student Survey 2022 were satisfied with the overall quality of their course
  • History at Kent was ranked 1st for research quality in The Complete University Guide 2023.
  • Study in historic Canterbury: the centre of major historical events across your period of study, from Caesar’s first landing in Britain to the rise of Chatham Dockyards as the engine of the British Empire
  • Choice and flexibility: benefit from the expertise in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies and the School of History, and a wide choice of topics
  • Get career-ready: work with local heritage organisations and cultural sites, or prepare for teacher training with our practical modules. Meet our graduates and find out that Ancient, Medieval and Modern History can take you anywhere on an exciting career path giving you the skills to work in a wide range of fields
  • Develop expert analytical skills in our Archaeology Laboratory: home to state-of-the-art equipment for geophysics, laser scanning and dating. You'll analyse ancient materials and develop technical expertise.

What our students say

“When I studied Jack the Ripper in a module on Victorian Britain, we actually went to a surgical room in London to see how the Victorians would have investigated the murders. And we also have a cartoon archive in the library so, in the same module, we looked at some original political cartoons of Churchill – it’s a real piece of history that you’re holding in your hands!”

Brooke Huxter, BA History

What you'll study

In your first year, you’ll take core introductory modules on the principles of historical study and research, as well as exploring ancient Greek and Roman civilisations. A range of optional modules allows you to explore a huge breadth of worldwide history ranging across millennia.

In your second and third years, delve into classical Mythology, the British Empire, and journey from Roman art and architecture to the Crusades. You’ll also get the opportunity to learn a language: Ancient Greek or Latin.

In your final year, there is an option to take our capstone project or dissertation modules, on a subject of your choice. For this, you’ll research a historical topic, under the supervision of an expert in the field. You can also gain valuable on-site experience through our fieldwork practice module. With three different pathway choices, you'll be assessed in the form of a professionally-published archaeological report.

See the modules you'll study

Placement year/year abroad

Studying abroad is a great opportunity to discover a new culture and demonstrates to future employers that you have the enthusiasm to succeed in a new environment. Previous destinations include the US, Canada, Europe and Hong Kong. It is also possible to undertake a placement year in industry.

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Entry requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.

  • medal-empty

    A level

    BBB

  • medal-empty Access to HE Diploma

    The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.

  • medal-empty BTEC Nationals

    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 for further advice on your individual circumstances. A typical offer would be to achieve DDM plus an A-level in either History, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History or Medieval History at B. 

  • medal-empty International Baccalaureate

    30 points overall or 15 points at HL

  • medal-empty International Foundation Programme

    Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average, including 60% in Academic Skills Development and 60% in History.

  • medal-empty T level

    The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.

International students

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.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

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Course structure

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

Modules

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.

Fees

The 2023/24 annual tuition fees for this course are:

  • Home full-time £9,250
  • EU full-time £13,500
  • International full-time £18,000
  • Home part-time £4,625
  • EU part-time £6,750
  • International part-time £9,000

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.

Fees for year in industry

Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.

Fees for year abroad

Fees for undergraduate students are £1,385.

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.

Additional costs

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

Funding

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

Search scholarships

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

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.

Teaching and assessment

All modules have a weekly small-group seminar, and most also have weekly lectures. We encourage you to take part in excavations and field surveys with staff and associated institutions, and student bursaries are available to support this.

Assessment at all stages varies from 100% coursework to a combination of examination and coursework.

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:

  • teach within the framework of the European intellectual, cultural and historical traditions, interacting with the disciplines of Classics and History, providing flexibility and a multidisciplinary approach as stated in our mission statement
  • treat the diverse societies and cultures of the ancient, medieval and modern worlds and their interaction, with a focus on history
  • make an in-depth study of selected themes, regions and periods in history
  • introduce key elements by which early, medieval and modern Europe acquired its social, political, cultural and intellectual foundations in accordance with our statement on building on close ties within Europe
  • explore different types of evidence – literary, historical, art-historical, and material culture – using primary source material wherever possible and focusing of different approaches and techniques based on research informed teaching as mentioned in our mission statement
  • examine the problems of interpretation in each type of source material through critical analysis of current studies.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain a knowledge and understanding of:

  • another culture, whether focused on literature, thought, art and religion, or on history and political and social organisation, or on material culture, with an informed sense of the similarities and differences between it and our own culture
  • complementary subjects (to read both critically and empathetically literary, philosophical, historical and other source materials, while addressing questions of genre, content, perspective and purpose
  • selected themes, periods and regions within ancient, medieval, early modern and modern history in the context of current debate
  • an appropriate and diverse range of primary materials and of the appropriate methods of interpretation.

Intellectual skills

You gain the ability to:

  • apply the skills needed for academic study and enquiry
  • analyse, evaluate and interpret a variety of types of evidence in an independent and critical manner
  • select, gather and synthesise relevant information from a wide variety of sources to gain a coherent understanding
  • deploy a range of techniques and methodologies of study
  • utilise problem-solving skills
  • evaluate research in a critical manner
  • study and reach conclusions independently.

Subject-specific skills

You gain the ability to:

  • make a critical evaluation of a variety of sources for literary and historical study (eg texts, inscriptions, and other data)
  • extract key elements from complex data and identify and solve associated problems
  • select and apply appropriate methodologies in assessing data, such as bibliographical research, textual analysis, historical analysis, visual skills, use of statistics, philosophical argument and analysis
  • gather, memorise and deploy evidence and information, and show awareness of the consequences of the unavailability of evidence
  • show familiarity with the basic concepts which underpin the different branches of the programme pathways
  • marshal arguments lucidly and communicate interpretations using the appropriate academic conventions.

Transferable skills

You gain the ability to:

  • communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals using a variety of means
  • take responsibility for your personal and professional learning and development
  • evaluate and learn from your own academic performance
  • manage time and prioritise workloads and assessments, and write and think under pressure
  • utilise problem-solving skills in a variety of theoretical and practical situations
  • work creatively, flexibly and adaptably with others; understand how groups function.
  • deploy a range of IT skills effectively, such as producing word-processed text with footnotes, basic formatting, using email, research using databases and text-files, locating and exploiting websites.

Independent rankings

95% of Classics students and 90% of History students who completed the National Student Survey 2022 were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course.

History at Kent was ranked 1st for research quality in The Complete University Guide 2023.

Careers

Graduate destinations

As part of your degree, you develop critical thinking, transferable knowledge and skills that enable you to work in a variety of professions.

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

  • archaeology
  • the heritage industry
  • museums
  • journalism
  • the Civil Service
  • media librarianship
  • teaching.

A number of our students also continue to postgraduate study.

Help finding a job

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

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

Career-enhancing skills

Alongside specialist skills, you also develop the transferable skills graduate employers look for, including the ability to:

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

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

Apply for Ancient, Medieval and Modern History - BA (Hons)

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 apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.

Find out more about how to apply

All applicants

International applicants

Apply now for part-time study

Ancient, Medieval and Modern History - BA (Hons) - part-time at Canterbury

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United Kingdom/EU enquiries

Enquire online for full-time study

Enquire online for part-time study

T: +44 (0)1227 768896

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International student enquiries

Enquire online

T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk

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