Across the University we have started work on the development of our next institutional strategy, which is focused on ensuring we do more to put students at the heart of everything we do and what Kent stands for. This is being delivered through our Kent 2030 plan, which brings together a range of improvements based on suggestions from our students.
Many aspects of this are due to come into effect from the 2025-26 academic year, including planned changes to the structure of our academic year. We have also reviewed the make-up of the courses we plan on recruiting to in the future, recognising that students have different needs and different expectations than they did in the past.
This course review focussed on making sure we are well-placed to grow in priority areas in the future, while proposing to phase out future recruitment in a small number of courses where we no longer feel we can be competitive.
Through working together with staff we have been able to retain in some form the following courses which were originally proposed for closure: English Language & Literatures; Forensic Osteology and Field Methods; and Modern Languages. This will be supported through aligning more closely with other areas or producing new composite courses.
Alongside this, we have taken the decision to phase out Anthropology, Art History, Health & Social Care, Journalism, Music & Audio Technology, and Philosophy/Religious Studies.
Students on the courses to be phased out will be supported with normal teaching and supervision through to the end of their degrees, including ongoing careers advice after they graduate. We will be working with staff in the weeks ahead to ensure we have appropriate teaching in place to support this, recognising that those affected will need time to think through their options.
These changes are to do with our broad portfolio rather than any specific campus, and we are determined to maintain a strong mix of subjects across areas, including humanities such as English, History and Arts.
Why are we doing this?
Like many in the sector, we are responding to a number of financial challenges including the fixed tuition fee, rising costs and changes in student behaviour. This programme of work is to ensure we get ahead of this, adjusting what we do to match changes in demographics while meeting the ambition of students in what they can study at Kent and the ways we support them in doing that.
None of this is a reflection on the quality or societal value of any course or subject area being consulted on – we simply don’t think we at Kent can continue to recruit competitively to every course given national student number projections.
Going Forward
These changes to our subject portfolio are about how we might recruit in future, so these decisions won’t impact current students’ ability to graduate or complete their courses with us. As with any proposed organisational changes, we will do everything we can to minimise the impact on their studies and will be updating them on their options in the coming weeks.
We will continue to provide regular updates and ensure that our students, staff and their representatives, including Kent Union, remain fully informed.