The School of History at the University of Kent is recognized as one of the leading History
departments in the country. Based in the historic cathedral city of Canterbury, Undergraduate
students study flexible programs in History and War Studies and a variety of Joint Honours
combinations.
Based on a modular structure students can shape their degree programme entirely around
their own interests.
Hi, I'm Emily Dennis I was a history undergraduate at Kent and now I am a Masters research student.
I studied a wide range of modules really, from medieval right up to modern history.
I've gradually tailored my choice of modules over the three years I've been here so I
started off with a very broad scatter-gun approach where I basically picked a bit of
everything just to see what appealed most
First of all we have a range of modules on offer in both the first, second and third
years which very few universities can match, and secondly I think it's not just that diversity
of courses that we that we pride ourselves in but I think it's a flexibility of the programme;
it can be a broad-brush approach or it can be a highly specialized approach. We have
that flexibility.
Undergraduate students get to study alongside world-class academics who teach on subjects
directly related to their ongoing research students will always learn the very latest
from the very best.
My teaching feeds into my research I get a lot of my ideas from students and our discussions
in class. Also after I've been on a research trip I like to bring materials back and integrate
them into my teaching. At Kent we're very careful in our consideration of class sizes:
we want a large enough group to encourage a dynamic conversation
but in the environment which allows everybody feel comfortable and able to speak.
The lectures give a really good broad overview of the subject we're studying that week,
whereas the seminars are really more personal and get into much more detail about the subject
and we can have open discussions and hear other people's ideas.
The staff-student relationship is very good. We're on first-name terms with the professors,
we can approach them at any time.
They really break down the barrier between staff and student and are really one-on-one
with you they're very friendly and accessible and you can talk to them about anything.
The University of Kent's Canterbury campus is set in three hundred acres of green and
leafy parkland and is only a short walk away from the city centre. Home to students from
over 120 countries it is an exciting and vibrant place to study.
Campus life is a real community. I think the campus itself creates a student community
that is really nice, from the sports clubs, the societies which offer such a broad range
of interests you can pick up something completely new, that you've never done before. It's
a nice way to meet people and have a little bit extra to do outside of your studies.
My times out on campus have been some of my most memorable experiences. The Venue is a
great club and the bars and restaurants on campus are really, really good.
There's loads of places to go and socialise, to meet people and I think that social environment
creates a really nice experience at Kent.
The facilities on campus are really good, they're very accessible. The Library is
fantastic, it has such a broad range of texts with the core-text collection
specially suited for each subject. Also, the School of History has been brilliant in helping
me to find material I need.
In terms of student support we pride ourselves in what we actually offer students. Not only
do we offer individual tutors we also have a fantastic student liaison officer in Dr
Emma Long.
For Undergraduate students specifically we have the study skills sessions that run throughout
term so normally we start off with something to do with essay-writing and seminars and
run all the way through the year right up to exam preparation.
What brought me to Canterbury in the first place was the beauty of the campus and that
I felt really at home in the city with its architecture and its history.
It's a fantastic place to be. On the open day I realised that this is where I wanted
to be: fantastic surroundings, excellent course. It is both broad in the history you're studying
and in the geography as well.
From American history to lots of European history, I have settled in 18th century British
history and its something I'd never done before I came to Kent and that I never really
knew much about at all. Its nice to get the broad range of history and to try stuff that
you haven't studied before.