Social anthropology explores how and why people (including ourselves) do the things they do – for example, how they work, use technologies and negotiate conflicts, relationships and change. In many ways, the study of History is the study of people, too, as you work with sources and a range of historical opinion to understand how the individuals, societies and events of the past have shaped the world today.
Social Anthropology allows for the holistic study of people's ideas, beliefs, practices and activities in a wide range of local, global, diasporic and transnational settings. You explore political and economic organisation, use of rural and urban spaces, systems of knowledge and forms of religious experience.
As a research-led school, our modules cover a wide range of specialist topics and ethnographic areas – regions such as the Amazon, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Pacific. Our Centre for Social Anthropology and Computing (CSAC) was one of the first in the country, and our Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) is equally outstanding.
The School of History at Kent is one of the leading History departments in the country, where you are taught by passionate academics, active researchers and recognised experts. Our History programme allows you to tailor your degree to your own interests. These may be incredibly broad, or more focused within specific themes or historical periods. There is a huge choice of modules on offer, which reflect the wide-ranging expertise of our academics.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.
Please note that meeting this typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee an offer being made.Please also see our general entry requirements.
If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.
BBB including History or a related humanities based essay writing subject which includes English, Philosophy, Religious Studies or Classical Civilisation. Students applying without History will need to make a case in their personal statement.
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.
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 DMM plus A-level in History or a related humanities based essay writing subject at grade B, which includes English, Philosophy, Religious Studies or Classical Civilisation. Students applying without History will need to make a case in their personal statement.
34 points overall or 15 points at HL including History 5 at HL or 6 at SL
The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.
However, please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.
For more advice about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
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. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
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.
The 2020/21 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £9,250.
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.*
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.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Teaching is by a combination of lectures, providing a broad overview, and seminars, which focus on discussing particular issues and are led by student presentations. Lectures and seminars use a variety of materials, including original documents, films and documentaries, illuminated manuscripts, slide and PowerPoint demonstrations.
Assessment is by 100% coursework or by a combination of coursework and examination.
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 and laboratory sessions. For project work, you are assigned to a supervisor with whom you meet regularly.
Assessment ranges from 80:20 exam/coursework to 100% coursework. At Stages 2 and 3, most core modules are split 50% end-of-year examination and 50% coursework. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks count towards your final degree result.
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.
For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programmes specification for each subject below. Please note that outcomes will depend on your specific module selection:
History at Kent was ranked 19th in The Times Good University Guide 2020 and 1st for research intensity in The Complete University Guide 2021.
Anthropology at Kent was ranked 13th in The Complete University Guide 2021 and 14th in The Times Good University Guide 2020. Of Anthropology graduates who responded to the most recent national survey of graduate destinations, 100% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE, 2017).
Studying a joint honours programme in History and Social Anthropology gives you an exciting range of career opportunities. You develop excellent skills of analysis, frequently assessing multiple and often conflicting sources before condensing opinions into concise, well-structured prose. You learn how to analyse complex data and present your work with clarity and flair.
Graduates are able to demonstrate self-motivation and the ability to work independently, demonstrating to potential employers that they respond positively to various challenges and that they can work to tight schedules and manage heavy workloads.
Our recent graduates have gone into areas such as journalism, advertising and the media, management and administration, overseas development and aid, local and national civil services, the museums and heritage sector, international consultancy, commerce and banking, social work, work with community groups, teaching and research, and the law.
This course page is for the 2020/21 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.
T: +44 (0)1227 768896
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E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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