French and History enables you to learn the language and about the culture of France while developing a multifaceted understanding of the past.
This course offers both flexibility and variety. You'll develop advanced linguistic skills in an internationally important language, and gain a deep understanding of contemporary French culture. Your history modules will also give you a global perspective on the past.
History at Kent is one of the leading departments in the country, recognised for its research excellence, flexible programmes and quality teaching. You are taught by internationally recognised experts, who are passionate about their subject. You can tailor your modules to your own interests, and use your expanding knowledge of French culture and language to focus on European history.
Studying French and History enables you to become proficient in a major international language, spoken as far afield as Canada, Africa and Asia, and to complement your language learning with a broad understanding of history. You'll explore a broad range of topics and develop your analytical skills.
The University of Kent is an ideal location to study French. Canterbury is the closest British university city to mainland Europe, and our proximity to the Channel ports and Eurostar terminals at Ashford and Ebbsfleet means you can be in Paris in just a couple of hours. There is a large community of French-speaking students on campus, so you have a better chance to immerse yourself in the language than at any other university in the country.
You are required to spend a year working or studying abroad between your second and final year of study. In previous years, students have studied at our partner institutions in a country appropriate to their programme of study. You’ll develop your language skills, grow in self-confidence, gain a new academic perspective, and enhance your employability.
French and History is ideal for those wanting to develop advanced analytical and linguistic skills and gain a broad and detailed understanding of our world in an international and historically-rich city.
Dr Emily Guerry and Dr Thomas Baldwin discuss why French and History complement each other so well.
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 B in History, Classics-Ancient History or Classics-Classical Civilisation
Grade B or 6 in a second language
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 a minimum of DM plus A-level in History, or Classics-Ancient History, or Classics - Classical Civilisation, or Medieval History at B.
34 points overall or 15 points at HL including 4 at HL or 5 at SL in a second language, and 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: 4 years full-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.
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
All European language students (French, German, Hispanic Studies and Italian) are required to spend a Year Abroad between Stages 2 and 3 in a country where the European language is spoken. You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stage 2 to proceed to the Year Abroad. If the requirement is not met, you may have to postpone your Year Abroad.
The Year Abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification. You spend the year working as an English language assistant or in approved employment, or studying at one of our partner universities. For a full list of our partner universities, please visit Go Abroad.
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.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £1,385.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
You take compulsory language modules, including taking part in small group work with a native speaker. We also make extensive use of computer-assisted language learning packages and audio and video materials. Culture and literature modules typically involve a weekly two-hour seminar plus essay supervision. We employ six French language lectors to help students improve their fluency.
At all stages, assessment is based 100% on coursework (essays, oral presentations) in the first half of the year, and a combination of coursework and examination in the second half of the year. Credits from your year abroad count towards your final degree.
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.
The School of History uses a mixture of assessment patterns. The standard formats are 100% coursework or 60% examination and 40% coursework.
The School also has excellent student support arrangements. All module convenors keep regular office hours, and the School has a policy of returning at least one essay on each module in a one-to-one personal meeting allowing for additional verbal feedback and discussion.
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:
French at Kent was ranked 8th for graduate prospects and scored 92% overall in The Complete University Guide 2021. Over 89% of final-year Modern Languages and Linguistics students were satisfied with the quality of teaching on their course in The Guardian University Guide 2020.
History at Kent was ranked 19th in The Times Good University Guide 2020 and 1st for research intensity in The Complete University Guide 2021. In The Guardian University Guide 2020, 93% of final-year History students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.
This programme prepares you for a variety of career options,
including research careers within government and NGOs; museums,
galleries and libraries; records management and information officers in a
variety of workplaces; journalism; numerous roles in the public sector;
teaching; and politics to name but a few.
The Schools of History and European Culture and Languages are committed to providing programmes that allow our students to gain and hone the valuable skills required to meet the demands of the modern workplace. Career prospects for History and languages graduates are wide ranging, due to the valuable transferable skills acquired and developed during the course of study.
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
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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