University of Kent

HISTORY

The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC or Cantuar. for post-nominals) is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1965 and is recognised as a Beloff’s plate glass university. It is a member of the Santander Network of European universities encouraging social and economic development, Association of Commonwealth Universities and Universities UK.

The university has a rural campus north of Canterbury situated within 300 acres (1.2 km²) of park land, housing over 6,000 students, as well as campuses in Medway and Tonbridge in Kent and European postgraduate centres in Brussels, Athens, Rome and Paris. As a result of its extensive ties with and geographic proximity to the continent the university brands itself as “The UK’s European University”.

In 2014 the university was ranked 80th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in Top 100 Universities Under 50 Years. Additionally, Times Higher Education also ranked the university 20th in the United Kingdom in 2015 though aggregating multiple ranking results into a comprehensive table of ranking tables. It is among a group of institutions to consistently score 90% or above for overall satisfaction in the National Student Survey.

During the 1990s and 2000s the University expanded beyond its original campus, establishing campuses in Medway, Tonbridge and Brussels, and partnerships with Canterbury College, West Kent College, South Kent College and MidKent College.

In the 2000s the university entered a collaboration named Universities at Medway with the University of Greenwich, MidKent College and Canterbury Christ Church University to deliver university provision in the Medway area.  This led to the development of the University of Kent at Medway, opened from 2001.

As a consequence of the expansion outside Canterbury the university’s name was formally changed to the University of Kent on 1 April 2003.

COURSES

The University is divided into three faculties and 20 schools under three faculties :

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are considered solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential, regardless of gender, ethnic or national origin, age (subject to the university regulations on minimum age), disability, religion, sexual orientation or any other irrelevant distinction.

The university’s minimum matriculation requirement is normally two A levels at grade E, or equivalent, although most courses require much higher grades for entry. Schools can insist on a particular level of performance in a subject at GCSE, A level or other examinations, including English language qualifications. The student can read more about their admissions requirements on their website.

The university aims to give such students equality of opportunity to enter. The university recognises that not all applicants have had an equality of educational opportunity and will consider applicants in the light of the opportunities available to them. The university will admit candidates who have the potential to succeed at degree level.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

Regular access to academic staff, detailed and prompt feedback on work. Kent has partnerships with a number of prestigious universities around the world offering many opportunities to study and work abroad. Innovative and nationally recognised ‘Employability Points’ scheme encourages students to develop transferable skills through extra-curricular activities. Regular talks and workshops in a range of related fields enable students to place their studies in a broader context. Kent academics are research-active; their students learn from some of the most influential thinkers in their field.

TEACHING STANDARDS

Kent gained the 5th highest score for overall student satisfaction in the 2015 National Student Survey (NSS). All of their academic schools produce world-leading research, meaning their students learn directly from top-rated researchers. Kent scored 88% for overall teaching satisfaction in the 2015 NSS. Strong international focus helps students develop a global perspective to their learning.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

The university has a dedicated Careers and Employability Service that is available to all students at any stage of their degree. The service offers drop-in sessions and seminars on finding and getting work experience as well as advertising internships, work shadowing, formal graduate vacancies and local opportunities. The service also has a database of job vacancies which allows students to search on the basis of a range of complex criteria including worldwide locations.

Their careers services are impartial, free of charge and open to all students of the University of Kent, whatever their year of study, and to Kent graduates for up to three years after graduation. Their helpful team of professional advisers are available to help the students with all aspects of their career planning and decision-making, such as:

• Making decisions about their future career
• Getting relevant work experience
• Planning their job search strategy
• Making applications and preparing for interviews
• Looking at postgraduate study options
• Changing or leaving their course of study

They also deliver a wide range of workshops and events to enhance student’s employability.