University of Kent

The University of Kent is a place where people can sharpen their focus with postgraduate study.

It is known as the UK’s European university and has postgraduate centres in Brussels and Paris, as well as two UK campuses in Canterbury and Medway.

As a postgraduate, students will have the opportunity to study full or part-time on the majority of programmes offered in one of Kent’s European centres. Kent offer postgraduate students flexibility, with many of their taught and all of their research degrees offering both September and January start dates. They also offer distance-learning options and short courses. 

The University of Kent offers a range of Conversion Master’s Programmes where students can learn new skills, improve their job prospects and prepare themselves for a career in a different discipline.

The university is made up of six divisions, comprising academic schools and centres:

• Arts and Humanities: Kent School of Architecture and Planning, School of Arts, School of English, School of European Culture and Languages, School of History, Centre for Music and Audio Technology
• Natural Sciences: School of Biosciences, School of Physical Sciences, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Medway School of Pharmacy, Kent and Medway Medical School
• Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences: School of Computing, School of Engineering and Digital Arts, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
• Kent Business School
• Human and Social Sciences: School of Anthropology and Conservation, School of Economics, School of Politics and International Relations, School of Psychology
• Law, Society and Social Justice: Kent Law School, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Centre for Journalism

The University of Kent has a high record of graduate employment, with 97% of postgraduate students finding work six months after leaving the university.

Kent has an award-winning Careers and Employability Service, where advisors provide one-to-one careers advice, interview practice and help with writing a standout CV and cover letter. Students are also able to look for part-time work, volunteering opportunities and internships, which are posted online.

The Graduate School also coordinates career-related training, such as the Global Skills Award, where students will learn and document skills, such as global awareness and personal development.

Students have praised the useful careers feedback received from advisors, reporting that in general, they felt ready for employment. They also found a variety of workshops and career- related lecturers to be helpful, which are regularly advertised around campus and on social media. 

Kent is a leading university, with 97% of the university’s research deemed of ‘international quality’ by the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2014).

The university has recently been recognised for the high quality of its teaching through a Gold award from the Teaching Quality Framework, and previous student reviews praised the friendly and knowledgeable lecturers who they described as being incredibly approachable.

A number of the postgraduate programmes at Kent are split between the UK and European study centres, while a small selection is solely taught abroad in Paris or Brussels. Students undertaking research degrees can study abroad, and several of the university’s postgraduate programmes offer an opportunity to incorporate study abroad at either one of Kent’s own centres or at a partner institution.

Furthermore, all students studying at a campus in the UK have access to the Graduate Researcher College, home to state-of-the-art facilities.

Postgraduate students are represented by the Kent Graduate Student Association (KGSA) as well as the Kent Union (for all students). The KGSA is led by student representatives with annual elections to promote the views and needs of students on academic, pastoral and social issues.

The Kent Union offers an impressive range of services, in addition to hosting dozens of sports teams, activity groups and student-led societies. Those involved in the Kent Union were in general, satisfied with it, with previous student reviews describing staff as ‘helpful’ and ‘dedicated’. The union is led by five elected full-time officers and is overseen by a Trustee Board. There is also a partnership in place with the University of Greenwich Students’ Union, making up the Greenwich and Kent Students’ Unions Together (GK Unions), which is for students studying on the Medway campus.

Postgraduate students studying at the Canterbury campus are eligible to apply for accommodation at the postgraduate-only Woolf College as well as Tyler Court, Keynes and Darwin, all of which are located on campus. Facilities and prices vary but include a shared kitchen and dining area, Wi-Fi and on-site laundry. Most rooms are en-suite and many offer catering options.

In Medway, students can live in Liberty Quays, which is a ten-minute walk away from the university. Students will live in a flat with 5 – 8 other students and have their own en–suite bedroom. On-site facilitates include a Tesco Express, Domino’s Pizza and Subway.

The university has a vast amount of academic and leisure facilities for students to benefit from.

Over in the Canterbury campus, there is an arts centre that contains a café, cinema and theatre which hosts regular live music, comedy and poetry nights. There is also a sports centre, complete with a fitness suite, sports pitches and an outdoor tennis centre.

The Canterbury library includes 500 study spaces, a café, silent study zones and a vast collection of manuscripts and archives, while the library at the Medway campus has over 400 computers and numerous open study zones. Both libraries are open 24/7.

For nightlife, students will find several bars and The Venue nightclub at the Canterbury site, while in Medway, there are cafes, bars and the main social hub The Deep End. It also runs regular club nights.

Canterbury is famous for its cathedral, the Archbishop and culture. Students have said that it is small enough to allow for easy travel by foot, bike or public transport, but has everything students could possibly need - including plenty of open green spaces and several clubs.

Perks include a number of theatres, museums, cinemas and a range of high street and independent shops. By night, students will have a choice of old school pubs, bars and clubs to venture to. If they’re into water sports, students will be able to head over to the nearby coastal town of Whitstable, home to several beaches.

Nearby students can find galleries, bars, pubs and restaurants, as well as an ice rink, ski slope and indoor roller-skating rink. There are also plenty of country parks in the surrounding area, ideal for walking around when the sun comes out. 

Both towns have high-speed train links to London and from there the continent; there is a free bus between Medway and Canterbury so students can make the most of both places.

Previous students praised the variety of clubs and societies on offer at the university, saying there was something for everyone to enjoy. They also described them as ‘active’ and ‘inclusive’ to new members.

Societies run by the SU range from the Cooking Society to the Art Society. There is also a large number of special interest, subject-specific, cultural and religious groups for students to join. Sports fans will be able to join one of the many clubs, such as sailing, windsurfing, rowing, swimming, golf, boxing, caving and mountaineering – to name but a few.

There is also the chance to join one of the student-run media outlets, including a radio station, TV channel and newspaper, where students will be able to gain some hands-on experience in writing, producing and presenting.

The university is committed to ensuring that students of every background are able to access the help and support they need. With tailored services designated for international students and those on an exchange, the university also offers a host of internal services readily available to all students to use, these include:

• The Student Support Team is designed to help students with learning difficulties, and staff are on hand to find the best way to help students with their specific needs.
• The Wellbeing Team provide a free and confidential counselling service, while there is also a Chaplaincy, onsite Medical Centre and nursery for children under the age of five. 
• Extra academic support is available for postgraduate students in the Graduate School, with workshops ranging from interview practice to cover letter drafting.

At University of Kent, tuition fees are set in order to ensure that quality postgraduate education is affordable and as accessible as possible. The university’s fee also supports the continued delivery of outstanding education and research that the university is renowned for.

During the application process, Kent will assess the fee status of the potential student – this will vary according to the applicant’s country of origin and residency status.

Fees vary by school and location but some sample fees for taught masters 2020/21 are below:

UK students:

• £8,100 – UK campus
• £9,100– UK and Paris  

International students:

•  £16,800 - UK

There are many scholarships and bursaries on offer to postgraduate students. These include, but are not limited to:

UK Research Council Awards

Funding from the AHRC (CHASE), EPSRC (SeNSS), NERC, EPSRC and BBSRC of a maintenance loan of £15,285 for the year 2020-21 plus tuition fee awards.

Kent offers a multi-million-pound scholarship fund, which includes:

Alumni Postgraduate Research Scholarship - exclusively for Kent graduates

This scholarship is awarded to a student holding an undergraduate degree from the university (a First or 2:1), who can demonstrate that they have contributed to the university’s community.

Brussels School of International Studies Scholarship

Students with strong academic potential, who will be studying at the Brussels School of International Studies can apply for a scholarship of 8,000 euros.

Sports Scholarships

£300 - £5,000 is available to students who compete at the county level or equivalent, and who play for the university.

Computer Science

98% of the department’s research was considered to be of international quality. Staff comprise of National Teaching Fellows, authors and two distinguished scientists. The programme incorporates a work placement into the year, and graduates have found work across the globe, for companies such as Reuters, Shell, IBM, Microsoft and T-Mobile.

Sociology

Sociology was ranked 1st for research quality, and the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) is one of the largest and most successful social science research communities in Europe. Postgraduate students have access to dedicated office space and have the opportunity to teach part-time at the school. Graduates have gone on to find work for Government, NGOs, charities and global media organisations.

For a place on the Computer Science programme, applicants will need to have achieved a 2:1 or high 2:2 in any subject at the undergraduate level.

For Sociology, a degree in sociology or a related social science discipline is required, but relevant experience is also considered. 

For more information on individual course entry requirements, head to the university's website.

University of Kent’s research student is supported by a supervisory team, who are there to offer guidance throughout the student's research and whilst writing up their thesis.

A mandatory research training programme enables students to learn theories and offers skills-based courses in areas such as statistics, computing and electronic literature searching. If a student chooses to undertake a research programme abroad, they will receive support in the form of a supervisor, study facilities and workshops.

The university offers a range of professional and academic programmes available across the seven locations and most can be studied either full time or part-time. Many courses include the opportunity to study abroad or undertake a work placement.

Students will be taught a mixture of compulsory and elective modules, where they will have the chance to focus on the areas of study that interest them the most. Assessments will consist of coursework, exams, essays and research projects, and the majority of courses will require students to undertake a dissertation.

There are currently several distance learning programmes available to study, including Professional Practice and Advanced Child Protection. Coursework for each is taught effectively through web-based resources, online lectures and videos.

Some of the courses are available to study purely online, while others incorporate learning at the campus. Students will have the flexibility to learn around their own schedules, and support will be on hand in the form of a tutor throughout the duration of their studies.

In addition to the programmes in the UK, a number of the postgraduate degrees are offered with either a full year or with a term in one of the European sites, meaning students could be spending some of their time in Paris or Brussels. The programmes based at the European sites are taught in English.

Students will be assessed through coursework and exams, with a number of programmes requiring them to write up a dissertation during the final part of the year.

Research degrees are also available to study abroad, where extensive learning facilities will be available to support students, as well as regular study workshops and a supervisor.

All UK postgraduate students have access to the Graduate School, offering study support, workshops and social events. There is also the option to study on a part-time basis, or online through a distance learning course.