Photos of university / #unikentlive
Degree title: BA (Hons) in French and History
Overview: The BA (Hons) in French and History at the University of Kent offers students an interdisciplinary programme that combines the study of the French language, literature, culture, and history with a comprehensive exploration of historical periods, events, and developments. This programme is designed for students who wish to develop advanced language skills alongside a deep understanding of historical contexts, encouraging critical thinking, analytical skills, and intercultural awareness.
Programme structure: Students undertake a balanced curriculum that integrates language modules, exploring French syntax, vocabulary, and conversation skills, together with literature and cultural studies ranging from medieval to contemporary periods. The history component encompasses a broad range of topics, including British, European, and world history, with modules covering topics such as the Renaissance, Enlightenment, modern political developments, and social change.
Throughout the course, students are encouraged to engage with primary sources, historical methodologies, and cultural analysis, fostering a nuanced understanding of historical processes and their connection to contemporary issues. The programme also emphasizes linguistic proficiency, preparing graduates for careers in international relations, diplomacy, translation, education, or further academic research.
Learning methods: The programme combines lectures, seminars, language workshops, and independent research, providing a dynamic and comprehensive learning environment. Opportunities for study abroad are available, allowing students to immerse themselves in French culture and language through placements or exchange programmes, thus enhancing their intercultural competence and linguistic fluency.
Career prospects: Graduates of the BA in French and History can pursue careers in sectors such as government and public service, international organizations, journalism, cultural heritage, education, and further postgraduate study. The programme equips students with transferable skills including critical analysis, research, communication, and language proficiency, making them well-prepared for diverse professional pathways.
Duration: Typically a three-year full-time course, with options for part-time study or year abroad to maximize language immersion and experiential learning.
Entry requirements: Admissions are based on academic qualifications, including A-levels or equivalent, with preference given to strong grades in languages, history, or related subjects.
Why choose this programme: Students at the University of Kent benefit from expert teaching staff, modern facilities, and a global outlook. The combination of language mastery and historical knowledge offers a distinctive and valuable academic experience, cultivating skills highly sought after in a globalized job market. The programme’s flexibility and emphasis on practical application ensure graduates are well-equipped to pursue various career paths or postgraduate studies.
Overall: The BA (Hons) in French and History at the University of Kent is an exciting interdisciplinary programme that provides students with linguistic proficiency, historical understanding, and cultural awareness, preparing them for successful careers and lifelong learning in an interconnected world.
Detailed Course Facts
Application deadline January 15 Tuition fee- GBP 9000 Year (EEA)
- GBP 12450 Year (Non-EEA)
Start date September 2015 Credits (ECTS) 180 ECTS
Credits Total Kent credits: 360
Duration full-time 48 months Partnership Joint Languages Take an IELTS test
- English
Course Content
The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules that will be available to you and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules, you may also have the option to take wild modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Stage 1
Possible modules may include:
HI426 - Making History: Theory and Practice
FR301 - Writer and Genre in France I
FR302 - Writer and Genre in France II
FR308 - Questions of French Cinema
FR310 - Twentieth Century France in Crisis
FR331 - French Drama: Love, Marriage and Politics (in translation)
FR332 - French Narratives: Love, Marriage and Politics (in translation)
FR337 - Texts and Contexts 1
FR338 - Texts and Contexts 2
FR327 - Learning French 2A (Post GCSE)
FR328 - Learning French 2B (Post GCSE)
FR330 - Intensive French for Beginners
FR300 - Learning French 3 (Post A Level)
HI353 - Britain and the Second World War: The Home Front
HI359 - Empire and Africa
HI366 - Britain in the Age of Industrialisation 1700-1830
HI385 - Introduction to the History of Medicine
HI390 - The Emergence of America:From European Settlement to 1880
HI391 - The Rise of the United States Since 1880
HI397 - Cinema and Society, 1930 - 1960
HI410 - Early Medieval Europe
HI411 - Later Medieval Europe
HI416 - Victorian Britain: Politics, Society and Culture
HI419 - England in the Age of Chivalry: c1200-1400
HI425 - Revolutionary Europe 1700-1850
HI430 - Modern British History (Part Two)
HI431 - The English Renaissance: Society, Politics and Culture 1400-1600
HI432 - Early Modern History: The Age of Reformation c. 1450-1600
HI433 - Early Modern History: The Age of Enlightenment c. 1600-1750
HI434 - Introduction to the History of Science
HI435 - A Global History of Empires: 1500-1850
HI436 - A Global History of Empires: 1850-1960
HI437 - War and Diplomacy in Europe c1850-2000
You have the opportunity to select wild modules in this stage
Stage 2
Possible modules may include:
FR589 - Learning French 4
HI5013 - Popular Religion and Heresy, 1100-1300
HI5023 - The American Civil War Era 1848-1877
HI5031 - African History since 1800
HI5035 - History of Modern Medicine and Medical Ethics,1800-2000
HI5041 - Gothic Art: Image and Imagination in Europe, c.1140-1500
HI5055 - Russia: 1855-1945 Reform, Revolution and War
HI5065 - British History c. 1480-1620
HI5075 - Marvels, Monsters and Freaks 1780-1920
HI5092 - Armies at War 1914-1918
HI5094 - Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: The British and French Experienc
HI566 - History Dissertation
HI6002 - The British Army and Empire c1750-1920
HI6009 - Europe and the Islamic World, c 1450-1750
HI6018 - Victorian Science
HI6025 - Everyday Life in Early Modern Europe
HI6036 - Science Satirised
HI6042 - The British Empire: Sunrise to Sunset
HI783 - Anglo-Saxon England
HI789 - The Art of Death
HI795 - Inviting Doomsday: US Environmental
HI6032 - Persecution, Repression and Resistance
HI6034 - Anglo-French Relations 1904 - 1945
HI6047 - Communist Eastern Europe, 1945-89
HI613 - Conflict in Seventeenth Century Britain
HI632 - The Tools of Empire 1760-1920
HI707 - Britain and The Falklands War
HI742 - The Cold War, 1941-1991
HI763 - How the West was Won (or lost): The American West in the Nineteenth Cen
FR638 - French Detective Fiction
FR566 - French: Second Year Extended Essay
FR620 - Memory and Childhood in 20th Century French Fiction
FR632 - Modern French Theatre 1
FR633 - Modern French Theatre (2)
FR593 - Paris: Myth and Reality in the 19th century
FR594 - Paris: Myth and Reality in the 20th century
FR598 - Occupation and Resistance in the French Novel
FR599 - Description of Modern French
FR546 - Short Narrative Fiction in French
You have the opportunity to select wild modules in this stage
Year abroad
The University of Kent has Erasmus agreements with several universities in French-speaking countries.
Possible modules may include:
LA514 - Year Abroad Module
Stage 3
Possible modules may include:
FR591 - Learning French 5
HI770 - From Blitzkrieg to Baghdad: Armoured Warfare in Theory, Practise and Im
HI747 - The Cold War, 1941 - 1991
HI6049 - The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the Atlantic World, c. 1500 - 1900
HI605 - Independent Documentary Study in History
HI6035 - Anglo-French Relations 1904 - 1945
HI796 - Inviting Doomsday: US Environmental
HI6044 - British Politics 1625-1642
HI6045 - Origins of the Second World War
HI6046 - Wolves, Walruses and the Wild
HI6037 - Science Satirised
HI6039 - The Rights Revolution: The 20th Century US Supreme Court & Society
HI6040 - The Discovery of the World c.1450 - 1800
HI6041 - The Crusades in the Thirteenth Century
HI6029 - The Great War: British Memory, History and Culture
HI6030 - Empires of Religion
HI6021 - Famine in Pre-Industrial Societies
HI6024 - Napoleon and Europe, 1799 - 1815
HI6012 - From Crisis to Revolution: France 1774-1799
HI6014 - Riders on the Storm
HI6016 - The English Reformation and the Invention of the Middle Ages
HI5095 - Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: The British and French Experienc
HI5099 - The Wars of the Roses
HI5093 - Armies at War 1914-1918
HI5068 - War and Modern Medicine 1850-1950
HI5072 - The American Revolution
HI5024 - The American Civil War Era 1848-1877
FR550 - Images of Monarchy in French Classical Tragedy
FR561 - Contemporary French Cinema
FR601 - Mothers and Daughters in Women's Writing
FR613 - The Reader and the Text
FR615 - Sociolinguistics of French
FR637 - Travels to Japan in Modern French Culture
FR567 - French: Final Year Dissertation
English Language Requirements
IELTS band : 6 CAE score : 75(Grade B) TOEFL paper-based test score : 580 TOEFL iBT® test : 85
To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to
take an IELTS test.Requirements
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below, students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
Qualification Typical offer/minimum requirement A levelABB including B in History
GCSEC in a modern European language other than English
Access to HE DiplomaThe University of Kent will not necessarily make conditional offers to all access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If an offer is made candidates will be required 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.
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma)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 via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.
International Baccalaureate34 points overall or 16 points at HL including a modern European language other than English 4 at HL or 5 at SL and History 5 at HL or 6 at SL
Work Experience
No work experience is required.
Related Scholarships*
- Academic Excellence Scholarship
"The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."
- Access Bursary
Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.
- Alumni Bursary
Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students
* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Kent.
The BA in French and History at the University of Kent offers students a comprehensive study of two vibrant and interconnected disciplines. This programme is designed to develop students' linguistic proficiency in French, enabling effective communication and cultural understanding, alongside an in-depth exploration of historical periods, events, and themes. The programme combines language acquisition with critical historical analysis, fostering skills in research, analysis, and argumentation. Students will engage with diverse historical topics, from early modern history to contemporary studies, and will have the opportunity to study French literature, culture, and society within a broad historical context. The programme encourages cultural awareness and interdisciplinary approaches, providing a well-rounded education that prepares graduates for careers in areas such as academia, diplomacy, journalism, international business, and cultural management. The curriculum includes language modules, history modules covering various regions and periods, and opportunities for field trips, language immersion experiences, and placements. Assessment methods include essays, exams, presentations, and dissertations, emphasizing both independent research and collaborative work. Students benefit from experienced academic staff with expertise in French studies and history, state-of-the-art facilities, and access to language labs and archives. The programme also promotes employability by developing transferable skills such as communication, intercultural competence, and critical thinking. There are opportunities for study abroad, enhancing language skills and cultural awareness through placements in French-speaking countries. The programme aims to produce graduates who are academically proficient, culturally knowledgeable, and professionally prepared to meet the demands of a globalized world.