University of Kent, School of European Culture and Languages

The School of European Culture and Languages (SECL) is a multidisciplinary school at the University of Kent, offering degree programmes in Classical & Archaeological Studies, Comparative and World Literature, English Language & Linguistics, Modern Languages (including French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian and European Studies), Philosophy and Religious Studies. We also have expanded our specialisms to offer a new programme in Global Philosophies, as well as a suite of Asian Studies joint honours programmes at undergraduate level.

We have a strong reputation for academic excellence: in the most-recent Research Excellence Framework - a UK-wide assessment of all universities - Modern Languages (including Linguistics) was ranked 3rd in the UK. Linguistics at Kent was also ranked 5th in the UK in The Complete University Guide 2019. Our teaching is of the highest quality found in the UK, with the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework judging that the University provides consistently outstanding teaching and learning for our students.

Kent is a favourite destination amongst international students for its globally recognised degrees, cosmopolitan environment and exciting work opportunities both during and after your studies. The University is consistently voted one of the top UK universities in international student satisfaction surveys, and students point to the welcoming social environment as a highlight of their Kent experience.

Our School is based at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus, which provides a welcoming environment and a close-knit student community. Campus life revolves around six colleges, as well as specialist facilities including the Templeman Library, the Gulbenkian arts centre and the Mandela Building (home of Kent Union) – all set among green and tranquil open spaces.

The City of Canterbury has a warm and friendly atmosphere. Explore medieval buildings, lively restaurants and a wide range of shops just a 25-minute walk from campus. London is an hour away by high-speed train and we're also the closest UK city to mainland Europe, so you can be in Paris, Brussels or Lille within two hours. Canterbury is less than an hour from central London by high-speed rail.

Several of our MA programmes offer the opportunity to study at the University's postgraduate centres in Paris and Rome, and we also offer an MA in Heritage Management based at Kent’s Athens Centre, on the outskirts of the Greek capital.

As a multidisciplinary school, SECL benefits from an active research culture and excellent facilities. We have a brand new Archaeology Laboratory, with state-of-the-art equipment for 3D scanning and analysis, and a Linguistics Laboratory for the study of speech and sound. Students learning languages also benefit with language labs with equipment and software for recording and playback.

The School offers both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, as well as research supervision for doctoral programmes, and has an active network of alumni worldwide, including Nobel Prize-winning author, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro.