Canterbury and the University of Kent

Charming Canterbury

Canterbury is a city of about 60,000. It’s a vibrant university town with gorgeous historical buildings, many cozy cafes where you can enjoy a flat white coffee and a vegan or standard sausage roll. People are welcoming. I’ve noticed that the English are easy to talk to and their sense of humour always gives me a laugh and food for thought. Dominating the vistas of Canterbury is the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the center of the Anglican church.

Canterbury Cathedral

When King VIII broke with the Catholic Church in the 1530s, wanting a divorce from his first wife to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII made himself “Supreme Head of the Church of England”, granting himself an annulment. There were other factors why the King broke from the church, including political and economic reasons. Read more here. 

There is much living history here in Canterbury. My daily run is along the River Stour, an ancient Roman trail into the city that Julius Caesar and his soldiers walked during their second invasion into Great Britain in 54 BC. Learn more about Canterbury’s history here. 

The Pilgrims' Way leads to Canterbury Cathedral and Thomas Becket’s shrine.

The University of Kent is a pleasant 20 minute bus ride from the city center. The route takes you through apple orchards, quintessential pasture land with grazing cows and sheep and historic farms and estates. The University of Kent “UK’s European University” is a medium sized university with approximately 19,000 students, 153  “courses”, i.e. majors, to choose from, ample housing for students as well as a bookstore, market, performing arts center, and the lively Nelson Mandela Student Center. You can learn more about the university’s major “course” offerings here.

Degrees are three years and offer internship and work placement opportunities which extends the degree to 3 ½ years. Alums are allowed to extend their VISAS by two years if they are employed. For those interested in going into the legal profession, there is the unique opportunity at UK universities to complete an undergraduate law degree, which provides a global perspective and unique networking for those pursuing the JD at an American university and who eventually wish to practice cross-cultural legal work, an area that will certainly grow. 

University of Kent campus with expansive views of the countryside

Graduate programs are offered in many areas of study such as actuarial science, data science, business, fine arts, architecture, computer science, film, forensic science, international conflict, and many more. Search here to see their full offerings. 

Learn the steps to apply by scheduling a complementary consultation.

Next stop Imperial College London…coming soon!