Modern Languages and Linguistics at Kent has achieved an outstanding result in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework exercise by being ranked joint 3rd (with a GPA of 3.24). With the two higher ranked submissions in that subject area specialising only in linguistics, this has confirmed Kent as being the highest ranked University in REF2014 for the modern languages subject areas in the UK. With 56 submissions made in this subject area, 85% of the work in Modern Languages and Linguistics at Kent was graded world-leading or internationally excellent. The high score reflects a very high assessment by academic peers of the quality of the academic publications produced by its researchers, with outstanding grades also given to Modern Languages and Linguistics’ public impact work and the quality of its research environment.
The result reflects a vibrant research culture in the School of European Culture and Languages (SECL) in which there is active collaboration between researchers across departments in areas including literature, linguistics, film, medical humanities, and cultural history. Alongside a strong performance in the 2014 National Student Survey, the Research Excellence Framework has confirmed that the School is now one of the leading centres in the UK for modern languages and linguistics.