Undergraduate study | Celtic and Scottish Studies

Choose from a range of four-year MA honours degrees in Celtic and Scottish Ethnology.

Your learning at a glance

  • You can choose from 18 undergraduate degree programmes, including single honours and joint honours.
  • You’ll complete a four-year MA honours degree, with the opportunity to study abroad in your third year.
  • You’ll engage with a broad range of subjects in your first two years, and specialise thereafter. At all levels, we have an extensive range of courses to choose from.
  • You will be based in Celtic and Scottish Studies in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, a friendly and supportive department with excellent resources and sense of community. There's always lots going on.
  • You’ll typically be based at the heart of the University of Edinburgh, in the city’s historic centre, close to the Main University Library and the National Library of Scotland.

Undergraduate Celtic MA Hons programmes

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Explore the languages, literatures, histories and cultures of the Celtic world, past and present. Specialise in the Scottish Gaelic language, or the medieval literary tradition. Choose from 11 programmes, including single and joint honours.

Undergraduate Scottish Ethnology MA Hons programmes

Uncover the past and help shape the future. Work with exceptional Scottish archives and comparative material from other countries to explore the links between culture, society and identity. Choose from seven programmes, including single and joint honours.

Scottish Studies MA Hons

Take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Scotland. Tailor your degree by choosing courses from a wide range of disciplines across the arts, humanities and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh. 

Primary Education with Gaelic

Choose from two programmes - one for complete beginners in Scottish Gaelic (five years) and one for fluent speakers (four years). Both courses are jointly delivered with Moray House School of Education and Sport, where you will be based. Highlights include:

  • dedicated courses on bilingualism and immersion education
  • a year-long placement in a Gaelic medium primary school
  • graduating with the accreditation to teach in both the Gaelic and English mediums

The additional year for the beginners programme is spent in Year 3 at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, on the Isle of Skye.


QS World Rankings by Subject 2025

The University of Edinburgh is ranked 3rd in the UK and 10th in the world for the Arts & Humanities.

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are based on research citations and the results of major global surveys of employers and academics.

They are International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approved.

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Where to next?

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