Undergraduate study | Celtic

You’ll complete a four-year Master of Arts (MA) honours degree. You can take Celtic as a single honours degree, or jointly with one of a range of other subjects. Each year, your courses will give you 120 credits. 

Pathways

• You can take a language or non-language pathway through the Celtic programme. If you choose to study Scottish Gaelic, it doesn’t matter if you're a complete beginner; you’ll always be taught at a level that meets your needs. Alongside language skills, you’ll learn more about Scottish Gaelic’s literature, culture, and linguistic structure. You can study the Medieval Celtic languages and literatures at honours level.
• If you’re taking the non-language pathway, you’ll study Celtic civilisation and literature. You will study Celtic in its historical and contemporary context, and gain an overview of key literary genres and texts from Gaelic Scotland, Ireland and Wales from the early medieval period to the present, with texts presented in English translation. You can choose to learn the basics of the Scottish Gaelic language.

Years 1 & 2

• Our programmes are very flexible. In your first two years, you'll likely get to choose option courses from a wide range of subjects alongside Celtic and any partner subject. This gives you a broad knowledge base and transferable skills. It may also​​​​​ enable you to change the focus of your degree going into your final two (honours) years, which is when you start to specialise.

Years 3 & 4

• On most programmes, you’ll typically spend your third year in Edinburgh - though it’s possible to study elsewhere through the University’s Study Abroad programme. However, if you’re doing a joint degree with French or Scandinavian Studies, you will spend your third year abroad.
• You will learn how to undertake your own research to the level of completing a dissertation or long essay in your final year. This is your chance to focus on a topic, period or discipline that’s of particular interest to you. We have an extensive range of honours courses to choose from.

Teaching and learning

• Celtic is taught by an award-winning group of staff who are immersed in Celtic culture and the development of Gaelic beyond the classroom.
• Our approach to learning and teaching is active, inclusive and question driven to help you gain skills for life after university.
• Across your courses, you’ll typically be taught in a combination of lectures, tutorials (including language classes) and seminars. On some courses, you will have seminars instead of lectures, especially in your honours years.
• You will also be expected to study independently and in small groups, and to read widely.

Assessment and support

• You’ll be assessed through a combination of coursework and exams. 
• Coursework may take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practice different skills. 
• Exams will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.
• If you go abroad, Year 3 may include being assessed, in part, by a host university.
• As well as the teaching and other staff you will meet day-to-day, there are lots of ways to get help with your learning, including through the University’s Institute for Academic Development and Edinburgh University Students' Association

In the 2025 to 2026 academic year, you can take Celtic as a single honours degree, or study any of the following joint honours degree combinations...

We also support the delivery of two degree programmes in Primary Education with Gaelic: one for fluent speakers; and one for learners.

* Please note that this degree combination does not have the same structure as all the others, though it is still a four-year degree.

If you’d like to study on any of our undergraduate programmes, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. 

The UCAS site will show you if any of our Celtic degree programmes remain open for application for 2025 entry.

Search the UCAS website for our Celtic programmes

If you have applied to start studying Celtic with us in September 2025, check out our applicant website for 2025 entry.

Visit the applicant website for Celtic and Scottish Studies

Keen to get a head start for 2026?

There’s lots of information about our undergraduate Celtic programmes on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder. 

For example, you can find out about:

• the courses you will take each year
• how you will be taught and assessed
• the support we offer
• entrance requirements
• English language requirements
• fees and funding opportunities
• student societies and living in Edinburgh

Browse our Celtic programmes on Degree Finder 2026

Applications for 2026 entry open in September 2025.

Skills and experience

Graduating with a four-year Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility. 

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers include the ability to:

• understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
• manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
• work independently and as part of a group

In addition to these qualities, graduating in Celtic indicates that you have a nuanced understanding of other cultures and societies and how they shape our world. This gives you the Intercultural Competence that is so valued by employers internationally.

Local and global opportunities

Thanks to an ever-broadening international reach, Celtic languages, literatures and cultures have a steady stream of enthusiastic new speakers and audiences.

In Scotland, developments such as the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, the creation of BBC Alba (the Gaelic digital television service), and the ongoing expansion of Gaelic-medium education have increased demand for highly-educated Gaelic speakers and specialists in Celtic culture. In some areas, there are more Gaelic-related jobs than there are people qualified to fill them.

Employment prospects are particularly high within:

• education, outreach, advocacy and training
• journalism, broadcasting and media
• politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
• publishing, culture, heritage and the arts

Read our interview with Isla Parker, the University's Gaelic and Community Relations Officer

Your transferable humanities skills will also set you apart in sectors such as:

• business, finance, commerce and tech
• communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
• leisure, tourism and travel
• research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration

Further study

The enhanced research skills that you develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are valuable assets if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level. 

At the University of Edinburgh, we normally offer a Masters by Research programme in Celtic, and one in Scottish Ethnology.

Interdisciplinary taught masters programmes typically include:

• Comparative Literature
• Creative Writing
• Playwriting
• Film, Exhibition and Curation
• Intermediality

There are also masters programmes in history, social anthropology, and many other disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Any of our masters degrees, whether research-based or taught, is a good foundation for a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification.

Find out more about LLC alumni and futures