Undergraduate study | Celtic and Scottish Studies

Choose from a range of four-year MA honours degrees in Celtic and Scottish Ethnology, or take our combined Scottish Studies programme.

Why take a Celtic and Scottish Studies programme in Edinburgh?

  • Learn in the heart of Scotland's capital city, a cultural treasure trove.
  • Study over four years, giving you the choice and flexibility to try out different things.
  • Choose from various pathways, including language learning and optional time abroad.
  • Learn to see society differently, gaining perspectives you can apply to any country, culture or place.
  • Be inspired by traditional musicians, composers and storytellers and follow in the footsteps of fieldworkers.
  • Explore fantastic libraries, archives, collections and galleries at the University and in the city.
  • Join societies, attend events, and gain the skills and confidence for life after university.

Single and joint honours degree programmes

Applications are now open for 2027 entry. You can apply to:

  • take a joint honours degree in Scottish Ethnology and Celtic
  • take any of the following joint honours degree programmes...
Celtic and English LiteratureScottish Ethnology and English Literature
Celtic and Scottish HistoryScottish Ethnology and Scottish History
Celtic and FrenchCeltic and Scandinavian Studies
Scottish Ethnology and ArchaeologyCeltic and Linguistics

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

For example, for each programme combination, 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
  • career destinations 

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. 

Information about taking our undergraduate Scottish Studies programme in 2027 is now available on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder. 

UCAS code: Q501

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.


Information correct as of September 2026
See full student Terms & Conditions

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

Skills and experience

Degrees in Celtic and Scottish Studies give you a nuanced understanding of culture and society, and how these shape our world. 

Graduating in one of our programmes shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.

Additionally, completing a four-year Master of Arts degree at 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
  • handle and interpret traditional resources and digital data
  • manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
  • work independently and as part of a group

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, particularly, 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.

The focus we place on comparative work, and on studying a range of subjects in your first two years, gives you the intercultural competence valued by employers around the globe.

Whether you stay in Scotland, or move elsewhere when you graduate, our degrees will make you stand out.

Recent graduates have gone on to careers in:

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

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

  • business, finance, commerce and tech
  • communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
  • research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration
  • translating and interpreting

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 typically offer Masters by Research programmes in both Scottish Ethnology and Celtic Studies.

Interdisciplinary taught masters programmes typically include:

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

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.

Beyond Celtic and Scottish Studies, your degree will prepare you for further study in almost any humanities and social science discipline.


Being encouraged to undertake independent fieldwork from very early on in the undergraduate programme had a massive impact. The sense of being thought capable of making a valuable contribution to the Archive, even as a lowly second year, was very empowering. I also valued the freedom we were given to explore the Archives, and to come up with our own essay topics and projects. It gave me a real excitement about the subject area and all the possibilities for research.

Ella Leith Scottish Ethnology MA Hons, MSc by Research, and PhD graduate

QS World Rankings by Subject 2026

The University of Edinburgh is ranked 4th in the UK and 9th in the world for Arts and 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.


Other ways to take Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh

If you take a different degree at the University of Edinburgh, you can still take courses with us!

Many undergraduate degrees at Edinburgh enable you to try different subjects in your first two years. If you are studying on one of these degrees, you can take our courses as options - sometimes known as 'elective courses' or 'outside subjects'. 

If you are interested in learning Scottish Gaelic, there are Year 1 courses for complete beginners and students with prior experience. There are also courses on Scottish Ethnology and Celtic Civilisation.

Through the Centre for Open Learning, you can also opt to pay to take Gaelic as a short Lifelong Learning course. These courses typically run three times a year for 10 weeks in the evening. 

Where to next?

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