Undergraduate study | Scottish Studies

Scottish Studies is a single honours, four-year Master of Arts (MA) degree drawing on a variety of subject areas and disciplines across the University of Edinburgh. The programme is very flexible, giving you a broad knowledge base and transferable skills. 

Years 1 & 2

• In your first two years, you'll study a mix of core courses in Scottish Studies, your choice of courses on history, literature, language, or civilisation, and further option courses chosen from a wide range of subjects. These can be related or unrelated to Scotland - it's up to you. 

Years 3 & 4

• You’ll typically spend your third year in Edinburgh - though it’s possible to study elsewhere through the University’s Study Abroad programme.
• You will learn how to undertake your own research to the level of completing a dissertation 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.

Location

• You'll be part of a close-knit teaching and learning community in one of the University of Edinburgh's largest and most diverse Schools. You’ll typically be based at the heart of the University, in the city’s historic centre, close to the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, Scottish Storytelling Centre, and Scottish Parliament.
• The Main University Library is just across the square from us, as is the School of Scottish Studies Archives where resources include some 33,000 audio recordings, thousands of photographs from the 1930s onwards, films, videos, and manuscripts. We are also a short walk from St Cecilia's Hall, the University's Concert Room and Music Museum.

Teaching and learning

• 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 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.
• Depending on what you do and where you go, 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

Scottish Studies ​​​​is a single honours degree. If you’d like to study on this programme, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. 

The UCAS site will show you if Scottish Studies remains open for application for 2025 entry.

Skills and experience

Graduating with this 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

You will understand the workings of a modern nation and be able to demonstrate an appreciation of the complex set of strands that have come together over time to create it. 

You will have a nuanced understanding of politics, culture and society, and how these shape our world. These skills are applicable in careers around the world.

Local and global opportunities

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 after you graduate, this degree 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, consultancy, development and venture acceleration

Further study

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

At the University of Edinburgh, you can take a Masters by Research in Celtic Studies, Scottish Ethnology or History, or an interdisciplinary taught Masters programme such as:

• Comparative Literature
• Film, Exhibition and Curation
• Intermediality