Undergraduate study | Scandinavian Studies

• You’ll complete a four-year MA (Honours) degree. You can take Scandinavian Studies as a single honours degree, or jointly with one of a range of other subjects. Many of our degree combinations are unique in the UK.
• It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete beginner - the majority of our students are. Our staff, many of whom are native speakers, are experienced in the accelerated teaching of language skills and you’ll progress in no time. 
• You’ll specialise in the modern language of either Denmark, Norway or Sweden but, whichever you choose, you’ll also gain an understanding of the other two.

Years 1 & 2

• The first two years will provide a solid foundation in the Scandinavian language of your choice (written and spoken) and introduce you to the culture, literature and society of Denmark, Norway or Sweden.
• In Year 1, you’ll be encouraged to take one, or both, of the two courses we offer in Scandinavian Civilisation, taking you from the earliest times to the present day.
• In Year 2, you can choose to develop your skills in understanding all three Scandinavian languages so that you can recognise similarities and differences and translate between them. 
• Whether you’re doing single or joint honours, you’ll do the same amount of core Scandinavian Studies courses in these pre-honours years. You’ll gain the rest of your credits from partner subject courses, if you are doing a joint degree, and outside courses, of which single honours students take more. This choice and flexibility may 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

• Your third year will typically be spent abroad, either studying or working, turning classroom learning into living engagement with other cultures. Our graduates have told us how much the Year Abroad has benefitted their broader life experience and skills, as well as their understanding of Scandinavia.
• If Scandinavian Studies is the only European language-based subject you are studying, your Year Abroad will be spent in either Denmark, Sweden or Norway. If you’re doing a joint degree with another European language, you’ll divide your time and travel plans between your two languages.
• As well as developing advanced language skills in these years, 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, from Viking Studies to Ibsen and Brandes, and The History of the Scandinavian Novel. 

Location

• You’ll typically be based at the heart of the University of Edinburgh in a world-leading festival city with fantastic cinemas, theatres, galleries, libraries and collections.
• Our School has its own Study Resource Centre, in-house screening room and computing labs. The Main University Library is just across the square from us.

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 (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.
• Depending on where you go and what you do on your Year 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 Scandinavian Studies as a single honours degree, or study any of the following joint honours degree combinations...

There’s lots of information about our undergraduate Scandinavian Studies programmes on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder. For example, you can find out about:

• the courses you will take each year
• entrance requirements
• English language requirements
• fees and funding opportunities

Browse our Scandinavian Studies programmes on Degree Finder

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

Find out more about UCAS deadlines for undergraduate study

Skills and experience

Studying one or more languages to degree level demonstrates that you're a good communicator, a resilient problem solver, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas – what employers value as Intercultural Competence.

Beyond the language skills you'll develop on our programmes, and the nuanced understanding you will gain of other cultures and societies, graduating with a four-year honours degree from the University of Edinburgh shows high-level intellectual strength and flexibility, including the ability to understand, analyse and articulate key concepts, and to work to varied briefs to deadline, both independently and in groups.

Opportunities at home and away

As there are relatively few graduates from UK universities specialising in the Scandinavian languages, there are excellent opportunities for those who do learn Danish, Norwegian or Swedish, particularly since speakers of one language are widely understood in all Scandinavian countries and both Swedish and Danish are official working languages of the EU.

You do not have to be based in a Scandinavian country to have a career in which the ability to understand and communicate in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish will make you stand out. Within the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, graduates have gone on to career pathways in:

• Business, finance and commerce
• Communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
• Education, outreach, advocacy and training
• Journalism, broadcasting and media
• Leisure, tourism and travel
• Politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
• Publishing, culture, heritage and the arts
• Research, development and venture acceleration
• Translating and interpreting

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a Scandinavian Studies programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level. At the University of Edinburgh, for example, you can study a Masters by Research degree in Scandinavian Studies, or take an interdisciplinary taught Masters programme such as Comparative Literature, Intermediality, or Translation Studies.

Find out more about LLC alumni and futures