As Scotland's capital city and seat of the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh is the ideal place for Scottish Studies.
On this interdisciplinary programme, you will explore what we can learn from Scotland's past and present, and how we can help shape its future.
Based within the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, you will discover how literature, music and the visual arts have helped to shape Scottish identity. Ethnographical courses will explore heritage, the creative arts and cultural expression.
You will also consider the complex relationship between culture and politics, as you draw parallels with other countries. This takes advantage of the University of Edinburgh's excellent links with Scotland's key political, cultural and historical institutions.
You can tailor your degree by choosing courses from a wide range of disciplines across the University that share a common interest in the study of Scotland. For example, you can opt to study aspects of:
Celtic civilisation and Scottish Gaelic
history and archaeology
politics and sociology
Whichever combination of courses you choose, you will apply arts, humanities and social sciences approaches in your learning.
You will benefit from a close community of learners and teachers who are immersed in Scottish culture beyond the classroom.
A highlight of the programme is the chance to work with the rich range of materials in the School of Scottish Studies Archives. These materials include thousands of hours of recordings of songs, music, stories, rhyme and verse in Scots, Gaelic and English, as well as in dialects now extinct.
How long it takes to complete this degree programme
This programme is studied over 4 years. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.
Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. You will take courses on conceptualising, creating and visualising Scotland, and be introduced to the study of oral material from our archives.
In addition to your core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This gives you the chance to study different aspects of Scotland, or other countries' political systems, histories, languages and cultures.
Your final two years will be your honours years. They will be tailored to your interests in specific topics or approaches to Scottish Studies. Towards the end of your programme, you will complete a dissertation.
Programme benefits
Learn in the heart of Scotland's capital city.
Take a truly interdisciplinary approach to the study of the nation.
Study over four years, giving you choice and flexibility.
Delve into fantastic libraries, archives and collections.
Join societies related to what you are studying.
The following entry points are available for this course:
Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply. You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
Find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course.
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 92 | total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | total 176 with at least 162 in each component. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | total 176 with at least 162 in each component. | |
| Trinity ISE | ISE II with distinctions in all four components. |
Full details of our English language requirements can be found on our website:https://study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry-requirements/english-language
The University of Edinburgh welcomes students from the UK and all over the world. We accept a wide range of qualifications and our policies support students with diverse backgrounds and experience. UCAS entry grade data is currently not available for our degrees but we publish admissions statistics on our website. We also provide information on widening access offers and entry requirements.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
Historical entry grades data is not currently available for The University of Edinburgh - we are working with them to try and make it available soon - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Scotland - Scottish students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for payment of their tuition fees.
England/Wales/Northern Ireland - The Rest of UK (RUK) students commencing or continuing their studies in September 2026, the tuition fees will be £9,790. This is subject to Parliamentary approval and is an increase of £255 on the fee rate for academic year 2025-2026.
EU On 9th July 2020 the decision was made by the Scottish Government to end free university tuition for European Union (EU) students starting in 2021-22. Funding policy for EU nationals and associated groups starting a course of study in academic year 2022-23 or later will be in line with international fees.
Full time international and EU students will pay a fixed annual fee rate for the duration of their programme
Phone:0131 297 3272
Have a question about undergraduate study?
Email:futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
Phone:0131 650 1000
The University of Edinburgh
Old College
South Bridge
Edinburgh
EH8 9YL
At The University of Edinburgh
