Scottish Studies

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.