Uncover Scotland’s past and help shape its future, while gaining skills that you can apply to any culture.
This joint honours programme gives you the opportunity to study the languages, literatures and cultures of Scotland alongside the wider Celtic world, past and present.
A highlight of the programme is the chance to work with the rich range of materials in the School of Scottish Studies Archives. These include thousands of recordings in Scots, Gaelic, English, and dialects now extinct.
As well as our fantastic teaching staff, you will benefit from the expertise of our Traditional Artist and Gaelic Writer in Residence.
Graduating in this programme shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.
Scottish Ethnology
Ethnology is the study of the culture and traditions of developed societies. It is sometimes described as being at the intersection where history and anthropology meet.
While ethnology is commonly offered in universities across Europe, this is the only full undergraduate programme of its kind in the UK.
Focusing on Scotland, but also looking at comparative material from elsewhere, you will study the varying ways in which a modern European nation expresses itself culturally.
The programme explores questions such as:
How do customs, beliefs, social organisation, language, music and song help to create and shape identity in the modern world?
How do we use and make sense of the past from within our present?
How can this understanding help us to shape our future?
Celtic
Study Celtic at the University of Edinburgh and you will learn about extraordinarily rich cultures from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
At all levels of study on our four-year joint honours programme, we offer courses in the languages, literatures, histories, and cultures of the Celtic world. This allows you to specialise in particular areas, periods and disciplines.
You have the option to study Scottish Gaelic and build up to advanced competency in the language. It does not matter if you are a complete beginner; we stream our Year 1 classes to suit learners at a range of levels. This gives you the skills to directly engage with primary sources, developing a deeper understanding of Scottish literature and culture.
At honours level, you can also learn a medieval Celtic language - Old Irish or Middle Welsh.
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. You can study the Scottish Gaelic language, learn about Celtic civilisation and literature, or combine the two.
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 build your intercultural awareness in other areas of the arts, humanities, social sciences and beyond.
Your final two years will be your honours years. They will be tailored to your interests in specific topics or approaches to Scottish Ethnology and Celtic Studies. If you have chosen to study Scottish Gaelic, you'll progress to advanced language study in these years.
Programme benefits
Take the only programme of its kind in the world.
Learn in the heart of Scotland's capital city.
Be inspired by traditional musicians, composers and storytellers.
Delve into fantastic libraries, archives and collections.
Try out different subjects in your first two years.
Join societies related to what you are studying.
The following entry points are available for this course:
For degrees that have a subject requirement of a language other than English, students may not use their own native language to meet this requirement. In these instances, English or an alternative language other than native will be acceptable.
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
