Celtic and Anglo Saxon Studies

Celtic & Anglo-Saxon Studies at Aberdeen is an exciting new programme, building on a strong track record of Celtic teaching to offer a fascinating, flexible and interdisciplinary study of the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian peoples. You will cross traditional boundaries of literature, history and culture, and develop skills which open wide career options across the arts, media and more.

Aberdeen is one of very few universities in Europe where you can study the Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in comparison – and of course it’s an ideal location.

Our modules cover literature, culture, history and languages – with an emphasis on the Dark Ages and Middle Ages – but you can add ancient and modern periods as well, with the flexibility to choose your own pathway according to your interests and inspired by world-leading experts in the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon fields. You can also study this subject with various language options and courses which include Celtic literature in the modern age. Aberdeen has been a centre for Celtic studies for more than a century, and the quality of our teaching and our library resources are outstanding.

You will be taught by specialists in the history and literature of Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia in the middle ages, in medieval Celtic and Scandinavian literature and the cultural history of Ireland and Anglo-Saxon England. You will gain essential skills in critical thinking, communication, and other attributes which will make you attractive to employers whatever your career choice. Our graduates work in a wide variety of areas in the arts and elsewhere, including heritage management, teaching, research, librarianship, enterprise and broadcasting.

You will enjoy our warm Aberdeen welcome and friendly, vibrant international community, beautiful campus with great facilities for learning, sports and leisure, many opportunities for personal as well as professional development, and to broaden your horizons through study abroad.

Course Modules

Celtic & Anglo-Saxon Studies is a diverse programme and you will benefit from the University's wide-ranging approach to the subject. You will study a range of topics, including the barbarians, gods and warriors, the Vikings, saga literature and the old English language.

View all modules on the programme page to find out more about what you will be studying and when. University of Aberdeen modules are designed to give you breadth and depth to your degree. The range of modules you study will allow you to become proficient in all subjects which are directly relevant to your degree giving you greater career options.

The use of various forms of assessment and learning environments facilitates the development of generic transferable skills enhancing student employability.

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods: coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course; practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and written examinations at the end of each course. The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.