German thought has had a profound impact on philosophy, culture and science. Many of the most influential European thinkers have come from the German-speaking world, from Arendt to Hegel, Leibnitz to Wittgenstein.
German
Across all four years of our programme, including a year abroad in Year 3, your studies will give you the chance to gain professional skills in all aspects of German, including:
reading and listening
writing and translating
speaking and presenting
As well as language learning, you will also explore German-language literature, film and theatre. You will study these in the context of historical and political developments, from the eighteenth century to contemporary times.
On this programme, you will take one of the following as your first language course:
German 1A - for beginners
German 1B - for students with more experience of learning the language
By your final year, you will have developed the linguistic, critical and analytical skills to the standard of completing a dissertation or long essay.
Philosophy
Studying philosophy will:
allow you to think about some of the great philosophical questions in a clear, disciplined and systematic manner
introduce you to the thinking of some of the great philosophers of the past and present
illuminate the connections between diverse areas of human experience
make you more aware of the assumptions that form the basis of your beliefs
Why Edinburgh
As a world-leading historic, festival and capital city, Edinburgh is the ideal place to study a modern language in its cultural context.
We have a strong historic connection to Philosophy, counting Adam Ferguson and Sir William Hamilton among our former students, and the subject has been taught at the University since its foundation in 1583.
German has been taught here since 1894, making it one of the first European languages to be offered at the University.
We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.
Graduating with a degree in German and Philosophy from Edinburgh gives you the combination of language and humanities skills, and the international perspective, valued by employers worldwide.
How long it takes to complete this degree programme
This programme is studied over 4 years, including a year abroad. 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. They will give you a good grounding in your subjects. In addition to your core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This may enable you to change the focus of your programme.
Your final two years will be your honours years. You will spend Year 3 studying abroad, gaining lived experience of German-speaking culture. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics, periods, or approaches to German and Philosophy.
Programme benefits
Learn in a historic, capital city where German has been taught for over a century.
Study over four years, including one abroad.
Become fluent in a language.
Try out different subjects in your first two years.
Join societies related to what you are studying.
Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.
The following entry points are available for this course:
This degree programme has a subject requirement of a language other than English. You may not use your own native language to meet this requirement. 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
