MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies
About this course
MA (Hons) in Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies, a joint honours degree centred on Scottish Ethnology and Studies and German. Core topics include Fieldwork. Students spend the third year studying or working abroad, and the fourth year involves an independent study or dissertation component as part of the final curriculum. The first year covers foundational themes through Conceptualising Scotland, Creating Scotland, Scandinavian Civilisation A: Vikings, Sagas and the Road to Enlightenment and Scandinavian Civilisation B: From National Romanticism to the Nordic Model, from the earliest times to the present. The second year examines culture and tradition through Scotland and Orality (Voicing Scotland) and Visualising Scotland. The third year consists of study or work abroad at one or two partner institutions. The final year allows students to choose from options such as Archives and Interpretation, Ethnological Fieldwork Methods, Old Norse Literature and Society and Viking Studies.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB (required: no specific A level subjects required) IB: 34 points with 655 at HL
See the highest paying Social Sciences degrees in the UK →
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 33 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 80%
- Learning opportunities: 69%
- Assessment and feedback: 70%
- Academic support: 91%
- Organisation and management: 56%
- Learning resources: 89%
- Student voice: 67%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 30 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 6 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 20%
- Unemployed: 10%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 5%
- Media Professionals: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 65%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 20 graduates, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 5%
- East of England: 5%
- London: 30%
- South East: 5%
- Scotland: 45%
- Northern Ireland: 5%
Who gets in
Based on about 35 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 90%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
- No formal qualifications: 5%
Modules
- Conceptualising Scotland
- Creating Scotland
- heritage
- literature
- folklore
- music and song
- visual art
- the popular media
- Scandinavian Civilisation A: Vikings, Sagas and the Road to Enlightenment
- Scandinavian Civilisation B: From National Romanticism to the Nordic Model, from the earliest times to the present
- Celtic civilisation
- art and architectural history
- history, classics and archaeology
- business, economics and informatics
- politics, social policy, social anthropology and international relations
- linguistics and language sciences
- philosophy, divinity and law
- Scotland and Orality (Voicing Scotland)
- Visualising Scotland
- song
- storytelling
- instrumental music
- dance
- folklore
- performance
- transmission (passing down)
- orality and print
- UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage
- nationhood
- identity
- heritage
- tradition
- cultural difference
- two semesters at a single institution or
- one semester at two different institutions (in different destinations)
- Student Wellbeing Service
- Student Counselling
- Student Disability and Learning Support
- University emergency helpline (available 24 hours a day)
- essay, commentary and summary writing in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
- translation from the Scandinavian languages into English
- spoken Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
- Archives and Interpretation
- Ethnological Fieldwork Methods
- Traditional Narrative
- Traditional Song (Gaelic and Scots options)
- Traditional Music
- Traditional Drama
- Sustaining Scotland: Heritage, Tourism and Cultural Sustainability in a Global World
- Custom, Belief and Community
- Scottish Emigrant Traditions
- The Supernatural World
- Material Culture in Scotland
- Museums and Cultural Representation: Nine Conversations at the National Museum of Scotland
- Old Norse Literature and Society
- Viking Studies
- Nynorsk
- Scandinavia and the World: Negotiating the North in the 21st Century
- Contemporary Scandinavian Literature: A Transnational Approach
- History of the Scandinavian Novel
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies at University of Edinburgh earn?
The median salary is £30,000 after 15 months, £27,000 after 3 years, £31,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £26,500 and £41,000.
What do graduates of MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies at University of Edinburgh do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
80% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 170 UCAS points.
Does MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies at University of Edinburgh include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on MA Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies at University of Edinburgh?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.