Skip navigation
Scottish Ethnology and English Language at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
Apply

Course summary

This innovative joint honours programme combines two complementary approaches to the study of human culture and expression. Ethnology is the discipline which studies the culture and traditions of developed societies, while English Language looks at how English has changed over time. Ethnology is commonly offered in universities across Europe, but this is the only full undergraduate programme of its kind in the UK. In your ethnological work, you will study Scotland in a comparative context, and gain skills that you can apply to any culture. A highlight of the programme is the opportunity to work with thousands of hours of recordings in Scots, Gaelic, English, and in dialects now extinct. Scottish Ethnology Ethnology is sometimes described as being at the intersection where history and anthropology meet. Focusing on Scotland, but also looking at comparative material from elsewhere, our programme looks at the varying ways in which a modern European nation expresses itself culturally. We ask questions like:

  • 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?
Follow in the footsteps of fieldworkers Studying Scottish Ethnology is your chance to work with the rich range of materials in the School of Scottish Studies Archives and Scottish Studies Library. You will explore the work of former staff and students who, since 1951, have been capturing elements of life in Scotland's farming and fishing communities, towns and cities. Today, the Archives include:
  • 33,000 recordings of songs, music, stories, rhyme and verse
  • thousands of photographs and rarely-seen historic documents which capture exceptional and everyday aspects of Scottish culture and heritage
These materials are kept alive through our teaching, undergraduate and postgraduate research, and through the work of our Traditional Artist and Gaelic Writer in Residence. English Language The English language has a well-recorded history of more than 1,000 years. Its changes can be traced through written materials ranging from medieval manuscripts to text messages, and more recently, through recordings of spoken English. Your studies will develop your knowledge and understanding of:
  • the principles of theoretical linguistics
  • the way we learn language
  • the regional and social variations of language, particularly the English language
  • methods of communication
In your honours years, you can opt to study the Scots language, which has its own rich linguistic and literary tradition. The benefits of the four-year degree Our four-year programme is very flexible. In Years 1 and 2, in addition to your core subjects, you will choose option courses from a broad list of disciplines. You can, for example, learn one or more languages (including Scottish Gaelic), or explore other world cultures. This structure gives you the chance to gain intercultural competencies in other areas of the arts, humanities and social sciences before specialising in your honours years (Years 3 and 4). When you graduate, you will have in-depth experience working with traditional resources, modern media, digital data and some of the best linguistics and phonetics equipment in the world.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
VQ93
Institution code:
E56
Campus name:
Central area campus
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Standard Qualification Requirements

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.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://www.ed.ac.uk/ug/VQ93

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Please click the following link to find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course

https://www.ed.ac.uk/ug/VQ93

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5Total 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)92Total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
Cambridge English AdvancedTotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Cambridge English ProficiencyTotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Trinity ISEISE II with distinctions in all four components.
PTE Academic65Total 65 with at least 54 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies. For SQA, GCSE and IB students, unless a higher level is specified in the stated entry requirements, a pass is required in English at the following grades or higher: SQA National 5 at C; SQA Standard Grade at 3; SQA Intermediate 1 at A; SQA Intermediate 2 at C; GCSE/IGSCE at C or 4; Level 2 Certificate Grade C or IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry). Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the degree you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL or Trinity ISE test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins, regardless of your nationality.

Full details of our English language requirements can be found on our website:

https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/entry-requirements/english-language

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
71%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
84%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Scotland £1820 Year 1
EU £28000 Year 1
International £28000 Year 1

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 .

Additional fee information

Scottish students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for payment of their tuition fees. England/Wales/Northern Ireland - Due to UK Government announcements in relation to RUK Undergraduate Fees the UoE UG RUK fee will be confirmed later in 2024. 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
Scottish Ethnology and English Language at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS