Undergraduate study - 2020 entry

Subject area: Scottish Ethnology

Why choose Scottish Ethnology at the University of Edinburgh?

  • We are the only institution in the world to offer undergraduate Scottish Ethnology programmes.

  • You’ll be taught by experts who are immersed in Scottish culture beyond the classroom, meeting active tradition-bearers, visiting museums, and taking part in events involving present-day customs in various parts of Scotland.

  • You’ll have access to an unrivalled range of resources in the School of Scottish Studies Archives. These resources offer tremendous opportunities for studying Scotland’s cultural heritage.

  • Collections include some 33,000 audio recordings, a large photographic archive of images from the 1930s onwards, films and videos, and a manuscript archive.

  • We have strong links with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the National Library of Scotland and the National Museum of Scotland.

  • You will graduate with a deep understanding of how culture works, and with the skills to succeed in a wide range of professions.

Study abroad

The programme is providing me with transferable skills which speak to me on a personal level. Every opportunity to explore ideas further is satisfying, as it gives further depth to a vast pool of knowledge that I would never have tapped into otherwise.

Roseanne Tye 4th year MA (Hons) Scottish Ethnology
Roseanne Tye 4th year MA (Hons) Scottish Ethnology

Introducing Scottish Ethnology

How do we use and make sense of the past and how can this understanding help us to shape our future? The study of ethnology is common to universities across Europe but our undergraduate Scottish Ethnology programmes are unique. They provide a fascinating insight into the traditional and popular culture of Scotland, while giving you a set of skills that you can apply to any culture.

Our programmes draw on Scotland’s diversity (urban and rural, Lowland and Highland, Scots and Gaelic), but also introduce comparative material from elsewhere. They put folklore and folklife in a Scottish and international context, examining the various ways in which a modern European nation expresses itself through its customs, beliefs, social organisation, language, music and song.

Working with a range of rich materials, from traditional archives to modern media and digital data, you will develop the practical and intellectual tools to help navigate and indeed influence contemporary culture and society in an increasingly globalised world.