The University of Edinburgh
UCAS Code: QV54 | Master of Arts (with Honours) - MA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
ABB. Required subjects: A levels: no specific A Level subjects required. GCSEs: English at C or 4 and a language other than English at B or 6.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
34 points with 655 at HL. Required subjects: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5 and a language other than English at 5.
Scottish Higher
ABBB by end of S5 or AABB/ABBBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: English at C and a language other than English at B.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Uncover Scotland's past and help shape its future. This joint honours programme gives you the opportunity to study Celtic languages, literatures and cultures alongside the archaeology of Scotland and the wider world.
**Celtic**
Study Celtic at the University of Edinburgh and you will learn about extraordinarily rich cultures, from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
At all levels of study on our four-year programme, we offer courses in the languages, literatures, histories, and cultures of the Celtic world.
You have the option to study Scottish Gaelic and build up to advanced competency in the language.
A choice of pathways through the programme enables you to develop your own interests in particular areas, periods and disciplines of Celtic studies.
Our expertise covers:
* Scottish Gaelic from the late Middle Ages to the present, including language policy and revitalisation
* the medieval literary tradition in Early Irish and Medieval Welsh - the most extensive in the whole of Europe
* the rich oral tradition recorded from the 18th century to the present day
* poetry from the 18th century golden age of Gaelic literature
* 19th and 20th century responses to the rapid social, cultural, and linguistic changes in countries where the Celtic languages are spoken
* the writing, song, and media production emerging from the lively and varied contemporary cultural scene in Gaelic Scotland, Ireland, and Wales
**Language study**
If you choose to study Scottish Gaelic, it does not matter if you are a complete beginner; we stream our Year 1 classes to suit all levels of prior knowledge or none.
You can also learn a medieval Celtic language at honours level (Years 3 and 4). Both Old Irish and Middle Welsh are available. For this path, you will study Celtic civilisation and literature in Years 1 and 2, with texts presented in English translation.
**Archaeology**
Your studies in archaeology will take you back in time, and help you to develop a parallel range of skills in the interpretation of social and cultural change.
The programme also enables students to appreciate:
* the material basis of archaeology
* the contested nature of objects
* the social relationships that are spun around objects and the people who use and interpret them
**Why Edinburgh**
Founded in the early 12th century, Edinburgh has a long and rich history. Today, it has a well-established Gaelic community and a lively contemporary cultural Celtic scene.
As Scotland's capital city, its collections are outstanding, as are the University's own resources for the study of Celtic and Archaeology.
Our programme is extremely flexible. In Years 1 and 2, in addition to Celtic and Archaeology, you will choose option courses from a wide range of disciplines. You will then specialise as you progress through your honours years.
When you graduate, you will have the combination of broad cultural education and specialist knowledge valued by employers worldwide.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Central area campus
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Archaeology
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Celtic studies (non-specific)
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Archaeology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Want to do a job in the arts - with lots of the great outdoors? Try archaeology! There don't tend to be many archaeology undergraduates out there (just under 700 graduated in 2015) - but it's quite a popular subject at postgraduate level. In fact, over a quarter of archaeology graduates take some kind of further study when they graduate - usually more study of archaeology. When you look at the stats, be aware that junior jobs in archaeology are not always well paid at the start of your career, and that temporary contracts are not uncommon. Thankfully, though, unpaid work, whilst not completely gone, is less common than it used to be. The archaeology graduates of 2015 found jobs in archaeology, of course, but also management and heritage and environment work, as well as more conventional graduate jobs in marketing and the finance industry.
Celtic studies (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
As only a small number of students study this course, these stats refer to both the Gaelic and Celtic languages and study — over 40% of the graduates in this area have studied Welsh and another quarter studied Irish Gaelic. Not surprisingly, most graduates go to work in the regions they studied, so these subjects tend to lead to jobs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and salaries reflect that, being a little lower than the graduate average. Graduates from Celtic studies subjects are also quite likely to go into teacher training when they graduate.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Archaeology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£27k
£30k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Explore these similar courses...
This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here