MA Scottish Ethnology
UCAS code: V910
Duration: 4 years
Delivery: Full-time
School: Literatures, Languages and Cultures
College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Introducing MA Scottish Ethnology
Uncover Scotland's past and help shape its future, while gaining skills that you can apply to any culture.
Ethnology is the discipline which studies the culture and traditions of developed societies and is sometimes described as being at the intersection where history and anthropology meet.
While commonly offered in universities across Europe, this is the only full undergraduate programme of its kind available within the UK.
Focusing on Scotland, but introducing comparative material from elsewhere, you will study the varying ways in which a modern European nation expresses itself culturally, through such forms as its customs, beliefs, social organisation, language, music and song.
This programme explores questions like:
How do these 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?
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 influence contemporary culture and society in an increasingly globalised world.
One of the most attractive characteristics of this programme is its flexibility.
This means that in Years 1 and 2, you'll choose option courses drawn from a broad list of disciplines in addition to your core subject of Scottish Ethnology.
This not only gives you a broader education, but may enable you to change the focus of your programme in your honours years (Years 3 and 4).
Year 1
You will study Scottish cultural history, heritage, cultural expression and representation.
Courses also look at literature, music and visual arts and how these are linked to Scottish identity.
Option courses
You'll complete your studies with option courses chosen from a wide range offered by the University of Edinburgh.
These include - but are not limited to - courses in:
business
politics
social policy
informatics
economics
history (including art and architectural history)
classics
archaeology
philosophy
linguistics
languages (including Scottish Gaelic)
divinity
Year 2
You will study oral and visual representations of Scotland through music, song, art, photography and film.
You will also study the social, cultural and topographical features of Scotland and their influence upon each other over time.
Option courses
As in Year 1, you will have a choice from a wide range of option courses.
Year 3
You will choose from a range of specialist course options such as:
- Ethnological Fieldwork Methods
- Traditional Narrative
- Traditional Song
- Scotland and Heritage
- Traditional Drama
Year 4
You will undertake a dissertation and choose from course options such as:
- Custom, Belief and Community
- Scottish Emigrant Traditions
- The Supernatural World
- Material Culture in Scotland
- Traditional Music
Our facilities
Teaching takes place in and around the University of Edinburgh's Central Area.
As well as the University's excellent computing and audiovisual resources, support services and social spaces, you'll also have access to specialist collections such as the School of Scottish Studies Archives.
The Archives have a unique and extensive collection of audio and visual material relating to the culture and tradition of Scotland (including some 33,000 audio recordings).
The Archive's extensive library holdings include important Scottish ethnological, wider ethnological and Celtic holdings.
Scottish Ethnology in Edinburgh city
Edinburgh is a world-leading festival city filled with cinemas, theatres, galleries, libraries and collections, including the:
National Library
National Museum
National Archives
National Galleries of Scotland
Scottish Poetry Library
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Study abroad
There are opportunities to study abroad in Year 3 through the University's international exchange programme.
How will I learn?
Courses are taught through a combination of:
lectures
seminars
small group tutorials
Extensive use is also made of audio and visual resources, as well as readily accessible online materials.
Great care is taken in providing a welcoming learning environment with regular face-to-face access to tutors, lecturers and support staff.
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed through coursework and exams. In Years 3 and 4 you will complete a dissertation.
Programme details
Find out more about this programme's aims, what you will learn, how you will be assessed and what skills and knowledge you will develop.
To give you an idea of what to expect from this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.
Scottish Ethnology graduates are highly valued in the workplace for the skills they have gained in:
research
analysis
communication
presentation
understanding of culture and society
Your enhanced ability to think for yourself, to distil complex issues down to their central points, and to understand the reasons for societal change, will give you the edge in careers across different sectors.
Employment prospects are particularly high within:
museums and the heritage industry
the arts, cultural and tourism sectors
politics and policy development
education
journalism and the media
There are also opportunities to continue studying at postgraduate level, with the honours years in particular developing the research skills you'll need if you choose this path.
Standard entry requirement
The standard entry requirement is:
- SQA Highers: AAAB-ABBB by end of S5 or AAAA-AABB/ABBBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6.
- A Levels: ABB.
- IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.
Minimum entry requirement
The minimum entry requirement for widening access applicants is:
- SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6.
- A Levels: ABB.
- IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.
More information for widening access applicants
Required subjects
The grades used to meet our entry requirements must include:
- SQA: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: English at C.
- A Levels: no specific A Level subjects required. GCSEs: English at C or 4.
- IB: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5.
Find out more about entry requirements
International applicants
We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
International Foundation Programme
If you are an international student and your school qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to the University you may be eligible for admission to this degree programme through our International Foundation Programme.
International Foundation Programme
Mature applicants
We welcome applications from mature students and accept a range of qualifications.
You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.
SQA, GCSE and IB
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
- IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic module overall 6.5 with 5.5 in each component.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition) 92 or above with 20 in each section. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- Cambridge English: Advanced or Proficiency overall 176 with 162 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE II with a distinction in all four components.
We also accept a wider range of international qualifications and tests.
English language qualifications must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the degree you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
This information is part of a government initiative to enhance the material that higher education institutions provide about their degree programmes.
It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.
Please note that some programmes do not have Discover Uni data available.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for MA Scottish Ethnology
Additional costs
Your dissertation may involve some fieldwork, depending on your topic of study, which may mean paying for travel costs.
However, if you prefer, you can select an archive-based project that is unlikely to have any additional costs.
There may be additional costs if you choose to study abroad in Year 3.
Funding
For more information on how much it will cost to study with us and the financial support available see our fees and funding information.
- Enquiry Management Team
- Email: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
7 degrees in Scottish Ethnology
- Scottish Ethnology (MA) V910
- Scottish Ethnology and Archaeology (MA) VV94
- Scottish Ethnology and Celtic (MA) VQ95
- Scottish Ethnology and English Language (MA) VQ93
- Scottish Ethnology and English Literature (MA) VQX3
- Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies (MA) VR96
- Scottish Ethnology and Scottish History (MA) VV92
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7 degrees in Scottish Ethnology
- Scottish Ethnology (MA) V910
- Scottish Ethnology and Archaeology (MA) VV94
- Scottish Ethnology and Celtic (MA) VQ95
- Scottish Ethnology and English Language (MA) VQ93
- Scottish Ethnology and English Literature (MA) VQX3
- Scottish Ethnology and Scandinavian Studies (MA) VR96
- Scottish Ethnology and Scottish History (MA) VV92