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UCAS code: VV92

Duration: 4 years

Delivery: Full-time

School: Literatures, Languages and Cultures

College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Study abroad

Introducing MA Scottish Ethnology and Scottish History

This programme combines two complementary approaches to the study of the Scottish nation, past and present.

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.

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, and 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 indeed influence contemporary culture and society in an increasingly globalised world.

The University is one of the great centres for the study of Scottish history. We offer an unrivalled concentration of expertise in this field with courses covering the political, intellectual, economic, social and cultural history of Scotland from the medieval period to the recent past.

These courses deal with the great events, movements and ideas that have defined the Scottish past, and with the individuals, communities and institutions that have shaped Scottish life. Particular emphasis is given to the history of Edinburgh, to Scotland’s evolving relationship with the other parts of the British Isles, and with the significant influence of Scots across the wider world.

You will benefit from the rich archival resources available not only within the University but also in the great collections based in the city, including the National Library, National Records, National Galleries and National Museums of Scotland.

What you will study

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.

Year 2

You will study oral and visual representations of Scotland through music, song, art, photography and film and you will receive practical training in ethnographic fieldwork techniques and ethics.

Year 3

You will choose from options such as Ethnological Fieldwork Methods, Traditional Narrative, Cultural Revivalism, Traditional Song, Scotland and Heritage, and Traditional Drama.

Year 4

You will undertake a dissertation and choose from options such as Custom, Belief and Community, Scottish Emigrant Traditions, The Supernatural World, Material Culture in Scotland, and Traditional Music.

Programme structure

Find out more about the compulsory and optional courses in this degree programme.

To give you an idea of what you will study on 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.

Programme structure (2018/19)

Where you will study

Our facilities

Most of the teaching will take place at facilities located within the University's Central Area.

You will have access to the University's research, study and library facilities, specialist collections, including the School of Scottish Studies Archives, a unique and extensive collection of audio and visual material relating to the culture and tradition of Scotland, and the Archive’s extensive library holdings, including important Scottish ethnological, wider ethnological, and Celtic holdings.

Study abroad

There are opportunities to study abroad in Year 3 through the Erasmus+ programme or the University's international exchange programme.

Guaranteed study abroad funding for students required to complete a year abroad

Learning and assessment

How will I learn?

Courses are taught through a combination of lectures and 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 and regular presentations, as well as a range of innovative assessment forms such as 'audio essays' in the manner of a radio broadcast.

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.

Programme details (2018/19)

Career opportunities

Our graduates are highly valued as they bring to the workplace a wide range of key skills in research, analysis, communication and presentation as well as a strong understanding of culture and society. These are highly positive skills to possess in this rapidly changing world, and your qualification will serve you very well wherever the future takes you.

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 arm you very well for a career in many different sectors and professions.

Recent graduates have developed successful careers in areas such as teaching, museums and heritage, arts and cultural management, tourism, broadcasting, the media and policy development.

Entry requirements

Typical offer

The typical offer is likely to be:

SQA Highers: ABBB.
A Levels: ABB.
IB: 34 points (grades 655 at HL).

Access threshold

The access threshold for a contextual offer is:

SQA Highers: ABBB.
A Levels: ABB.
IB: 34 points (grades 655 at HL).

Find out more about access thresholds and contextual offers

Detailed requirements for all applicants

To be considered for an offer of a place all applicants must meet the following requirements:

SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S5 or ABBBB/AABB from S4-S6, with a minimum of BBB achieved in one year of S4-S6. National 5: English at Grade C and Mathematics or an approved science at Grade C.
A Levels: ABB. GCSEs: English at Grade C or 4 and Mathematics or an approved science at Grade C or 4.
IB: Award of Diploma with 34 points overall and grades 655 in HL subjects. SL: English at 5 and Mathematics or an approved science at 4.

Find out more about entry requirements

International applicants

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.

Entry requirements by country

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.

Mature applicant qualifications

English language requirements

You must provide evidence that your written and spoken English is at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

If English is not your first language, you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your spoken and written English:

IELTS Academic module overall 6.5 with 5.5 in each component
TOEFL-iBT 92 or above with 20 in each section
Cambridge English: Advanced or Proficiency overall 176 with 162 in each component
Pearson Test of English (Academic): Total 61 with at least 51 in each "Communicative Skills" section
Trinity ISE: ISE II with a distinction in all four components

About English language requirements

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 Grade C
SQA Standard Grade 3
SQA Intermediate 1 Grade A
SQA Intermediate 2 Grade C
GCSE Grade C or 4
Level 2 Certificate Grade C
IB Standard Level Grade 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)

Unistats data

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 Unistats data available.

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for MA Scottish Ethnology and Scottish History

Additional costs

Your dissertation may involve some fieldwork, depending on your topic of study, and this may incur travel costs. However, if you prefer, you can select an archive-based project that is unlikely to have any additional costs.