Archaeology/Celtic Studies

Archaeology and Celtic studies is a pairing that places the material evidence of the ancient and medieval past alongside the literary, linguistic and cultural traditions of the Celtic peoples, producing a distinctive kind of knowledge of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany and the broader Celtic world. Archaeology investigates how people lived through the physical traces they left, from stone tools and settlement sites to metalwork and burials; Celtic studies engages with the history, literature, languages and social organisation of Celtic societies from their earliest continental origins to the living cultures of the present. At the University of Glasgow, this part-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in another scholarly or Celtic-connected context while managing other commitments alongside your studies.

In the archaeology strand, you will develop skills in fieldwork, material culture analysis, landscape archaeology and the dating and interpretation of archaeological evidence. Glasgow's archaeology teaching draws on the extraordinary variety of Scottish sites and landscapes as well as on the university's research in European and Near Eastern archaeology. In the Celtic studies strand, you will explore the history and development of Celtic societies, their literature in Gaelic and other Celtic languages, their art and material culture and their religious traditions.

The two strands complement each other naturally, and together they develop a particularly rich understanding of the peoples and cultures that have shaped Scotland and the wider Celtic world.

Graduates pursue careers in commercial archaeology, heritage management, museum and gallery work, education, cultural organisations in Celtic communities, archival research, publishing and academic research. The combination of practical archaeological skills and Celtic cultural knowledge is valued wherever organisations need people who can engage with both the material and the literary dimensions of the Celtic past. Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in archaeology, Celtic studies or related disciplines.