Celtic Studies/Scottish Literature

Celtic Studies is the scholarly investigation of the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Celtic-speaking peoples of the British Isles and beyond: Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Breton, and Manx, along with the medieval traditions from which they descend. It combines language study with the rich body of medieval and modern literature, history, and culture that these traditions have produced. Pairing it with Scottish Literature brings into focus one of the most distinctive and varied national literary traditions in Europe, from the medieval Makars through Robert Burns and Walter Scott to the twentieth century renaissance and contemporary fiction in Scots, Gaelic, and English.

At the University of Glasgow this four-year, full-time Joint Honours programme offers a genuinely rare opportunity to study the Celtic cultures of the British Isles alongside the literary tradition of Scotland. You will engage with Celtic languages as historical and living phenomena, read medieval and modern texts in Gaelic and other Celtic languages, and study Scottish literature across periods and genres, including poetry, fiction, drama, and non-fiction. The two subjects speak to each other in productive ways, sharing concerns about language, identity, place, and the relationship between literary and cultural tradition.

A year abroad is built into the programme, offering you the chance to study at a partner university overseas and to broaden your cultural and academic perspectives.

Graduates of Celtic Studies and Scottish Literature move into careers in heritage, museums, libraries, archives, schools, universities, broadcasting, publishing, and arts and cultural organisations. The linguistic expertise and cultural knowledge the combination provides is particularly valuable in roles connected to Gaelic language promotion, heritage education, and the literary and cultural life of Scotland. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in Celtic studies, Scottish literature, linguistics, or related fields, and the degree provides strong foundations for research or professional practice in any of these areas.