University of Aberdeen

University of Aberdeen

Master of Arts in English and Gaelic Studies

The Master of Arts in English and Gaelic Studies in Language and Culture Studies is offered by University of Aberdeen.

Program Length: 4 YEARS.

Master of Arts in English and Gaelic Studies offered by the University of Aberdeen

English and Gaelic at Aberdeen combines all the advantages of the UK’s second top research hub for English literature, language and creative writing, with an in-depth study of Gaelic, Scotland’s oldest living language and its origins and culture. The language, intellectual skills and Scottish perspective you will develop will give you an extra advantage for your career in business or another sector, especially with a Scottish or international dimension.


Aberdeen is a leading centre for the study of literature, language and creative writing, rated second in the UK for its research output. You will study poetry and prose through the dynamic relationship between author, reader and literary text, every period from Chaucer to contemporary English, Scottish, Irish, European and American writing and the cultural and critical impact of powerful and controversial modern works. You will be inspired by enthusiastic teachers and researchers, themselves acclaimed authors and poets and be encouraged to develop your own creative writing skills.

Gaelic is an area of particular strength at Aberdeen. We have been teaching Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) and culture for a hundred years, led by teachers and researchers passionate about Gaelic, and whose work directly influences Scottish policy on keeping Gaelic alive, healthy and important in Scotland today. Our students and staff play an important role in the Gaelic-speaking community in the north of Scotland through clubs, activities, networks and organisations.

You will graduate with many career options as diverse as publishing, teaching, research, journalism, business and speech therapy. Opportunities for graduates fluent in Scottish Gaelic are very good, including teaching, Gaelic development, arts management and librarianship and the commitment in Scotland to Gaelic broadcasting means increasing demand for Gaelic graduates to work in the media.

What you'll study

Year 1
Compulsory Courses

Academic Writing for Language & Literature (AW1008)
Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)
Gaelic Scotland (GH1015)
Acts of Reading (EL1009)
Controversial Classics (EL1513)

Optional Courses
Select one of the following options:

Beginner

Gaelic for Beginners 1A (GH1007)
Gaelic for Beginners 1B (GH1507)

Intermediate/Advanced

Gaelic Language 1A (GH1013)
Gaelic Language 1B (GH1513)

Year 2
Compulsory Courses
Encounters with Shakespeare (EL2011)
The Tragedy of Knowledge (EL2512)
Gaelic Folklore (GH2006)
Introduction to Scottish Gaelic Literature (GH2514)

Optional Courses
Select one of the following options:

Beginner

Gaelic for Advanced Beginners 2A (GH2009)
Gaelic for Advanced Beginners 2B (GH2509)

Intermediate/Advanced

Gaelic Language 2A (GH2013)
Gaelic Language 2B (GH2513)

Year 3
Compulsory Courses
Gaelic Language A (GH3022)

Optional Courses
Select a total of two courses from the following groups, each from a different group:

Medieval/Renaissance

EL30DQ: Knights, Virgins and Viragos, Chaucer and Medieval Writing
EL30CP: Page and Stage: Renaissance Writings 1500-1640
EL35EJ: Writing Revolt: Literature and Politics in the 17th Century

Romantic/Victorian

EL3009: American Innovation
EL35XR: Romanticism
EL3009: American Innovation
EL30QA: Sympathy for the Devil: The 19th Century Scottish Short Stories
EL35SB: Britain and the 19th Century World
EL35VB: Bildungsroman to Alien Invasion

Contemporary/Modern

EL35KN Haunted Texts
EL30FF: Modernism: Make it New
EL30UT: Art and Atrocity: Representations of Violence and Trauma
EL35UT: Art and Atrocity: Representations of Violence and Trauma

Plus one course from the following:

EL35WC: Queer Times
EL35YB: Creative Writing: Creativity and Craft
EL35EH: Classical Epic
CE3594: Dangerous Liaisons: Love, Sex and Romance in the Celtic West and Old North
EL30VC: Fallen Women and Self-Made Men
Plus, select further courses in level 3 Gaelic to gain 60 credits in the discipline.

Year 4
Compulsory Courses
Gaelic Language B (GH4022)

Optional Courses
Select one of the following dissertation options:

English Dissertation (EL4502)
Dissertation in Gaelic Studies (GH4507)
Plus 30 credits of level 4 English courses (or 60 if dissertation taken in other subject).

Plus further course(s) in Level 4 Gaelic to gain 60 credits in the discipline.



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