Anthropology and Gaelic Studies | Undergraduate Degrees

Anthropology and Gaelic Studies, _MA

Introduction

Anthropology and Gaelic Studies at Aberdeen is a great study combination, adding to your existing grounding in what it means to ‘be human’. With a special focus on the people of the north, you will undertake and in-depth study of Gaelic, Scotland’s oldest living language, and its origins and culture. The language, perspective and skills you will develop will open up a wide range of career options with an international flavour.

Did you know? We are ranked 1st in the UK for overall student satisfaction in Anthropology (National Student Survey 2024)

Study Information

At a Glance

Learning Mode: On Campus Learning
Degree Qualification: MA
Duration: 48 months
Study Mode: Full Time
Start Month: September
UCAS Code: LQ65

Anthropology will give you a thorough grounding in humanity, the differences in human cultures and communities and how they have developed. You will gain unique insights into behaviours, beliefs and attitudes all over the world and find connections between aspects of life such as family, economics, politics and religion.

At Aberdeen, we’ve been teaching Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) and culture for one 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.

Today there are nearly 3,000 people in north-east Scotland with knowledge of Gaelic and our students and staff play an important role in the local community through Gaelic-interest clubs, activities, networks and organisations.

Opportunities for graduates fluent in Scottish Gaelic are plentiful. With the skills and perspective developed through anthropology, your career prospects are very bright and may include roles in teaching, Gaelic development, arts management and media.

What You'll Study

Year 1

Compulsory Courses

Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002): This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students and articulating students who are in their first year at the University, is studied entirely online, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.

Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.

Detailed course information
Introduction to Anthropology: Peoples of the World (AT1003): 15 Credit Points

Anthropology explores ways of life in societies and cultures around the world. Through fieldwork in the places people live, anthropologists connect global issues with everyday lives. In this course you’ll learn about the key topics of anthropology and its research methods. Lectures introduce anthropological research topics such as ritual, climate change and indigenous rights. Small group tutorials will allow you to debate the issues and share your perspectives.

Detailed course information
Introduction to Anthropology: Questions of Diversity (AT1502): 15 Credit Points

In this course students will be offered an extended introduction to social anthropology and will focus on topics: language and culture, belief and religion, gender and sex, kinship, and race. Students will develop and refine their understanding of major issues in the discipline of social anthropology through staff lectures, tutorials, and ethnographic films.

Detailed course information
Gaelic Scotland (GH1015): 15 Credit Points

Gaelic is Scotland's oldest living language. In this introductory course you will learn about the Gaels, their history and their role in the shaping modern Scotland. You will also learn about how Gaelic language and culture became minoritised in its own country. Students will learn learn about various contemporary initiatives that are aimed at saving and promoting this indigenous language and culture and this will be compared to minority languages and cultures elsewhere in the world.

Detailed course information
Academic Writing for Social Sciences (AW1006): This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve. It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it. If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.

Detailed course information

Optional Courses

Beginners

Gaelic for Beginners 1A (GH1007)
Gaelic for Beginners 1B (GH1507)
Select further credit points from level 1 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits

Intermediate/Advanced

Gaelic Language 1A (GH1013)
Gaelic Language 1B (GH1513)
Select further credit points from level 1 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits

Gaelic for Beginners 1a (GH1007): 15 Credit Points

This is an 11-week course in the modern Scottish Gaelic language for students who have little or no prior experience of the language, or for students with no formal qualifications in Gaelic.

You will learn Gaelic through a mixture of interactive language classes, a class which focuses on conversational skills, and a programme of homework exercises, together with self-directed learning.

By the end of the course, you will be able to speak, read, write and understand Gaelic at a basic level and you will have mastered a large working vocabulary.

Detailed course information
Gaelic for Beginners 1b (GH1507): 15 Credit Points

This is an 11-week course in the modern Scottish Gaelic language for students who have completed GH1007 Gaelic for Beginners 1A.

You will attend three interactive language classes and one conversation class each week, as well as undertaking self-directed learning.

By the end of the course you will be expected to have mastered a large working vocabulary and to be competent in understanding and using most of the major structures of the language.

Detailed course information
Gaelic Language 1a (GH1013): 15 Credit Points

This is a Gaelic language course for students who are relatively fluent in the language already and have studied it to at least Higher in school (Higher Gaelic or Gàidhlig) or have studied it to a similar level elsewhere.

Detailed course information
Gaelic Language 1b (GH1513): 15 Credit Points

This is the second-half of the first year Gaelic language course for students who are relatively fluent in the language already and have studied it to at least Higher in school (Higher Gaelic or Gàidhlig) or have studied it to a similar level elsewhere.

Detailed course information

Year 2

Compulsory Courses

Key Debates in Anthropology (AT2010): 30 Credit Points

This course explores some of the key questions that anthropologists have debated: what it is to be human, the nature of human interaction with other humans and with other species, the role language plays in thought and culture, and the different ways that people perceive the world and act within it. Themes that will be discussed in this course include rationality, language, species difference, race, and place and community.

Detailed course information
Reimagining Colonialism (AT2515): 30 Credit Points

This course will explore contemporary colonial expressions from an anthropological perspective. It will be split into two main themes: Material Histories; and Mediated Histories. Within these themes it will address topics such as the "capturing" of cultures in museums, kinship and politics, gendered colonialism, economic development, media, aboriginal rights and contemporary resistance movements.

Detailed course information
Otherworld: Lost Gods and Hidden Monsters of Medieval Scotland (GH2010): 15 Credit Points

Godlike ‘immortals’, elves, fairies, the walking dead, the Loch Ness Monster: uncanny Otherworldly beings feature widely in the literature and folklore of medieval Scotland. This course will explore the nature and significance of Gaelic Otherworld-traditions in their wider North Atlantic context. We investigate how Germanic and Celtic beliefs merged in Gaelic Otherworld-lore, how these related to pre-Christian myth and religion, and why they continued to be significant in Scotland many centuries after Christianization. All texts will be studied in translation.

Detailed course information
Triumph and Tragedy: A Literary and Historic Tour of Gaelic Scotland (GH2515): 15 Credit Points

This course uses selected texts from one of Europe's oldest secular literatures to introduce key moments in the history of Scottish Gaelic society. It is taught using translated texts and originals for those whose Gaelic language is good enough. Students will gain new perspectives on key areas such as Jacobitism, the Clearances, the Highland Land Wars, the Celtic Twilight Movement and the modern Gaelic renaissance. It is suitable for anyone in Programme Year 2 or above with an interest in Scottish society.

Detailed course information

Optional Courses

Beginner

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

Intermediate/Advanced

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

Gaelic for Advanced Beginners 2a (GH2009): 15 Credit Points

This is the second year Gaelic language course for people who started learning in their first year. It builds on the foundations already set in the first year and continues to develop vocabulary, grammatical structures and idioms in both writing and speech.

Detailed course information
Gaelic for Advanced Beginners 2b (GH2509): 15 Credit Points

This course follows on from GH2009 and is for people who started learning in their first year. It continues to develop a range of linguistic competencies in written and oral language.

Detailed course information
Gaelic Language 2a (GH2013): 15 Credit Points

This is the first half of the second year Gaelic language course for students who are relatively fluent in the language already and have studied it to at least Higher in school (Higher Gaelic or Gàidhlig) or similar level. It follows on from GH1513. It continues to develop accuracy in the language and increases usage across a wider variety of domains.

Detailed course information
Gaelic Language 2b (GH2513): 15 Credit Points

This is the second half of the second year Gaelic language course for students who are relatively fluent in the language already and have studied it to at least Higher in school (Higher Gaelic or Gàidhlig) or similar level. It follows on from GH2013.

Detailed course information

Year 3

Anthropological Theory (AT3027): 30 Credit Points

This course explores theoretical issues and key debates in contemporary anthropology. We begin with the questioning of the central concepts of culture and society in anthropology during the 1980s. Following this, we ask: how can anthropology proceed if the targets of its investigation can no longer be understood as objective entities? How can anthropology proceed if the anthropologist themselves is inevitably implicated in and part of those very targets? To look for possible answers, the course examines current anthropological interest in power and history, political economy and phenomenology, experience, embodiment and practice, ontology and things that speak.

Detailed course information
Gaelic Language A (GH3022): 30 Credit Points

A level three Gaelic language course for students taking honours Gaelic. The course runs over both semesters and is topic based, enabling students to develop their ability to deal with a large range of subjects in Gaelic. The course also develops students' generic writing and oral skills.

Detailed course information

Optional Courses

One Term 2 level 3 Anthropology course from the Anthropology Annexe PLUS a further 30 credit points from level 3 course(s) in Gaelic to gain 60 credits in the discipline.

Year 4

Compulsory Courses

Gaelic Language B (GH4022)

Gaelic Language B (GH4022): 30 Credit Points

A level four Gaelic language course for students taking honours Gaelic. The course runs over both semesters and is topic based, enabling students to develop their ability to deal with a large range of subjects in Gaelic. The course also develops students' generic writing and oral skills.

Detailed course information

Optional Courses

EITHER

Joint Honours Dissertation in Anthropology (AT4047) AND One Term 2 level 4 Anthropology course from the Anthropology Annexe

One Term 1 level 4 Anthropology course from the Anthropology Annexe AND Dissertation in Gaelic Studies (GH4507) AND One Term 2 level 4 Anthropology course from the Anthropology Annexe

Plus further credit points from level 4 course(s) in Gaelic to gain a total of 60 credits in the discipline.

Joint Honours Dissertation in Anthropology (AT4047)
Dissertation in Gaelic Studies (GH4507)

Joint Honours Dissertation in Anthropology (AT4047): 30 Credit Points

This course is open to joint honours students in anthropology. Having chosen a topic for their study, students will be allocated a supervisor and carry out readings, research and writing under the guidance of their supervisor. Students will write a 10,000-word dissertation based on library research.

Detailed course information
Dissertation in Gaelic Studies (GH4507): 15 Credit Points

The dissertation course for honours Gaelic students is student-led. Students decide in consultation with academic staff what topic they would like to research and write about for their final dissertation. Students can chose any topic from the broad field that is Gaelic studies, including topics related to: Gaelic literature (a writer or a theme), Gaelic sociolinguistics, language planning, Gaelic cultural practices, etc.

Detailed course information

We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.

Within Subject Areas

How You'll Study

Learning Methods

Individual Projects
Lectures
Research
Tutorials

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:

Coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course.
Practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course.
Written examinations at the end of each course.

The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

Why Study Anthropology and Gaelic Studies?

Aberdeen is one of the fastest-growing Anthropology departments in the UK
Study at a nationally and internationally renowned university for Anthropology. The University of Aberdeen is ranked 3rd in the UK for Anthropology and Archaeology (Guardian University Guide 2025), 4th in the UK for Anthropology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025) and in the Global Top 100 for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)
Aberdeen is ranked 1st in the UK for overall student satisfaction in Anthropology (National Student Survey 2024)
Our core staff specialise in regions as diverse as Canada, the Central Asian Republics, Iceland and Scandinavia, Siberia, Scotland and the UK, South America, Tibet and the Himalayas
We offer innovative ideas and a fresh vision of the subject, with an emphasis throughout on work at the cutting-edge of the discipline and research
A vibrant student anthropology society regularly organises academic and social events bringing together undergraduate and postgraduate students with staff outside the classroom
Aberdeen is one of the best places in the world to learn Gaelic as a complete beginner or polish your skills to a professional level if you already know the language
Learn from enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff with a wealth of teaching experience
A range of degree options are available, and there are a range of entry levels from absolute beginner to native speaker
The student-run Celtic Society is famous for its musical events, ceilidhs and trips, and it provides an opportunity to use Gaelic in an informal, social context
A unique summer school giving students the chance to practice their Gaelic in a natural environment

Interested in this programme?

Call +44 (0)1224 272090 Email study@abdn.ac.uk Enquire Now Using an online form Next Steps Find out how to apply

Aberdeen Global Scholarship

The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme.

View the Aberdeen Global Scholarship

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.

General Entry Requirements

2024 Entry
2025 Entry

2024 Entry: SQA Highers

Standard: AABB

Applicants who have achieved AABB (or better), are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/ Advanced Highers may be required.

Minimum: BBB

Applicants who have achieved BBB (or are on course to achieve this by the end of S5) are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will normally be required.

Adjusted: BB

Applicants who achieve BB over S4 and S5 and who meet one of the widening access criteria are guaranteed a conditional offer. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will be required.

More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.

A LEVELS

Standard: BBB

Minimum: BBC

Adjusted: CCC

More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.

International Baccalaureate

32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL.

Irish Leaving Certificate

5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3.

Entry from College

Advanced entry to this degree may be possible from some HNC/HND qualifications, please see www.abdn.ac.uk/study/articulation for more details.
2025 Entry: SQA Highers

Standard: BBBB

Applicants who have achieved BBBB (or better), are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/ Advanced Highers may be required.

Minimum: BBC

Applicants who have achieved BBC at Higher and meet one of the widening participation criteria above are encouraged to apply and are guaranteed an unconditional offer for MA, BSc and BEng degrees.

Adjusted: BB

Applicants who have achieved BB at Higher, and who meet one of the widening participation criteria above are encouraged to apply and are guaranteed an adjusted conditional offer for MA, BSc and BEng degrees.

We would expect to issue a conditional offer asking for one additional C grade at Higher.

Foundation Apprenticeship: One FA is equivalent to a Higher at A. It cannot replace any required subjects.

More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.

A LEVELS

Standard: BBC

Minimum: BCC

Adjusted: CCC

More information on our definition of Standard, Minimum and Adjusted entry qualifications.

International Baccalaureate

32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL.

Irish Leaving Certificate

5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3.

Entry from College

Advanced entry to this degree may be possible from some HNC/HND qualifications, please see www.abdn.ac.uk/study/articulation for more details.

The information displayed in this section shows a shortened summary of our entry requirements. For more information, or for full entry requirements for Arts and Social Sciences degrees, see our detailed entry requirements section.

English Language Requirements

To study for an Undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:

IELTS Academic:

OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0

TOEFL iBT:

OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21

PTE Academic:

OVERALL - 59 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59

Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:

OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169

International Applicants

Additional details for international applicants, including information specific to your country or territory, are available here..

Fees and Funding

You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.

Fee information
Fee category	Cost
RUK	£9,535
Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year	£9,535
EU / International students	£20,800
Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year	£20,800
Self-funded international students commencing eligible undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 will receive a £6,000 tuition waiver for every year of their programme - See full terms and conditions
Home Students	£1,820
Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year	£1,820

International Applicants

More information about Fee status, living costs, and work allowances for international students is available here.

Additional Fees

In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our Tuition Fees page.

Scholarships and Funding

UK Scholarship

Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who pay tuition fees may be eligible for specific scholarships allowing them to receive additional funding. These are designed to provide assistance to help students support themselves during their time at Aberdeen.

Aberdeen Global Scholarship

The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme. More about this funding opportunity.

Funding Database

View all funding options in our Funding Database.

Careers

Social Research and Work.
Anthropology Expert.
Consultant with Anthropology and Gaelic specialism.

Useful Fact about this Degree

Aberdeen is ranked 3rd in the UK for Anthropology and Archaeology (Guardian University Guide 2025) and in the Global Top 100 for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)

Our Experts

Information About Staff Changes

You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.

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Get in Touch

Contact Details

Address: Student Recruitment & Admissions
University of Aberdeen
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX

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Anthropology and Gaelic Studies, MA

Introduction

Study Information

At a Glance

What You'll Study

Compulsory Courses

Optional Courses

Within Subject Areas

How You'll Study

Learning Methods

Assessment Methods

Why Study Anthropology and Gaelic Studies?

Interested in this programme?

Aberdeen Global Scholarship

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

General Entry Requirements

English Language Requirements

International Applicants

Fees and Funding

International Applicants

Additional Fees

Scholarships and Funding

UK Scholarship

Aberdeen Global Scholarship

Funding Database

Careers

Useful Fact about this Degree

Our Experts

Information About Staff Changes

Related Undergraduate Degrees

Discover Uni

Get in Touch

Contact Details

Social Media

Anthropology and Gaelic Studies, _MA