Film & Visual Culture and Gaelic Studies | Undergraduate Degrees

Film & Visual Culture and Gaelic Studies, _MA

Introduction

Film & Visual Culture and Gaelic at Aberdeen adds to your rigorous training in the history and theory of the moving image in the 21st century with an in-depth study of Gaelic, Scotland’s oldest living language. The language, intellectual skills and Scottish perspective you will add to your knowledge and techniques of cinema will give you an extra advantage for your future in arts, media, business or any other career, especially with a Scottish or international dimension.

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: QW56

Our unique Film and Visual Culture programme combines close analysis of visual objects and artefacts – analogue and digital, moving and still, underground and mainstream – with theories of visual representation, production and circulation. You will gain specialist knowledge and skills in the academic study of cinema, with an emphasis on building analytical skills in research and critical writing. You will also have the opportunity to develop skills in digital video production and web design.

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. Gaelic Studies at Aberdeen is the ideal combination of tradition, location, programme, quality and inspiring teachers for you as a beginner or native speaker to enjoy exploring Gaelic language, literature and culture and its place in our world today. Our students and staff play an important role in Scotland’s Gaelic-interest community through activities, networks and organisations.

In addition to your film skills, opportunities for graduates fluent in Scottish Gaelic are very good. Teaching, Gaelic development, arts management and librarianship are all career options, and the commitment in Scotland to Gaelic broadcasting also brings graduate opportunities.

What You'll Study

Year 1

Compulsory Courses

Academic Writing for Language & Literature (AW1008): 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
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 Visual Culture (FS1008): 15 Credit Points

What is Visual Culture? Over the last twenty years, the visual landscape has become digital, virtual, viral, and global. A vibrant cross-section of scholars and practitioners from Art History, Critical Theory, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, and Film Studies have responded, not only engaging contemporary image production and consumption, but also the foundations of visual knowledge: What is an image? What is vision? How and why do we look, gaze, and spectate? From the nomadic pathways of the digital archive to the embodied look that looks back, this course will introduce students to the key concepts that shape this fluid field.

Detailed course information
Introduction to Film and the Cinematic Experience (FS1508): 15 Credit Points

This course offers an introduction to the language and practice of formal film analysis. Each week we will explore a different element of film form and analyze the ways in which it shapes the moving image. This course invites students to think about formal elements within and across a wide range of genres, styles, historical moments, and national contexts. By the end of this course, the successful FS1508 student will be able to recognize and communicate the ways in which meaning is made in cinema.

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

Optional Courses

Choose ONE of the following options:

Beginners

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

Intermediate/Advanced

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

Plus select a further 120 credit points from courses of choice.

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

Visualising Modernity (FS2007): 30 Credit Points

The first half of a film history sequence at the second year level, Visualising Modernity focuses on crucial moments, concepts and cinematic works from the period 1895 to 1945. Students will be marked according to a mid-term essay, a final exam, short assignments on Blackboard, and attendance in lectures and tutorials.

Detailed course information
Visualising Revolution (FS2507): 30 Credit Points

The second half of a film history sequence at the second year level, Cinema & Revolution focuses on crucial moments, concepts and cinematic works from the period between 1945 and the present. Students will be marked according to a mid-term essay, a final exam, short assignments on Blackboard, and participation and attendance in lectures and tutorials.

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

Choose ONE of the following options:

Beginners

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

Intermediate/Advanced

Gaelic Language 2A (GH2013)
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

Compulsory Courses

Gaelic Language A (GH3022)

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

Select 60 credit points from Film and Visual Culture courses, plus further Gaelic courses at level 3 to gain 60 credit points 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

Select ONE of the following dissertation options:

Dissertation in Film & Visual Culture (FS4506)
Dissertation in Gaelic Studies (GH4507)
Dissertation in Film & Visual Culture (FS4002)

Plus further credit points from the following level 4 courses in Film & Visual Culture to gain 60 credits in the discipline. Also, select further courses in level 4 Gaelic to make up 60 credits in the discipline.

Dissertation in Film & Visual Culture (FS4506): 30 Credit Points

Students will have the opportunity to write a dissertation on a topic of their choosing within Film and Visual Culture.

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
Dissertation in Film & Visual Culture (FS4002): 30 Credit Points

Students will have the opportunity to write a dissertation on a topic of their choosing within Film and Visual Culture.

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

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; and
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 Film & Visual Culture and Gaelic Studies?

Why Film & Visual Culture

A curriculum which perfectly balances creativity with broad study, theory and critical analysis as you learn to think within the movements of cinema, and pursue questions beyond the film frame.
The George Washington Wilson Centre for Visual Culture, promoting interest and organising events in visual culture, including film, photography, art history, anthropology and museum studies.
A programme which also looks at the practical elements of film and visual culture, including the production and circulation of film.
The spectacular, award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library provides a stunning, iconic and inspiring study environment with state-of-the-art learning technology and reference works on film and visual culture.
Strong emphasis on applied learning as well as theory, so you develop a range of practical skills that will give you a good grounding in your future career.
An exciting and flourishing cultural scene in north-east Scotland.
A packed campus programme of student and public events, exhibitions, seminars, café discussions and film showings. The Department has recently welcomed guests such as Ruth Beckermann, Mania Akbari, Phil Méheux, Martine Beswick and Ian McCulloch.
Our popular Director’s Cut series which ran from 2007 to 2019 saw a range of filmmakers giving talks here, including Raúl Ruiz, Sir David Attenborough, Pawel Pawlikowski, David Mackenzie, Simon Callow, Gurinder Chadha, Mark Cousins and Jon S. Baird.

Why Gaelic Studies

A warm welcome for students whatever your level of Gaelic, and long-standing experience in teaching this fascinating language to complete beginners.
Student-run Celtic Society famous for its musical events, ceilidhs and trips, and a great opportunity to use Gaelic in an informal, social context.
Strong tradition of commitment to Gaelic, and a University Gaelic Language Plan to promote and develop Gaelic in the University in line with the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.
The spectacular, award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library, with an extensive Gaelic collection and treasures.
An opportunity to study abroad at the University College Cork.

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.

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

There are many opportunities at the University of Aberdeen to develop your knowledge, gain experience and build a competitive set of skills to enhance your employability. This is essential for your future career success. The Careers and Employability Service can help you to plan your career and support your choices throughout your time with us, from first to final year – and beyond.

More information on employability at the University of Aberdeen
More information on the Careers and Employability Service

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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Contact Details

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

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Film & Visual Culture 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

Assessment Methods

Why Study Film & Visual Culture and Gaelic Studies?

Why Film & Visual Culture

Why 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

Our Experts

Information About Staff Changes

Discover Uni

Get in Touch

Contact Details

Social Media

Film & Visual Culture and Gaelic Studies, _MA