Venues

Central Campus

Content

The languages of Scandinavia, like its politics and culture, have long had a considerable impact beyond the Nordic region.

Today, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish continue to expand in popularity. Scandinavia's screen and literary cultures attract global critical acclaim, and the socio-economic concept of the Nordic Model is widely studied.

Year 1:
You will take an intensive beginners' language course in either Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. You will develop your spoken and written language skills, and study aspects of literature and culture. You will be also encouraged to take one, or both, of the courses in Scandinavian civilisation. These provide an overview of important trends in the history, society, culture and politics of the Scandinavian and wider Nordic world, from the earliest times to the present.

Year 2:
You will continue with Danish Language 2, Norwegian Language 2 or Swedish Language 2, building on your linguistic knowledge from Year 1.

Year 3:
You will spend Year 3 in either Denmark, Norway or Sweden. This is when you will really deepen your knowledge of your chosen Scandinavian language by speaking it daily and immersing yourself in local cultures.

Year 4:
You will take advanced language classes in commentary and summary writing, in translation between the Scandinavian languages and English, and in spoken Danish or Norwegian or Swedish. In addition to these core courses, you will also choose from our evolving range of specialist, honours-level option courses on Scandinavian cultural topics.

You will also normally complete a dissertation or a long essay on a topic proposed by yourself in consultation with your supervisor.

Entry Requirements

2026 entry requirements

Standard entry:
4 Highers at ABBB (first sitting) or 4 or 5 Highers at AABB/ABBBB (two sittings) plus a language other than English at B and English at National 5.

Widening access entry:
4 Highers at ABBB (two sittings) plus a language other than English at B and English at National 5. Highers at BBB must be achieved in one sitting.