Culture, Heritage with Gaelic Studies

Culture, heritage, and Gaelic studies is a degree rooted in the distinctive intellectual and cultural landscape of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, combining the study of cultural heritage as a social and academic discipline with engagement with the Gaelic language, literature, and cultural tradition that are central to the identity of that region. Culture and heritage studies examines how communities make sense of and preserve their pasts, how heritage is constructed, contested, and managed, and what role cultural institutions and practices play in sustaining local and national identities. Gaelic studies brings you into direct contact with one of Scotland's two indigenous languages and the extraordinarily rich oral and literary tradition it has sustained.

At the University of the Highlands and Islands, this four-year, full-time degree reflects the institution's distinctive mission to serve a geographically dispersed region where Gaelic remains a living language with genuine community presence. You will develop Gaelic language skills alongside the theoretical and historical frameworks of cultural and heritage studies, engaging with the archaeology, history, arts, and traditions of the Highlands and Islands in their cultural context. The programme draws on the region's exceptional heritage resources, from Neolithic monuments and medieval ecclesiastical sites to living traditions of music, storytelling, and crafts.

The typical entry tariff of 104 points reflects an open and welcoming approach to students from a wide range of backgrounds.

Graduates of this programme work in heritage organisations, museums, cultural institutions, tourism, arts administration, education, and community development, particularly in the Highlands and Islands and other Gaelic-speaking or Gaelic-heritage communities. Roles in Gaelic-medium education, which has seen consistent growth across Scotland, are also accessible to graduates with Gaelic language competence. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in heritage management, Celtic studies, Scottish studies, or museum studies.