Gaelic/History

Gaelic and history at Glasgow is a combination that invites you to explore the long and often contested story of Scottish Gaelic culture from the earliest medieval texts to the contemporary language revival, using the tools of both linguistic and historical analysis. Gaelic is one of Scotland's indigenous languages, with a literary tradition stretching back over a thousand years, a rich oral heritage, and an ongoing significance for communities in the Highlands and Islands and for the Scottish national identity more broadly. History provides the contextual and analytical framework for understanding how that culture has evolved, been suppressed, and been defended across the centuries.

At Glasgow, this four-year programme develops your Gaelic language skills for both academic study and contemporary professional use, while also giving you a deep grounding in Scottish and broader history. You will engage with Gaelic literature, poetry, and oral tradition alongside historical sources, developing the ability to read and analyse material in both Gaelic and English and to situate cultural and linguistic developments in their historical context. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different academic environment and to bring back a comparative perspective that enriches your understanding of language, culture, and history.

Graduates with Gaelic language skills are sought after in education, broadcasting (particularly by BBC Alba and other Gaelic media), arts and culture organisations, the public sector in Scotland, and community development. Historians find careers in heritage organisations, archives, research, publishing, and education. The combination opens distinctive pathways in a small but important professional world, and Glasgow's national profile in Gaelic studies makes its graduates particularly well regarded.

Many continue to postgraduate study in Celtic studies, Scottish history, or related fields.