Celtic Studies and Scottish Studies (PhD)

Doctorate-level study is an opportunity to expand upon your interests and expertise in a community that really values research, and to make an original, positive contribution to learning in Celtic Studies and Scottish Studies.

We specialise in the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Celtic- and in particular the Gaelic-speaking peoples, from Iron Age Europe to the present, and in Scottish ethnology, the study of Scotland's traditions, belief systems, and forms of cultural expression.

Research community
Based in Scotland's capital and festival city, our research community plays a prominent role in policy development and cultural innovation.

We work at the forefront of linguistic, cultural, literary, and sociolinguistic research in the Celtic languages, with a particular focus on Scottish Gaelic. We play a leading role in relation to language planning and maintenance, particularly for Scottish Gaelic.

The department also includes the longest established Scottish Studies department in Scotland. Over the past 70 years, the archives of the School of Scottish Studies have grown into an unrivalled collection of sound, video, film, and photographic resources that continue to inspire new research and creative work.

We are also the home of the European Ethnological Research Centre, which promotes research into everyday life and society in Scotland through long-term projects such as the Regional Ethnology of Scotland and publications including the series Scottish Life and Society: a compendium of Scottish ethnology.

Scottish ethnology provides a fascinating insight into the traditional and popular culture of Scotland, while giving you a set of ethnographical skills that may be applied to other traditional cultures.