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Language, Culture and History: Scandinavian Studies MA

London, Bloomsbury

Develop your understanding of Scandinavian culture in a global context while learning a Nordic language through this degree. The Language, Culture and History: Scandinavian Studies MA is taught at UCL, home to the UK’s largest centre in Scandinavian studies with one of the best libraries on Scandinavia outside of the region. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn or improve your knowledge of Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£16,800
£8,400
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£35,400
£17,700
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a relevant discipline.

The English language level for this course is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


This degree allows students to examine the Nordic world in depth from a variety of different angles, including acquiring advanced translation skills, or studying Nordic cinema and Nordic literature in a global perspective, the transnational politics of the region and material cultures, as well as modules on Viking and medieval Scandinavia. Assessed modules are supplemented with workshops providing opportunities for networking and career development in publishing, translation, film-making, and the heritage and creative sectors.

The course comprises of one compulsory module. This core module provides a combination of methodology and research topics (historiography, literary studies, cultural studies), and is designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation. Providing you with the specific skills and knowledge to research, write academic essays and the dissertation.

You will also take optional modules and a dissertation. If you choose the 60-credit dissertation, you take 90 credits of optional modules. If you choose the 90-credit research dissertation, you take fewer optional modules (60 credits), in favour of writing an extended dissertation to focus on your own interests. 

You will choose optional modules which are specific to your subject language, as well as cultural modules, which cover a range of topics that draw on literature, film, history, and linguistics, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Further details can be found on our Postgraduate Modules page.

Students with no or limited prior knowledge of a Scandinavian language (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, or Old Norse) may be able, subject to approval by the course and module convenors, to undertake an undergraduate Scandinavian language module (non-credit-bearing) at the appropriate level.

Who this course is for

This MA can serve as a stepping-stone between undergraduate studies and PhD research for students specialising in Nordic Studies. It is also ideal as a one-year professional development opportunity for those working in a field in which knowledge of Scandinavian culture is important: for example, design, publishing, politics or commerce.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL Scandinavian Studies is the largest independent centre in the UK. Our research and teaching encompasses the languages, literatures, cultures, histories and politics of the entire Nordic region, ranging from the Viking Middle Ages to the present day.

Our students benefit from UCL's excellent subject-specific facilities and one of the best Scandinavian studies libraries outside Scandinavia. Close links with universities in mainland Scandinavia, Iceland and Finland provide further benefits to the student experience. 

The Language, Culture and History: Scandinavian Studies MA is housed within UCL's School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS). Supervision and teaching is available from world-leading researchers in SELCS and the Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (CMII), with 83% of SELCS-CMII research activity being graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’ in the REF 2021. 

We are home to Norvik Press, the UK's only press specialising in Nordic literature and culture, and to the Viking Society for Northern Research, the world's foremost learned society in the field of medieval Scandinavian studies.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

In the UK and abroad, the Nordic countries are increasingly recognised for the success of their political and social model, and for their film, literature, food and design. Our MA graduates bring their deep understanding of Scandinavian culture to careers in which knowledge of the region is key. 

Recent graduates from our Language Culture and History MA courses, have gone on to work in a range of challenging careers in IT and technology, museums and university teaching. Our Graduates are found in sectors such as: Publishing, journalism and translation (14.3%); PR, advertising and marketing (4.8%); media (9.5%), teaching and other educational activities (23.8%). They have gone on to work for employers such as the BBC, Toyota and the Financial Conduct Authority. Others have gone onto further study.*

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2022 cohorts.

Employability

An MA in Scandinavian Studies offers prospects for employment in the private and public sectors, whether in Scandinavia or in the English-speaking world.

Modern Languages graduates are highly valued by employers for their linguistic and cultural knowledge, and for their set of transferable skills, such as the ability to speak, understand and write in a foreign language, intercultural understanding, translation and communication skills. Our MA will allow you to hone your Nordic language skills or to try a new language. Graduates with expertise in Nordic languages and culture are still relatively rare in the UK, therefore learning Nordic languages opens up unique career opportunities across Europe and beyond.

Networking

Our location offers students access to special collections in modern languages and culture at UCL and other world-class libraries nearby such as Senate House and the British Library. 

Alongside their collections of books, articles, videos, sound recordings and non-public online resources, these cultural institutions offer a wide range of seminars, lecture series and other opportunities to exchange ideas. Other libraries and research centres within walking distance of campus include the British Museum, the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, the Institute of Historical Research and the Warburg Institute.

UCL Careers also offers a range of services, providing access to skills development, recruitment and networking events.

Teaching and learning

You will gain experience of writing essays and training in conducting original research and applying the appropriate methodology. Demonstrating intellectual flexibility by engaging with a diverse range of subject areas and disciplinary approaches.

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and private study. Term 3 is devoted to revision sessions and the dissertation project. 

Students are assessed by a variety of methods, which may include coursework, presentations, written essays, unseen examinations and the research dissertation. Teaching sessions are interactive with an emphasis on student participation and critical discussion, as well as lecturer presentations.

For a full-time postgraduate course, typical contact hours vary between 8-10 hours per week during term time, depending on module choices, and include lectures, seminars, practice-based activities and e-learning activities.

You will also display a level of independent study (25-30 hours per week), by engaging with key topics and required readings in preparation for the discussions promoted in the course.

For a part-time postgraduate course, contact hours would usually be 4-6 hours per week across 2-3 days and we recommend around 10-12 hours of independent study per week.

Those undertaking language modules may have additional contact hours. There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.

Modules

You will take a total of 180 credits and choose either a dissertation taught pathway (60 credits) or a dissertation research pathway (90 credits).

During the academic year, you will take one compulsory module. This core module sets the foundation for the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation. You will also choose 90 credits of optional modules (usually six 15-credit modules). On the research pathway, you will take 60 credits of optional modules (usually four 15-credit modules).

During Term 2, in addition to your taught modules, you will start to formulate your dissertation proposal. Planning and research will continue into the third term, when you will develop your dissertation outline and structure in discussion with your supervisor. You will give a presentation of your dissertation project to your peers and tutors. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of the MA.

You will then spend the summer researching and writing your dissertation with the support of your supervisor. On the taught pathway, your dissertation will be 12,000 words, and on the research pathway, your dissertation will be 18,000 words. 

There are two pathways through the course: taught and research. In Year 1, you will take one compulsory module. This core module sets the foundation for the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation. You will also take 30 credits of optional modules (usually two 15-credit modules). You will begin to formulate your dissertation proposal. In the summer you then develop your outline and structure in discussion with your supervisor and begin to research your dissertation.

In Year 2, you take a further 60 credits of optional modules (usually four 15-credit modules spread across both terms) to develop your broader understanding and build on key concepts introduced in the first year. On the research pathway, you will take 30 credits of optional modules (usually two 15-credit modules).

In the Term 3, you will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation project. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of your MA. You will then spend the summer of Year 2 continuing to research and write your dissertation with the support of your supervisor. On the taught pathway, your dissertation will be 12,000 words, and on the research pathway, your dissertation will be 18,000 words. 

Compulsory modules



Optional modules













Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Language, Culture and History: Scandinavian Studies. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Language, Culture and History: Scandinavian Studies. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Language, Culture and History: Scandinavian Studies.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

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Book a 1-2-1 with the Language, Culture and History MA Course Team

Book a meeting with the Language, Culture and History MA course team. You will be able to ask any questions you may have about the course: how the course will be taught, where the course could take you or about studying this course at UCL.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £16,800 £8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27) £35,400 £17,700

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying. Students receive a free printing allowance each year and pay for any additional printing (see details), while books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For more details about departmental funding available to MA students in the department, please refer to our Funding, Scholarships and Prizes (Masters) web page.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Scandinavian Studies at graduate level;
  • why you want to study Scandinavian Studies at UCL;
  • what particularly attracts you to this course;
  • how your personal, academic and professional background might help you in meeting the demands of a challenging course;
  • what you expect to get out of the course;
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this course match what the course will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

School of European Languages, Culture and Society
School of European Languages, Culture and Society

selcs-cmii.enquiries@ucl.ac.uk

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