A truly Nordic department, we teach Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, as well as their medieval precursor, Old Norse. Our cultural, historical and political courses also cover Finland. 

We have strong medieval expertise, both historical and literary, and we offer a variety of modules in modern cultural studies, including literature, film, historical topics and politics. Our language courses are intense and engaging, taught in small groups by experienced language pedagogues using a wide range of materials and topics, and our cultural and historical courses are designed to give both broad coverage of disciplines and topics as well as in-depth critical exposure and analysis.

We have dedicated degree programmes in Scandinavian Studies, Viking and Old Norse Studies, and Icelandic (all of which includes study of a main land Scandinavian language), or you can combine study of one of our languages with another language or another subject in SELCS and beyond.

Research-based learning. The Department’s teaching and research staff specialise in a wide range of fields and disciplines. Our strengths include medieval history and literature; modern literature, history and politics; film and media studies; and musicology and cultural studies. We enjoy sharing our research with our students, and we are passionate about helping students develop their own research skills, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The Department runs regular research seminars, conferences and workshops in order to showcase research by staff and students.

Learn three Scandinavian languages for the price of one! Our language tutors work together to teach students of the three mainland Scandinavian languages how to speak to each other in their respective languages. Joint classes in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish ensure that students learn how to communicate across the Scandinavian region.

Learning outside the classroom. We try to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by our London location. As part of our ‘Vikings and Material Cultures’ module, we take students on study trips to the British Museum, the Museum of London and Senate House Library. We hold language classes in the UCL Art Museum and participate in events at the various Nordic Embassies, including book launches and author visits. We also organise study trips to Norway and Denmark so that students can experience the region first-hand and practice their languages will in advance of the Year Abroad.

Research at the Department encompasses a broad range of fields, including literary, linguistic, historical and cultural studies. See our ‘Meet the Staff’ page for a full list of specialisations.

In the 2016-17 Times Higher Education rankings, University College London came 4th in the world for teaching and research in the Arts and Humanities.

Located in the heart of London, UCL is a five-minute walk from the British Museum and ten minutes from the British Library. We are surrounded by world-famous cultural institutions and historic landmarks, as well as a diverse, multicultural population. At UCL, you will meet people from across the UK and around the world.

The Department of Scandinavian Studies has close ties with the Nordic Embassies in London, allowing our students unique access to Embassy events such as author visits, academic conferences and social gatherings.

The Department is also 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.