Program Overview

Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Studies

Introduction

Exploring the literature and culture of the Celtic West and the Old North.

Study Information

At a Glance

• Degree Qualification: MLitt or PhD

Our Research

We are interested in hearing from students wishing to undertake postgraduate level work on Celtic & Anglo-Saxon Studies at doctoral level.

• Supervisors and broad areas of expertise:
  • Professor Ralph O’Connor (mediaeval Gaelic / Irish and Norse-Icelandic literature and culture, modern reception of Celtic and Norse literature)
  • Dr Aideen M. O’Leary (mediaeval Gaelic / Irish, Welsh, Old English and Anglo-Norman literature and culture)
  • Professor David Wheatley (post-1700 Irish-language literature, and Irish literature more generally)
• Research specialisms:
  • Interactions between the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon worlds and Classical literature (O’Leary, O’Connor)
  • Gods, monsters and Otherworlds in Celtic and Germanic literature (O’Connor)
  • Celtic and Germanic heroic tales (O’Connor)
  • New Testament apocrypha in the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon worlds (O’Leary)
  • Comparisons between Gaelic and Nordic literature and folklore (O’Connor)
  • Kingship in the Gaelic world (O’Connor)
  • Mediaeval understandings of history and fiction (O’Connor)
  • Post-1700 Irish-language literature (Wheatley)

Research Interests

Centre for Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Studies and Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies

Our own Centre for Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Studies brings together scholars and postgraduates whose interests lie in literature, languages, history and culture of the British and Irish isles.

The Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies promotes high-quality research focused around history, literary and cultural studies, and the languages of Ireland and Scotland.

Our Centre for Scandinavian Studies fosters interdisciplinary research in the languages, literatures and cultures of the early and mediaeval North, including links between Celtic and Germanic cultures.

Entry Requirements

• To apply for this programme: You must have at least a good Honours degree in a related subject or discipline.
• Applicants must provide:
  • A detailed research proposal
  • Two academic references from their most recent academic institution
• Applicants should contact their preferred supervisor well before applying, in order to ensure a viable application. Please note that, at PGR level, appropriate skills in the relevant language(s) for your project will be expected.

Fees and Funding

• View the tuition fee rates
• International Applicants: More information about Fee status, living costs, and work allowances for international students is available.
• Scholarships: Eligible self-funded international Postgraduate Research Masters' students starting in September 2025 will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Explore this Global Scholarship, including eligibility details, on our dedicated page.

Careers

Postgraduate degrees in Celtic & Anglo-Saxon Studies and in Gaelic can lead to careers in university teaching and research, primary and secondary education, the civil service, tourism, heritage management and the media. With the implementation of the Gaelic Language Act, special opportunities may be expected to arise for graduates who have acquired the ability to speak and write Scottish Gaelic with fluency.

Related Postgraduate Taught Degrees

• Medieval and Early Modern Studies
• Viking and Medieval Nordic Studies