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The opportunity to learn a Scandinavian language of which you have no prior knowledge, and to attain a near-native level of competence by the time you graduate.
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Spend a year abroad in Scandinavia, benefiting from the department's extensive contacts with universities in Denmark,
Finland, Norway and Sweden.
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The Department of Scandinavian Studies at UCL is unique in the UK in having specialists across the areas of language, politics, history, medieval studies, literature and film.
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Access to the largest and oldest Scandinavian library in the country, and the state-of-the-art facilities within the Language Space.
Language courses are mandatory in each year, and no prior knowledge of the language chosen is required. The rest of your degree is then made up of other compulsory courses plus optional courses chosen according to your interests.
You will nominate your language (Danish, Norwegian or Swedish), and undertake cultural studies in literature, film and history as well as language-based courses such as linguistics and translation studies.
You will spend your third year studying at a university in the country where your chosen language is spoken.
You also take School of European Languages, Culture & Society (ELCS) courses, which allow students to study literature, film, art and culture from outside their subject area(s), focusing on broad cultural movements, issues and approaches from an interdisciplinary perspective and drawing on the full range of specialisms within the school.
Teaching consists of a mixture of lectures, classes, seminars, group work and presentations. Language elements comprise four taught hours a week for basic language in year one, four hours a week for intermediate language in year two, and two hours a week for advanced language in the final year. Much of your work will be through guided independent study. Language teaching is generally undertaken by native speakers.
Most courses are assessed by a mixture of coursework and written examination. A few are assessed by essays only. Language courses are assessed by coursework, a written and an oral examination. During your year abroad, you will take courses at the host university and will complete a Year Abroad Project.
Upon graduation you will be fluent in your chosen language, and have a reading knowledge of other Scandinavian languages. Historical and literary studies will develop cultural awareness, and you will be trained in organising, presenting and interpreting complex information, in effective written and oral communication, and in independent and group work.
Many of our graduates find they are able to use their Scandinavian languages in a variety of contexts, such as working for a Scandinavian company. Recent graduates have also entered translating, publishing and teaching.
First career destinations of recent graduates (2010-2013) of this programme, and of related Scandinavian Studies programmes, include:
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Full-time student, MPhil in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the
University of Cambridge
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Intern, British Embassy
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IT Analyst, Cyber

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual courses, normally valued at 0.5 or 1.0 credits, adding up to a total of 4.0 credits for the year. Courses are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional courses varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 1.0 credit is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Compulsory courses
Basic language course in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
Histories and Cultures of the Nordic Region
Introduction to Linguistics and the Scandinavian Languages
Introduction to Old Norse
Nordic Storytelling
Optional courses
You will select 0.5 credits from a wide range of intermediate courses offered by the School of European Languages, Culture and Society, which may include:
Crime Fiction
Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Evolution
From the Picaresque to the Detective Novel
Minority Languages, Policy and Power in Europe
Political Cinema
Compulsory courses
Intermediate Language course in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
Optional courses
You will select 2.5 credits of optional courses. Options may include:
Basic Modern Icelandic
Finnish Language I
Introduction to Finnish Society and Culture
Nordic Cinema
Nordic Landscapes
Nordic Politics and Society
Old Norse I
Scandinavian Literature in Context
The Nordic Welfare States
Viking-Age Scandinavia
ELCS Intermediate Level Courses
Year abroad
Students currently complete a 4,000-word Year Abroad Project in the target language and any assessment required by the host university.
Compulsory courses
Advanced language course in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
Advanced Project Work in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
Dissertation in Scandinavian Studies
Optional courses
You will select 2.0 credits of option courses. Options may include:
Intermediate Finnish Language 2
Intermediate Modern Icelandic
Nordic Cinema
Nordic Landscapes
Nordic Politics and Society
The Nordic Welfare States
Old Norse II
Reading Finnish Society and Culture
Scandinavian Social Democracy
Translation from the Scandinavian Languages
The Vikings in Europe
ELCS Advanced Level courses

A level grades
A level subjects
AS levels
GCSE
ABB
Foreign language preferred.
For UK-based students a pass in a further subject at AS level or equivalent is required.
English Language at grade B, plus Mathematics at grade C. For UK-based students, a grade C or equivalent in a foreign language (other than
Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is required. UCL provides opportunities to meet the foreign language requirement following enrolment, further details at: www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs
IB points
Subjects
34
A score of 16 points in three higher level subjects, preferably including a foreign language, with no score lower than 5.
Full lists of all degree programmes and other entry requirements can be found on our website at: www.ucl.ac.uk/otherquals
UCL's Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic potential, who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.
For more information see our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United
Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Your personal statement should reflect your interests, hopes and goals, especially as related to your proposed degree. Some knowledge/experience of Scandinavian culture, and an explanation of how this has motivated you to learn more, is expected. We do not necessarily require a language at A level or equivalent, but expect you to demonstrate an enthusiasm and aptitude for language learning.
PDF Updated: February 19, 2016
Information correct at time of going to press. See website (www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs) for latest information
If your application demonstrates that your academic ability and motivation make you well-suited to our degree and you receive an offer, then we shall invite you to a post-offer Open Day, where you can experience the sort of teaching which we offer and life in SELCS.
UK/EU fee
Overseas fee
Notes
£9,000 (2016/17)
£16,130 (2016/17)
Details about financial support are available at: www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
Contact
Email
Telephone
Prospectus entry
REF
Department
Faculty
Mrs Jo Wolff
Admissions Officer selcs.admissions@ucl.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7679 3096 www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs
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(‘internationally excellent’)
School of European Languages, Culture and
Society
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