Scandinavian Studies and Social Policy

Scandinavian studies and social policy is an unusual and intellectually rewarding combination, bringing together the study of the Nordic languages and cultures with systematic analysis of how social welfare systems are designed and delivered. The Nordic countries, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland, are internationally recognised for the quality and comprehensiveness of their social provision, and understanding the ideas, politics and institutions that have produced these systems is of genuine academic and policy interest. At the University of Edinburgh, studying Scandinavian culture alongside social policy gives you both the linguistic access to engage directly with Nordic sources and the analytical frameworks to understand what they mean.

This four-year full-time programme develops your Scandinavian languages, covering one or more of Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, to an advanced level alongside substantive engagement with social policy. You will study the history and culture of the Nordic region, including its literature, political thought and contemporary society, as well as the core areas of social policy: welfare states, health systems, housing, education, employment and poverty, with particular attention to comparative approaches that allow you to place Nordic examples in a broader context. The combination equips you to engage with Nordic scholarship and institutions directly and to analyse social policy with the depth and comparative perspective that the subject demands.

Graduates from this degree move into careers in social policy research, government, international organisations, development agencies, academic research, journalism and the third sector, with a distinctive ability to engage with Nordic experience and evidence. The Scandinavian language expertise also opens opportunities in the many contexts where Swedish, Norwegian or Danish speakers are sought. Further study in social policy, welfare studies, Nordic studies, public administration or comparative politics is also a natural pathway.