Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic

Course Outline

Teaching is provided through lectures, classes, seminars and supervisions and you can expect between 10 and 15 hours of lectures and classes per week during Part I.

Years 1 and 2 (Part I)

Year 1

In the first year, you study the various disciplines which form the core of ASNC studies. There are no compulsory papers – you choose six subjects from a range of 10; and take an examination in four of them and departmental tests in the other two.

Historical subjects:

• Anglo-Saxon history
• Scandinavian history
• Gaelic history (Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man)
• Brittonic history (Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Pictish kingdoms and the North Britons)

Language and literature subjects:

• Old English
• Old Norse
• medieval Welsh
• medieval Irish
• medieval Latin
• palaeography (the study of manuscripts and handwriting)

Year 2

In your second year, you may continue to study your chosen subjects and take an examination in all six of them. Alternatively, you have the option to replace up to three of your first-year subjects with a dissertation and/or one or two 'shared' papers (from related courses). Shared papers currently include subjects from Archaeology, English, and Modern and Medieval Languages.

Year 3 (Part II)

This is where you develop and use the skills you learned in Part I, exploring your chosen fields and applying your newly acquired knowledge in original and imaginative ways.

You study four subjects selected from a range of 17 papers including, for example:

• Rethinking the Viking Age
• Beowulf
• Advanced Medieval Irish Language and Literature
• Germanic Philology

These are designed to give you the opportunity to pursue more detailed study in your chosen areas. You may replace one of your four Part II ASNC papers with a shared paper (from another course). The range of subjects currently includes medieval English literature, medieval French literature, historical linguistics, and a subject from the Faculty of History. You may also replace one of your Part II subjects with a Part I paper that you didn't offer for the examinations at the end of your second year.

In addition, you write a dissertation of between 9,000 and 12,000 words on a specific subject of your own choice within the scope of the course.

For further information about studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at the University of Cambridge see the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic website.

The application process

The Cambridge application process is slightly different to other universities. You still need to apply through UCAS, however, at Cambridge the process starts earlier to give us time to collect and consider all of the application information. The steps below and the following pages will guide you through the process.

You’re going to be studying to a very high level for several years so make sure you choose a course you’re personally interested in and will really enjoy studying! Check, also, that you meet the entrance requirements of the course you want to study.

Most applicants need to take a written admission assessment as part of the application process. Some applicants will also be asked to submit examples of their written work.

Please check the type of assessment required for your course as early as possible as some assessments require you to be registered before the UCAS application deadline (15 or 30 September).

Where would you like to live when you’re here? In your UCAS application, you can apply directly to one of our 29 Colleges or make an open application. 

You need to submit your UCAS application by 15 October – our institution code is CAM C05. Please note:

• Earlier or later deadlines may apply for Mature Students, Foundation Year and Organ Scholarship applicants.
• There's an additional application form if you're applying for the Graduate Course in Medicine.
• You can’t apply to both the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the same year.
• Some applicants will be required to submit an academic transcript.

After you’ve submitted your UCAS application, you will need to fill in an additional Cambridge-specific application form, which we’ll send you a link to by email.

Everyone with a good chance of being offered a place is invited to attend an interview. If you decide to apply, you can find videos and full information on what to expect and how to prepare, in our interviews section.

We’ll advise you of our decision before the end of January.