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Studies & Degrees in Scandinavian Languages

Scandinavian languages are the North Germanic languages of northern Europe. University departments usually teach Danish, Norwegian and Swedish as modern languages and add Icelandic and Old Norse, the medieval language of the sagas. The University of Washington, for example, lists Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Old Norse and Swedish as its Scandinavian languages and places Finnish in a separate Baltic and Finno-Ugric group. The University of British Columbia (UBC) points out that Norwegian, Swedish and Danish are mutually understandable, so a student who learns one of them can follow much of the other two.

A degree in the subject is rarely language training alone. Students also read the literature of the region and study its history, folklore, film, politics and society. Many programmes include linguistics: the history of the languages, dialects and Old Norse texts. The words "Scandinavian" and "Nordic" are both used in course titles. UBC explains that "Nordic" has a broader reach, because it also covers Iceland, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Sámi territories.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree. In the United States the subject is a major within a Bachelor of Arts. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison the bachelor's degree requires 120 credits, and students can declare the Scandinavian Studies major without a separate application. The University of Washington offers majors in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Scandinavian Area Studies; in the language majors, students build advanced skills through a three-year programme in language and literature.
  • Minor. Students of other subjects can add a shorter programme. UBC's Minor in Nordic Studies combines 9 lower-level language credits in Swedish or Danish with 18 upper-level credits in literature and culture.
  • Master's degree and doctorate. The University of Washington offers an MA and a PhD. At Wisconsin-Madison, graduates can continue to an MA in Scandinavian philology, literature or area studies and to a PhD. At Uppsala Universitet in Sweden, the doctoral subject Scandinavian languages covers language history, dialectology, name research, sociolinguistics and Swedish as a second language.
  • Short courses without a degree. Language courses also exist outside universities. International People's College, a folk high school in Denmark, runs long courses of four to six months and short courses of one to three weeks, with no fixed curriculum and no grades, and has a Danish language course. Such courses lead to no academic degree; ask the school what certificate it issues.

Language courses usually run as a year-long series. At the University of Washington the first class of each series is only available in the autumn quarter, so the department advises students to start early.

Where to study Scandinavian languages

SpainExchange lists 12 active schools for Scandinavian languages. Six are in the United States and two in Denmark; the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Sweden have one each.

In North America the teaching language is English and no previous knowledge of a Scandinavian language is expected: the University of Washington states that students can succeed in its department whether or not they have studied a language before. The department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was established in 1875 and is, according to the university, the oldest Scandinavian Studies department in the United States. The University of Washington describes its own department as the largest of only three in the country that offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The University of California at Berkeley, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Minnesota and The University of Texas at Austin are also listed, as is UBC in Vancouver.

In the Nordic countries the subject is studied in the language itself. The Department of Scandinavian Languages at Uppsala Universitet, a university founded in 1477, states that most of its courses require Swedish proficiency; it also teaches Swedish as a second language and offers courses for exchange students. Aarhus University in Denmark, The University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in Germany are listed as well.

A period abroad is a normal part of the degree. Wisconsin-Madison strongly encourages study abroad in a Nordic country, and the University of Washington encourages its language students to do the same.

Careers

Graduates combine a language that few people outside the region speak with knowledge of the Nordic societies. Wisconsin-Madison names education, law, international trade, translation, civil service, non-profit organisations, the arts and diplomacy among the careers of its graduates. Translation and interpreting are the most direct uses of the language: in the United States a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for interpreters and translators, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in that occupation (all languages) to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average. Many graduates therefore pair the language with a second subject. A university career in the field requires a doctorate.

Frequently asked questions

Which languages count as Scandinavian languages?

University departments usually teach Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, together with Icelandic and Old Norse. Finnish is taught in many of the same departments but belongs to a different language group.

Do I need to speak a Scandinavian language before I start?

Not at universities in North America, where the languages are taught from beginner level and the other classes are in English. Departments in the Nordic countries work in the local language: at Uppsala Universitet most courses require Swedish proficiency.

If I learn Swedish, will I understand Danish and Norwegian?

To a large extent. According to UBC, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish are mutually understandable, and knowing one is enough to make oneself understood in the other two countries.

How long does a degree in Scandinavian languages take?

In the United States it is a major within a four-year bachelor's degree; Wisconsin-Madison requires 120 credits for the degree. The language sequence in a language major at the University of Washington takes three years.