The degree of
Master of Arts in
Scotland typically refers to a four-year
undergraduate Honours degree in the arts,
humanities or
social sciences awarded by one of the
ancient universities of Scotland – the
University of St Andrews, the
University of Glasgow, the
University of Aberdeen, the
University of Edinburgh - plus the
University of Dundee (as a result of its history as a constituent college of the University of St Andrews) and
Heriot-Watt University. The first two years of the Scottish Master of Arts consist of ordinary Bachelor level courses, however, after these, students who are accepted to pursue the Honours route will complete more advanced subjects and write a dissertation in their fourth year. Students who instead choose to do a "general" degree will complete their third year at a lower level of specialisation, and receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or an MA without Honours. For the postgraduate degree referred to in other places as "Master of Arts", Scottish universities usually award the degree of Master of Letters (MLitt). Generally, non-ancient universities in Scotland (e.g.
University of Strathclyde,
The Robert Gordon University,
University of the Highlands and Islands, etc.), award arts degrees as Bachelor of Arts.