5 reasons to study Welsh at Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»
If you want to study the Welsh language at university, Bangor is the obvious choice to do so as the city is located in Gwynedd, the county in Wales with the highest percentage of Welsh speakers. Studying in Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» is an opportunity to immerse yourself in Welsh culture. You'll often here Welsh spoken and be able to live your life through the medium of Welsh. The opportunities to socialise here are second to none, with UMCB, Bangor's Welsh Students' Union, organising a variety of events for students, you'll also find many Welsh events here in the City of Bangor and in the surrounding area too, from plays to gigs and comedy nights.
A degree in Welsh from Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» is a strong and solid foundation for a successful career in a variety of different fields. Our recent graduates have gone on to become teachers, lecturers, journalists, authors, editors, Welsh language tutors, civil servants, politicians, researchers, translators, language enterprise and local government workers, librarians and workers in museums and in the heritage industry.
There is no such thing as a 'traditional' career for people with a degree in Welsh. By studying Welsh at Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» you'll cultivate and refine excellent transferable skills, such as writing confidently and accurately, leading and participating in discussions, understanding and analysing information and presenting ideas and arguments, all of which opens doors to many different jobs. 100% of our graduates are either in work or following postgraduate courses 15 months after graduating, which is proof of the value of a degree in Welsh from Bangor in the world of work .
At Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» the lecturers who will teach you are experts in their respective fields, and that the school is one of the most prestigious in the field of Celtic Studies, not only in Wales, but across the whole world. Our lecturers are regularly invited to judge the main competitions at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, to lecture to local societies all over the country, to discuss various topics on television and radio and in magazines, and to deliver papers and lectures in conferences. Bangor was the home of the XVIth International Celtic Studies Congress, the world's largest and most important Celtic Studies conference, in 2019, and over the past few years our lecturers have been lecturing and taking part in conferences in places as diverse as Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States of America.
As the School of Welsh and Celtic Studies is a relatively small department, everyone here knows each other, and we have a close community of students and lecturers. Socially, studying in Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» will give you the opportunity to meet hundreds of new people, but academically, you will have lectures and seminars in small groups in an intimate atmosphere. You will know your lecturers, your lecturers will know you. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to receive individual attention in order to discuss your academic work or other matters. We take great pride in the fact that we know our students individually, and give them every possible support to see them succeed.
There has never been a time when there was a greater need for bright and enthusiastic graduates in the Welsh language. The Welsh Government has announced a target of one million speakers by 2050, and that is not going to happen without teachers, tutors, journalists, writers, civil servants and many other Welsh-speaking people. The language needs people who are going to inspire other people and organisations to embrace the language and strengthen it in every corner of Wales. Studying Welsh is an unforgettable experience, an opportunity for you to get to know the language, literature, history and culture of Wales better. It is an opportunity for you to be excited by books and ideas. If you choose to come and study Welsh in Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³», you can be absolutely sure that whatever career you choose to follow after graduating will make a real difference.
From personal support and exciting opportunities to a vibrant Welsh language community, there are plenty of reasons to choose the School of Welsh at Bangor.
#1 in the UK
for Quality of Teaching in Welsh Studies, with questions including how well teaching staff explain things and how often it challenges students to achieve their best work. (NSS 2026)
100% Overall Satisfaction
in Welsh Studies (NSS 2026)
#1 in the UK
for Learning Opportunities in Welsh Studies, with questions including how well the course has developed students' knowledge, and how well it introduced subjects and skills that build on students' learning. (NSS 2026)
#1 in the UK
for Academic Support in Welsh Studies, with questions including how easy it was to contact teaching staff and how well teaching staff supported students’ learning. (NSS 2026)
#1 in the UK
for Organisation and Management in Welsh Studies, with questions including how well organised the course was and how well changes to teaching on the course were communicated. (NSS 2026)
#1 in the UK
for Students Union in Welsh Studies, with questions including how well the Students' Union represents students' academic interests. (NSS 2026)
#1 in the UK
for Wellbeing in Welsh Studies, with questions including how well information about the university's mental wellbeing support services was communicated. (NSS 2026)
Find the right Welsh course for you
Video transcript: Student profile - Lili Jones - subject page
I'm Lili, but maybe you know me from... Lili Jones receives the ball, shoots, oh what a goal! Lili Jones from distance, Lili Jones! A thunderous strike from distance! Up the town!
My name is Lily. I'm from Wrexham, and I'm studying Welsh and journalism.
I think I chose Bangor because I was playing for Wrexham, so I needed a university that wasn't too far from home, but also I wanted to be far enough from home at the same time so Bangor just worked perfectly for me from kind of a travel perspective. But since then I've honestly I've settled in really well and enjoying every minute.
It wasn't an easy decision for me to go study in Welsh. You know, I did physics and maths at A-level and just studied one year at AS with Welsh, but the opportunities I had through football, you know with doing interviews, the opportunities that S4C gave me and I was lucky enough to fly out to America to speak Welsh out there!
And I just realised actually, there's so much power in the Welsh language. And that was something that I just wanted to continue to do. My mum's English so she was a bit like, oh, is that the right decision to make?
But also she can understand that the opportunities that the Welsh language can give you are unbelievable. You know, you can do anything with a Welsh degree.
And I think that's probably the main reason I chose it. It’s so open, I can do whatever I want with, with that degree and hopefully I'll be on TV one day speaking the language if I'm lucky enough.
I think the thing I enjoy most about the subject is that Welsh is so much more than just a language.
You know, that there's so much history behind it, you know, looking into literature and how the poets create different poems and use different words to make different sounds is something I’m really enjoying at the moment.
You know, I had a taste of it in Wrexham. My family speak Welsh and but coming out here, it's just been so different. You know, people in the kebab shop after a night out are speaking Welsh! You turn to Welsh as your first language when you're in the shops, when you're in restaurants. And that's just something I’ve not been used to.
So it's been nice to be able to say to use Welsh as a first language rather than the secondary one. Favourite thing about Bangor? Honestly, I do think it's the Welsh community. We're like a family out here. I wasn't sure I was going to settle in, but I think I made friends for life here.
Living in JMJ with with the best people is is something I think that's the best thing about Bangor for me at the moment.
Go for it. Come here!
It’s a great university and there's a great life to be had here!
Lili's Story Football and Studying Welsh at Bangor
"It wasn't an easy decision for me to go study in Welsh. You know, I did physics and maths at A-level and just studied one year at AS with Welsh, but the opportunities I had through football, you know with doing interviews, the opportunities that S4C gave me and I was lucky enough to fly out to America to speak Welsh out there!
And I just realised actually, there's so much power in the Welsh language. And that was something that I just wanted to continue to do"
Lois's Story "Go for it, study Welsh at Bangor"
Why Bangor?
"I chose to study Welsh at Bangor because there is a very welcoming and supportive atmosphere in the Department of Welsh. I realised that studying Welsh can open so many doors, and since the University is located in a Welsh-speaking area, I was confident that studying Welsh here would be a fantastic experience."
What makes the support from lecturers so special?
"Nothing is too much trouble for the lecturers in the Department of Welsh. As students we know that their support is available at any time. Every lecture is meticulously planned and brings out the best in us each week."
How is studying Welsh shaping your future?
"The course has opened my eyes to all the opportunities available when studying a Welsh degree. In our course we learn skills that prepare us for whatever path we choose to follow."
Follow what we've been up to...
Liam's Story From Bangor to the BBC: A Journey from University to the Newsroom
"The three years I spent at Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³» were among the best of my life. They gave me the chance to learn about subjects that genuinely interested me and helped me to broaden my skill set. The university offered a wide variety of engaging modules, allowing me to explore entirely new fields of study. The support from the staff was excellent, I truly felt that they placed students at the heart of everything they did."
"I now work as a reporter across BBC Cymru’s services, in both Welsh and English, covering television, radio and online platforms. My primary focus is uncovering original stories and reporting for the S4C news programme, Newyddion. It’s a fantastic job that gives me the opportunity to meet new people and travel to all sorts of places, both within Wales and beyond."
Our Research in Welsh and Celtic Studies
The Department of Welsh has research specialisms in all major areas of Welsh literature. Staff members also include some of the most prominent writers and poets in contemporary Wales such as Dr Angharad Price, Dr Jason Walford Davies, Professor Jerry Hunter and Professor Gerwyn Wiliams. We work closely with other academic Schools in the University, e.g. with History and Welsh History in the field of Celtic Studies and with Modern Languages in the fields of translation studies and comparative literature.
The main aim of our research is to place Welsh literature in new intellectual contexts. At Bangor, the objective remains to study Welsh literature not as remnants of a 'Celtic' past but as a manifestation of a viable literature that belongs to the modern world.
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