IT IS a minority language used by just 6000 people in Scotland, but it will now get its first degree course.

The new full-time MA in British Sign Language (BSL), which will be offered by Heriot-Watt University, will help boost the number of people able to use the language. At present, deaf people in Scotland are served by just 50 official interpreters.

Currently, there are no undergraduate sign language degrees offered at universities north of the Border, with anyone wishing to study the subject to degree level having to travel to England.

British Sign Language, which was recognised as a minority language in 2003, will become part of the Edinburgh university's modern language portfolio, giving students the chance to learn it alongside French, German and Spanish.

Professor Graham Turner, chairman of Interpreting and Translation Studies, said: "This is the culmination of many years' work by deaf people and their allies to secure a vital skills boost in the sign language field.

"Access to sign language interpreters can change the lives of deaf people.

"In 2003, Jack McConnell, as first minister, set the target of doubling the number of sign language interpreters: he didn't achieve it, but now we can aim to match and better that target."

The degree is to be offered with Scottish Funding Council backing of £744,192 over six years to build on current Scottish Government investment of £1.5 million, which has helped the university develop BSL resources and training.

Mark Batho, chief executive of the funding council, said: "This is the first course of its kind, not only in Scotland, but the UK, and will create highly employable graduates with in-demand skills."

Organisers of the course point to Finland as an example of the need for Scotland to increase levels of BSL interpreters. The country, which is of comparable population size to Scotland, has between 500 and 600 sign language interpreters while Scotland has around 50.

Mr Turner said he has worked out that each deaf person in Scotland is entitled to three minutes a day interpreting support.

"If you think of a deaf person at a hospital or a police station, three minutes of an interpreter's time is just not enough," he said.

"Scotland needs far more BSL interpreters than it currently has.

"If you look at Finland, a country around the same size as Scotland, it has more than 500 sign language interpreters and they count themselves short of interpreters. The deaf community in Finland is pushing for more yet we have just 50."

Fanny Chouc, Career Liaison Officer for Languages at the university, said the opportunities for graduates of interpreting degrees are varied, with BSL interpreters needed in a variety of sectors, from schools and hospitals to the UN.

"This new degree will make graduates very employable, considering the small number of interpreters available in this country," Ms Chouc said.

"Scotland is quite ahead in a sense for providing for sign language interpreters in this way and showing that it is an organised and coordinated profession."

The Scottish Government's British Sign Language and Linguistic Access Working Group is currently seeking ways to improve linguistic access for the deaf community.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: "This is a significant and positive development that opens up opportunities for people who use, or need to learn, sign language in Scotland."