Childrens Literature M.Phil. P.Grad.Dip. Featured Image

Universities Ireland Trinity College Dublin The University of Dublin Courses Childrens Literature M.Phil. P.Grad.Dip.

Childrens Literature M.Phil. P.Grad.Dip.
at Trinity College Dublin The University of Dublin

Dublin, Ireland

Tuition Fee € 17,374
Country Rank-
Duration12 Months
Score IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 88

Program Overview

This postgraduate degree programme offers an exciting opportunity to study a wide range of children's literature – a broad category that encompasses everything from picture books through to Young Adult fiction. Examining texts from across several centuries, the course addresses chronologies, genres, modes of criticism, readerships, publishing trends and the full apparatus of literary investigation, while exploring the unique power dynamics that arise from adult authors creating texts for younger readers. While the focus is on literary analysis, the programme also currently offers a creative writing element. The course may be taken full-time or part-time.

Situated in Dublin, a UNESCO City of Literature, this taught master’s programme also pays special attention to the role of the Irish contribution to the development of children's literature in English. It offers unique opportunities to engage in archival research, to explore the Pollard Collection of Children’s Books – the largest collection of children’s books in Ireland – as well as to work with the National Collection of Children’s Books (nccb.tcd.ie).

Students of different nationalities and from diverse backgrounds and disciplines have successfully completed the programme since it was established in 2011. Many graduates have careers in areas such as editing, publishing, arts management, journalism, curation, teaching, librarianship, and academia. Over the years, students have worked with leading academics in the field, attended guest lectures by local and international scholars and authors, applied for funding opportunities to research archives at Yale University and at Trinity, collaborated with Children’s Books Ireland on their ‘Bold Girls’ initiative, curated an exhibition in Trinity Library’s Long Room (see Story Spinners: Irish Women and Children’s Books), created podcasts with International Literature Festival Dublin, and immersed themselves in the vibrant children’s literature community at the School of English.

The course consists a core module ‘Perspectives and Case Studies in Children’s Literature’ that runs in the first and the second semester, as well as option modules. Students take one option module in each of the semesters, choosing from a variety of special subjects on offer each year. In recent years, the children’s literature options have included: ‘The Victorian Child’, ‘The City and Children’s Literature’, ‘Material Culture and Children’s Literature’, and ‘Creative Writing for Children’. Students also take the one-semester modules ‘Research Skills for Postgraduate English’ and ‘Mapping the Literary Field’, which are shared with other M.Phil. programmes at the School of English. There are also opportunities to take an option module outside of the area of children’s literature. Students finally complete a dissertation of 15,000 –16,000 words.

Course Content
The centrepiece of the course is the core ‘Perspectives and Case Studies in Children’s Literature’ module, which runs across two semesters. Covering a wide range of texts and genres, contexts and concepts, it addresses some of the major trends in the writing and reception of children’s literature from across the centuries. This survey module will introduce students to diverse topics such as histories, theory and criticism, collections and archives, myth, landscape, theatre, fairytales, picturebooks, gender and sexualities, young adult literature, fantasy, school stories, and so on. Students will have the opportunity to engage in the close analysis of English-language texts from around the world in a way which offers both breadth and depth of research. The topics of the core module are presented in a two-hour seminar each week. Further foundational grounding in issues of importance to studying and researching English literature at postgraduate level is provided through the ‘Research Skills for Postgraduate English’ and ‘Mapping the Literary Field’ modules. Full-time students will have approximately six contact hours per week.

Students also take two specialist option modules, reflecting our commitment to cutting-edge research-led teaching. In recent years, the children’s literature options have included: ‘The Victorian Child’, ‘The City and Children’s Literature’, ‘Material Culture and Children’s Literature’, and ‘Creative Writing for Children’. A wealth of option modules from our other M.Phil. programmes will also be available to you. In the final phase of the course, you will complete a dissertation. This will allow you to pursue in-depth research on a subject of your choice under expert supervision and drawing on our fantastic library and archival holdings.
Entry Requirement
Applicants should have a good honours degree (at least an upper second or a GPA of at least 3.3). A sample of the candidate’s own critical writing (3,000-5,000 words) is also required.
Fees & Scholarships
The fees for Childrens Literature M.Phil. P.Grad.Dip. may vary from €10,000 to €25,000 annually for tuition fees. The fee's prices may get higher for International Students.
Career Prospect
We have an excellent employment record for our postgraduates both in Ireland and internationally. Our taught and research degree programmes enable students to develop their creativity and intellectual confidence. They also offer valuable transferable skills, such as being able to present ideas clearly and persuasively, and to find, absorb and analyse complex information and concepts. Our postgraduates have gone into careers in education, the arts and culture sector, librarianship, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, social work, the civil service and management consultancy. Many alumni have also gone on to become successful writers.

Cost Of Studying At Trinity College Dublin The University of Dublin

Interest rates as low as 8.9% ^*

250K+

Students Assisted

800Cr+

Loan Amount Disbursed

5000+

Loans Sanctioned

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Childrens Literature M.Phil. P.Grad.Dip. at Trinity College Dublin The University of Dublin