Children's Literature: Children's Book Illustration (Taught)

Immerse yourself in the exploration of practical and professional approaches to children’s book illustration and writing for young children.

Why study MA Children’s Literature: Children’s Book Illustration

• This Masters is taught by Media, Communication and Cultural Studies, with some learning taking place in Education and Lifelong Learning.

• To refine your practical illustration skills and ideas by working on projects that focus on materials and their combination; colour, tone, creating atmosphere, addressing the reader, and the relationship of illustration to text. At the end of the programme there will be an opportunity to exhibit your work.

• To study bespoke modules in: Children’s Publishing which will help you with promoting your work and establishing dialogues with designers, editors, and agents; Picture Book Writing where you will learn how to write a picture book text that you will be given the chance to illustrate for your final project.

• To benefit from exposure to professional networks; recent visits have included Macmillan Children’s Books, Farshore, an imprint of Harper Collins, and Walker Books, the Association of Illustrators with guest lectures from established illustrators and visits to illustration studios.

• To be taught by specialist teaching staff, including prominent children’s authors and illustrators.

• To develop more than your practical skills: we draw on both professional and critical perspectives from art and education, cultural studies, design, and sociology to deliver a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to the subject of illustration. We expect you to interrogate the power relations that determine what is published, distributed and selected to be read by children.

• Media, Communications and Cultural Studies has been ranked 2nd in the UK for 'world-leading or internationally excellent' research (Research Excellence Framework, 2021) and 18th in the world (3rd in the UK) in the 2026 QS World Rankings for Communication and Media Studies.

Compulsory modules
The modules you will study on this degree cover both the theoretical and the practical aspects of illustrating for children’s literature.

Inclusion and Diversity
Children's Book Illustration Practice
Picture Book Writing
Children's Illustration Practice Dissertation

Optional module
In addition to the compulsory modules, you will also have the opportunity to tailor your studies to your personal interests by choosing one optional module:

Children's Publishing
Writing for Young People
Children's Literature in Action

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Assessments build on lectures and seminars so students are expected to attend all taught sessions to build knowledge and their own understanding of their chosen discipline. All assessed work is accompanied by some form of feedback to ensure that students’ work is on the right track. It may come in a variety of forms ranging from written comments on a marked essay to oral and written feedback on developing projects and practice as they attend workshops.