Children's and Young Adult Literature Dublin City University

Overview

Key features

Why Choose the MA in Children’s and Young Adult Literature at DCU?

• The School of English is proud of its ground-breaking history in initiating the academic study of children’s literature as a postgraduate discipline in Ireland.

• Members of the lecturing staff are experts in their fields, publishing and researching widely in the discipline, and co-founding national organisations (such as the Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature).

• The p Children's and Young Adult Literature programme of the  Dublin City University  offers students the opportunity to study children’s and young adult literature in a supportive environment; small class sizes ensure that everyone has a voice, and typically promote a close and mutually supportive relationship between students; lectures and seminars are lively and varied, and promote an interactive and participative environment.

• The wide range of modules on the programme ensures that students get the best opportunity to study their particular interests.

• The programme is supported by the activities of the Centre for Research in Children’s and Young Adult Literature, including talks by world-renowned specialists in the discipline, such as Prof Emeritus Peter Hunt (Cardiff), Prof Emerita Maria Tatar (Harvard), Prof Karen Coats (Cambridge), Dr Marah Gubar (MIT) and Dr Lucy Pearson (Newcastle).

• Students of the programme have access to the special collections of children’s literature held at O’Reilly Library (DCU Glasnevin Campus).

Potential Careers

Some of our graduates have used the programme as a springboard into doctoral study and academia, while others have used the knowledge and skills acquired on the programme to inform their work as journalists, judges, lecturers, editors, publishers, researchers and writers.

This programme has been of particular use to teachers of English at both primary and secondary levels, as a means of career development. It has also served the same purpose for school librarians and for librarians working in public libraries.

Graduates of the programme have also served as president of IBBY Ireland (the Irish section of the international non-profit organisation, which aims to bring children and books together); acted as adjudicators for, and chairs of, Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards; and, published children’s literature.