Children’s Literature MA (Online)
Imagine new worlds for young readers
100% online
24 months (part-time)
180 credits
3 starts per year
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Shape the future of storytelling
- Apply By: 22/05/26
- Start: 08/06/26
The online Children’s Literature MA/PGDip/PGCert is for ambitious readers and writers who are passionate about children’s and young adult (YA) reading, storytelling, and literary creativity.
Learn from leading academics and practitioners, including author Michael Rosen, Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths. In a global children’s book market expected to grow significantly, this programme blends critical theory with creative practice, supporting aspiring writers and industry professionals as well as those seeking continuing professional development in the fields of education and literary studies. It prepares graduates to create, teach, and evaluate children’s literature with a sustained and informed commitment to diversity and representation.
As one of the only fully online master’s programmes in its field, this course offers the flexibility to gain a respected qualification while developing your critical and creative voice.
Programme details
- Learn from leading children’s authors and academics, including Professor Michael Rosen, and gain insight into how children’s literature is created, studied, taught, and shaped in contemporary culture.
- Join one of the UK’s leading universities for creativity and innovation, known for its distinctive approach to culture, storytelling, and critical thinking.
- Study a future-focused curriculum, exploring texts, visual contexts, and debates that reflect changing social, cultural, inclusive, and educational landscapes.
- Enjoy a flexible-first approach to online learning that meets the needs of working professionals.
More information about this programme
Click on each tab below to learn additional details regarding the programme requirements and features.
Curriculum
Shape the future of inclusive children’s literature
180 total credits
8 courses plus dissertation
The curriculum blends academic inquiry with creative writing and critical thinking, guided by expert scholars and practitioners. Students develop advanced analytical frameworks while engaging with texts that have shaped cultural identity, imagination, and contemporary storytelling.
What you’ll learn
Literary foundations
Gain a deep understanding of the evolution of children’s literature, examining how stories impact culture and young readers over time.
Critical and creative practice
Strengthen your analytical voice through theory-led study, while exploring creative approaches to interpreting and critiquing texts.
Research and professional application
Develop practical research, curation and reflective skills that support careers in publishing, education, and more.
Entry criteria
Your path to a purpose-driven literary career
3 intakes per year
Flexible routes to entry
We welcome applicants with an intellectual curiosity, writing ability, and passion for storytelling and children’s and young adult (YA) literature. For typical entry to this programme, we require you to have either:
- A BA or BSc degree at level 2:1 (or equivalent) in literature and humanities, education and childhood studies, creative and arts or social sciences.
- A BA or BSc degree at level 2:2 or above (or equivalent) in any discipline and at least 2 years of relevant work experience.
If you do not meet standard entry criteria, we may accept applications with a lower degree and significant work experience. Alternatively, we may recommend joining the PGCert in the first instance. Contact us to learn more.
English language proficiency requirement
If English is not your first language, you will need to supply an up-to-date English language test certificate. We accept IELTS certificates with an overall score of 6.5 and no less than 6.0 in any band. Alternative test certificates are also accepted, and exemptions can be made. Please contact us to find out more.
Apply today
Review our admissions pages for more information on language criteria and how to apply.
AdmissionsFees & funding
Tuition fee details
The estimated total cost of this programme is £12,500 GBP for the full MA. You can pay in full or in instalments of £1,300 every module, and £2,100 for the dissertation (paid in two instalments over approximately 7 months). All costs are listed to help you make an informed decision.
Programme fees are reviewed annually and are subject to change each academic year. The fees listed above are for academic year 2025-26.
Fees and Funding
We are excited to be offering discounts. Review our tuition and funding pages for more information.
Funding options
Create the stories that shape the world
An MA in Children’s Literature offers significant career advantages by equipping you with specialist editorial knowledge, narrative expertise, and advanced analytical skills applicable across publishing, media, literacy, and cultural sectors. Graduates of the campus-based master’s commonly progress into editorial, commissioning, content, and literacy-focused roles, building careers that develop from entry-level coordination to senior creative leadership.
Impact-driven careers in children’s literature
Senior Publicist £56,339 per year1
Content Lead £67,420 per year2
“It’s been very exciting developing an MA in Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths. […] Children’s Literature is essentially a human practice, it’s part of how we initiate our children into life, but also how we begin to shape how they think about and question what they are.”
–– Michael Rosen
What you’ll learn
Develop advanced analytical, research and writing skills that prepare you to contribute meaningfully to the fields of children’s and young adult literature. Strengthen your ability to evaluate texts, shape narratives, and understand how literature impacts young people.
Programme outcomes
- Analyse texts with historical and cultural insight
- Apply critical frameworks to contemporary storytelling
- Conduct independent research and reflective practice
- Write clearly for academic, creative, and professional contexts
- Evaluate how literature shapes childhood, identity, and imagination
Meet your faculty
The faculty within the School of Mind, Body, and Society bring together creative practice, literary scholarship, and social consciousness. Comprising writers, critics, and educators, they are deeply engaged with both the artistry and the politics of children’s literature. Their shared ethos is one of critical creativity—approaching children’s texts not only as stories, but as cultural artefacts that shape ideas of childhood, identity, and society.
Dr Emily Corbett, Programme Convenor
Dr Emily Corbett
Dr Corbett is General Editor of The International Journal of Young Adult Literature. As Programme Convenor, she offers a strong grounding in academic and critical perspectives on children’s and young adult literature. Her work often engages with identity, readership, and contemporary publishing, providing students with analytical tools to interrogate the field’s evolving boundaries.
Michael Rosen, Professor, Children’s Literature
Professor Michael Rosen
Since the late 1960s, Michael Rosen has written extensively across books, articles, plays, and scripts, alongside performing poetry for audiences of all ages and broadcasting on literature-related topics across radio and television. He served as the UK Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009. Michael studied English at Wadham College, Oxford, before completing an MA at the University of Reading. After earning his PhD in 1997, he has taught children’s literature on MA programmes at universities in the UK and internationally.
Related programmes
Sources
- Indeed Publicist Salaries in London. Retrieved Nov. 13, 2025, from https://uk.indeed.com/career/publicist/salaries/London.
- Content Lead salaries in London. Retrieved Nov. 13, 2025, from https://uk.jooble.org/salary/digital-content-lead/City-of-London.