MA Children's Literature: Children's Book Illustration

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

• This Masters is taught by Goldsmiths Department of Media, Communication and Cultural Studies, with some learning taking place in the Department of Education Studies.
• 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.
• The Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies has been ranked second in the UK for 'world-leading or internationally excellent' research (Research Excellence Framework, 2021) and 16th in the world (third in the UK) in the 2024 QS World Rankings for communication and media studies.

You can explore our students' work by visiting our Illustration@Goldsmiths Instagram page.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Bruce Ingman.

For direct entry onto the degree, you should have or expect to achieve an undergraduate degree of at least upper second-class standard in a relevant area such as graphic design, illustration or art, or have equivalent professional experience.

We welcome applications from candidates you haven’t completed an UG degree in an art and design subject area. You will also be required to provide a portfolio as part of your application.

International students also have the option to study English language as part of the pre-sessional programme.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Where this degree can take you

As a graduate of the MA in Children’s Literature: Children’s Book Illustration you will have gained the skills and knowledge to succeed as a freelance children’s book illustrator and author. In addition to honing your understanding of the children’s publishing industry, this degree will provide you with the professional skills to enter the industry with confidence.

Gain access to the sector

Throughout the course you will benefit from the expertise and networks of renowned practitioners.

The Children’s Publishing module will develop your knowledge of the sector and your professional skills, while the degree show and visits to Bologna International Children’s Book Fair and London Book Fair to meet publishers and agents will provide you with a platform to build professional relationships within the industry.

The various publishers who have visited the course to give presentations include, Farshore an imprint of Harper Collins, Macmillan Children’s Books, Penguin Random House, Nosy Crow, Templar, Bloomsbury, and Walker Books. You will also benefit from Goldsmiths’ networks with institutions such as the Association of Illustrators.