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Children's Book Illustration

Attendance

Campus

Start

Duration

1 Year

Start

September 2023

Delivery

Campus Taught

The MA in Children’s Book Illustration (with optional Professional Placement) is perfect for practicing professional illustrators, artists and designers wishing to develop new ideas and techniques aimed at the children’s market. This taught, studio course is also suitable for recent design graduates who wish to focus and refine their ideas at a more advanced level.

Although primarily a visual course for artists and illustrators, authorial control over content is also hugely important in the children's book field, so the ability to write creatively and to fuse written and visual content is an important component in the practice of children’s book illustration.

The emphasis of the course is on the practice of illustration for children’s picture books and story books. At postgraduate level you will be encouraged to pursue an original line of enquiry within your chosen area of children’s book illustration and design.

Why study with us

Learn to generate ideas and visually problem solve to a deadline whilst forging your own visual vocabulary.
At the end of the course you will have a body of work produced to a professional and publishable standard.
Our students have won several national children’s book awards and our alumni have illustrated over 70 published titles so far.

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Degree Show 2022

Discover the award-winning creative work produced by our postgraduate Children's Book Illustration students. The degree show features work in a range of mediums by students from the School of Arts & Media.

Access the Degree Show

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What you'll do

You’ll benefit from a programme of guest practitioner lecturers, company and consultancy visits as well as exhibitions and extra workshops. 
Project work will be exhibited in a final showcase that will be attended by industry and potential employers, as well as family, friends, students and the general public.
You’ll have access to a wide range of staff expertise and extensive workshops and studio resources.

Module overview

Course delivery

This course is taught face-to-face at one of our UK campuses.

100%Face-to-face

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Looking to start your postgraduate journey?

Our range of subjects and study modes can support your goals, take your next step with a postgraduate degree.

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Children's Book Illustration facilities

Future careers

Children’s Book Illustration graduates could enjoy a career as an author/illustrator for children’s books, working as a book designer, or working in the publishing industry.

Most children’s illustrators work as freelancers, often developing their own book ideas, or working as illustrators for hire for UK and International publishing houses.

Some specialise purely in children’s work whereas others work as character and toy designers, animators or as general illustrators working across design and advertising disciplines, as well as in the publishing industry.

Our students’ books have been awarded by Pan Macmillan and Hachette and our alumni have gone on to be published by Bloomsbury, Little Tiger Press, Orion, Pan Macmillan, Chronicle, Frances Lincoln and more.

Fees and funding

2022/23

Full-time£7800 per year

Part-time£867 per 20 credits

International

Full-time£14500 per year

2023/24

Full-time£8,400 per year

Part-time£933 per 20 credits

International

Full-time£15,500 per year

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of bursaries, scholarships and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country to see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

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Through the collective community, you’ll have access to a wide range of staff expertise and extensive workshops and studio resources.

The course is supported by extensive computer, studio and workshop facilities located within the department and the University as a whole. There is also a programme of guest lecturers, company and consultancy visits as well as exhibitions and extra workshops. 

Both the practical and theoretical elements will be assessed both during and at the end of each module. The final form of the assessment strategy and criteria is the result of collaboration between student and staff.