Children's Literature & Literacies

Testimonials

"With this degree you can become one of those fantastic people that help other people realise how important children's literature is, that it IS literature and that it should be used in schools! Also, you could work in a children's bookshop, do a Phd, or increase your opportunities to work as a teacher or publisher because of your extra knowledge about children's literature. It's great!"

Margot Van Dingenen, 2013

"I decided to study at Glasgow because it offered a course I was particularly interested in, and I felt I wanted to move to a new city with something different to offer. The university has a great history to it and is a completely different type of university to where I did my first degree, so I thought it would broaden the scope of my experiences as a student.

I chose my programme of study because it was a unique course, very few places in Scotland offer anything on Children's Literature - and a closer look showed me that the staff were experts in their field and conducting relevant research all the time, which meant they would pass on a lot to myself and other students during our course.

Studying at the School of Education broadened my horizons - the diversity of student backgrounds enhanced my appreciation of different points of view, and how different issues are approached by different cultures. The emphasis on learning through discussion and sharing helped with my understanding of issues and it felt like a great community.

My favourite aspect of my studies at Glasgow was having the chance to work with experts in my subject and learn from them, as well as hearing such a wide variety of views on our discussion topics. I really learned a lot from my classmates as well as my tutors!

Academically I feel that I was given as much support as I needed, and this showed in my grades which went up as the year went on. Tutors were helpful in letting us know what was required of us in assignments, and identifying areas we could improve on. Feedback was detailed and tutors made themselves available for meetings or advice whenever possible.

I didn't use university facilities as much as I probably should have. However the library does hold a huge stock of books; I could spend years there going through all of the relevant information.

My programme has made me more employable through helping me learn more transferable skills and allowing me to identify more of my strengths and weaknesses, and gave me the tools to address these. I have had more interest from employers than when I only had my undergraduate degree, and I entered full-time employment as soon as I finished my dissertation. I am a lot more focused on what I want to do career-wise than I was before my masters.

Glasgow is a vibrant city with loads to do - especially if you like eating, drinking, music and partying. There are many nice places to enjoy a quiet drink and a lot of cultural attractions – trips Kelvingrove Art Gallery and the Riverside Museum were two of my favourite days out.

For a potential student, I would recommend visiting the School if you can and meeting the people who run your course. You need to make sure it is definitely the course for you, as it is a big investment not only financially but with your time too. I spent far more time reading, writing and researching during my masters than in my previous course and you have to be prepared to have a quiet year socially if you are to get the most out of it. But enjoy it! Once you know it's what you want to do you will have a great year learning about something you are passionate about and eventually researching, potentially making a difference in that field."

Mairi Thomson, 2012

"This programme has challenged my thinking about literacy, it has also transformed my classroom practices with children and young adults."

Emma McGilp, 2012

"This course has reignited a fire within me, a passion for children's literature like I never knew existed"

Samantha Stewart, 2012