The Master of Arts in Children’s Literature (MACL) Program is jointly offered by the Department of English Language and Literatures, the Department of Language and Literacy Education, the School of Creative Writing, and the School of Information (iSchool), with administrative support housed at the iSchool. Our program provides a multidisciplinary approach to the study of children’s and young adult literature and media, offering students an opportunity to study writing and publishing this literature, examine models of sharing its rich heritage with the young, and also to facilitate the literary, social, historic, and psychological analyses of children’s literature as literature. This multidisciplinary approach exposes students to many schools of literary criticism, educational theory, and professional and creative practice. It acquaints students with the broad literary canon of children’s literature across a spectrum of languages and cultures, and with a variety of critical perspectives and professional application. Across various disciplines, departments, and faculties, a broad range of courses provide disciplined, academic study of children’s and young adult literature and media.
UBC’s MACL Program is the only one of its kind in the world offered from such a broad, multidisciplinary perspective and the only Master’s program in children’s literature in Canada. The program is unique in that the two faculties and the four academic units jointly provide faculty, courses, thesis supervision and committee support to give the graduate academic study of children’s literature a perspective on the full life cycle of the literature – the creation of the literature (through Creative Writing), its critical analysis (through English) and pedagogical approaches to the literature in interaction with children in schools, homes and libraries (Language and Literacy Education; School of Information).
Opportunities
- Access to the university library’s collections in historical and contemporary children’s books, including 4,000 early and rare children’s books and some 50,000 modern children’s books
- Opportunity to help plan the Vancouver International Summer School and graduate conference.
- Opportunities to work as teaching assistants in both the School of Creative Writing and the School of English
- Opportunities for paid work experience through The Work Learn Program
Funding
There are a variety of awards available to UBC graduate students, including the Ronald Jobe Children’s Literature Scholarship, which is specifically set aside for students in the MACL program.
Admissions
An undergraduate student considering working in the field of children’s literature should consult the iSchool about useful preparatory classes. An interview may be arranged at any time.
A broad cultural background is expected of MACL candidates. The prospective student should select courses to give some acquaintance with the humanities and social sciences during undergraduate studies. Particular attention should be paid in undergraduate or graduate studies to courses in children’s literature, English, writing for children, child psychology, and the history of childhood.
For admission to the M.A. in Children’s Literature, a candidate must:
- Possess a four-year bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) from a recognized university in a relevant discipline or in an area which is regarded as appropriate by the iSchool Admissions Committee for the program
- Have achieved a minimum overall average in the “B+” range (76% at UBC) in third- and fourth-year level courses of a bachelor’s degree
- Show promise of success or superior accomplishment in one or more aspects of children’s literature as attested by letters of reference
Estimated tuition per year: $5,738.52 (full-time study)
For more information: https://macl.arts.ubc.ca/