Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

This is suited to those working with children and young people across a range of professional and public services including education, psychology, social work, health, law, social policy, NGO and research settings. It is also suitable for people wanting a career change to working with children and youth.

The MSc Education, Children & Youth is an interdisciplinary programme specialising in research, policy and practice relating to children and young people. Underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the programme focuses on children and young people’s welfare, well-being and development, in the context of the complex and interdependent social issues facing contemporary childhoods and youth. The programme encourages students to develop their critical thinking and independent learning through a series of tailored reading programmes, capped by an independent research project or reflective work internship. Content is covered through a combination of lectures, laboratory work, seminars, tutorials and field trips, with a strong emphasis on collaborative group work and active learning, including the use of online resources and discussion.  A range of assessment strategies are incorporated including essays, presentations, group project work, reflective diaries, and a thesis.

• Have the ability to integrate knowledge and to reflect on wider disciplinary, scientific, professional, social and ethical responsibilities in conducting a research dissertation on a defined aspect of the lives of children and young people.
• Demonstrate and develop skills in self-directed and autonomous/self-directed learning through the completion of academic assignments and reports.
• Develop appropriate academic writing and communicative skills, engage in group work and presentation of core ideas, concepts and research findings.
• Show critical awareness of current policy and practice in relation to children’s rights, (especially as articulated in the UNCRC) and well-being and its application to a range of contexts across education, health and other sectors.
• Show critical awareness of the cognitive, social and personal development of children and young people and how concepts related to time, space, generation, agency, structure and identities shape understanding of children’s everyday lives.
• Deepen insights and critically consider issues of equality and social justice in the experiences of different groups of children and young people across a range of settings and contexts.
• Show familiarity with the concepts of agency and competency of children and young people and critically consider implications for their active participation and voice across a range of settings.
• Show critical awareness of debates policy and practice working with diverse groups of children including those with additional support needs, migrant children, and children across different cultural, economic and societal contexts.
• Show familiarity with the main research traditions in researching the lives of children and young people, including quantitative qualitative and mixed methodological approaches, as well as child participatory approaches that prioritize children.
• Demonstrate familiarity with the Growing Up In Ireland data sets (quantitative and qualitative) and capacity to analyse and apply findings in the context of international studies.
• Be thoroughly familiar with ethical issues in relation to research with children and young people.
• On completion, students should: Demonstrate detailed conceptual knowledge and understanding of the field of childhood and youth related research and childhood as a social phenomenon and draw on a range of disciplinary perspectives.

View All Modules Here

Core Modules:

• Children's Rights & Participat
• Research Methods 1
• Research Methods 2
• Children & Youth Dissertation
• Equalities Childrens Learning
• Wellbeing

Option Modules ( 1 out of 6 options):

• Ed.Sc:Psych in Schools(MEd/MA)
• Critical Policy Analysis
• Development education
• Inclusive Education
• Children's Literature

MSc Education, Children & Youth (W480) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 8650
nonEU    fee per year - € 21520

***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

Candidates applying to this programme will normally hold an upper second class honours degree (NFQ Level 8 or international equivalent)  from a recognised higher education institution. Admission to this course is subject to an interview. We welcome international applicants and advise that applicants, whose first language is not English, should have an IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no band below 6, or equivalent. Only applicants who have met the English language results will be considered.

Sara Lannin
MSc in Education, Children and Youth

“I wanted to learn about things that I’m most passionate about so it would be children and youth and education and it was this Master’s is everything that I wanted to do. I learned about the research, the policies, the practice and the different concepts that exist for understanding and supporting children and young people. I have the skills now to support and advocate for them in society thanks to the MSc. We looked at children’s rights, participation and well-being, global development education and research specifically with children. I loved the theoretical content but also the new people I met. It. is a really international programme with people from all over the world, so
you learn from different experiences and understandings.”

The following entry routes are available: