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Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA

London, Bloomsbury

UCL’s Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA explores cutting-edge research and theories about the politics of children and childhood. Taught by research-active academics working across global contexts, the course engages students with contemporary issues such as children’s rights in conflict and migration, the impact of digital technologies on childhood, and the effects of austerity and inequality. You will consider how to challenge dominant constructions of childhood and explore new possibilities for advancing social justice for children and young people.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£16,800
£8,400
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£35,400
£17,700
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelors' degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in sociology or a related social science subject. If you do not meet these requirements individuals with relevant work experience, or with A level sociology and an undergraduate degree in another subject who show a clear desire to change discipline may be considered.

The English language level for this course is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

This course is suitable for international students on a Student visa – study must be full-time, face-to-face, starting September.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The course provides you with the opportunity to identify, examine, and understand key sociological perspectives on the complex links between childhood, children's rights, and social justice. You will cultivate understandings of the shifting social status of children and childhood, considering emerging forms of inequality. You will develop conceptual and research skills to analyse how social, political and economic changes affect childhoods, as well as young people's contributions and creative responses to dynamic global contexts. 

Examining childhood in global contexts, as well as how childhood is cross-cut by class, 'race', gender, and ability, will enable you to question taken-for-granted assumptions about children and childhood. Historical perspectives will support you to identify how childhoods are shifting in contemporary contexts of neoliberalism, (post)colonialism, conflict, digitisation, and transnational migration. 

The course is one of four postgraduate sociology degrees offered by UCL Social Research Institute. Others are Sociology MSc, Sociology and Data Science MSc, and Sociology and Social Inequalities MSc. It is available full-time (one year), part-time (two years) or via flexible/modular study (taking a maximum of five years to complete). Find out more about each of these ways of studying.

Who this course is for

This MA is relevant for applicants interested in academic careers researching childhood and those seeking to develop professional practice with children, both in the UK and other international contexts. It is especially relevant for applicants aiming for careers in children’s services; education, health, legal, policy, and social care sectors; youth work; and children’s rights organisations.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This MA is housed within the UCL Social Research Institute (SRI), part of UCL Institute of Education (IOE), a world-leading centre for research in education and social science. SRI is internationally recognised for its interdisciplinary and policy-relevant research on children, families, and social inequalities. The course draws on the outstanding work of SRI academics and offers students the opportunity to learn from and contribute to real-world research and public engagement initiatives. Through this degree, students gain rigorous academic and practical training, develop expertise in research methods and critical analysis, and acquire a range of transferable skills essential for careers in advocacy, policy, research, and practice in childhood-related sectors.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The MA prepares graduates for successful careers in international child-related fields. As a graduate of this course, you will be equipped to work in a broad range of roles such as international NGO staff, children's charity workers, child advocacy workers, policy advisors and in research roles. You will also have the background to move into leadership roles in your current career.  

Graduates have gone into leadership roles in early years, schools, health, law and other child-related professions. Inspired by their MA studies in a dynamic and growing field of academic scholarship, some graduates also go on to doctoral-level study. (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-22)

The knowledge from the MA has been very helpful in my work with young people. The understanding of the importance of realising children's rights has materialised in my interactions with the young people from the disadvantaged areas I have worked in. I have delivered lunch and learn sessions to colleagues about my dissertation opening up conversations as to how we can further implement my knowledge strategically.

Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA student Christine John

Christine John

Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA

Q&A with Christine John

Employability

On this course, you will develop skills for: 

  • conducting creative, participatory and change-orientated research with children and young people 
  • critically analysing childhood policy and professional practice with children 
  • contributing to public debates about challenging issues ranging from child labour to children's use of social media 
  • undertaking collaborative projects with diverse participants 
  • exploring and developing innovative approaches to working with and for children and young people

Through a comprehensive approach based on UCL’s Pillars of Employability, encompassing formative and summative exercises across different modules, methodological training, extracurricular activities, career guidance including PhD preparation support, and volunteering opportunities (e.g., under the UCL Community Research Initiative), our students will have acquired. You also gain the wider skills desired by employers in the workplace, including critical analysis and decision-making skills, interpersonal and teamwork skills, the ability to undertake independent work and leadership, presentational and communication skills, project management and time keeping and workload prioritisation.

Networking

With a home in a vibrant centre of research on childhood and children's rights, you will have the opportunity to build networks with research-active staff, professionals from charitable and government sectors, activists and students from around the world, attend departmental events with visiting childhood scholars, and find out about volunteer, study, and work opportunities with children's organisations. 

UCL Careers also offers a range of services, providing access to skills development, recruitment and networking events. 

Accreditation

This programme is not accredited.

Teaching and learning

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical sessions, tutorials and research supervision, and is taught by scholars who have carried out research in the field. You will take part in both guided and self-guided personal work. You can discuss and apply your learning from the lectures and other activities in seminar sessions.

Assessment is carried out through a blend of formative and summative assessment methods. Module assessments on the course vary, and may include coursework (for example, essays and written assignments), presentations, or a form of examination. You may be expected to complete both individual and group assessments. UCL’s module catalogue details individual module assessments, but please note these may be subject to change on an annual basis.

Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

For full-time students studying on campus, typical contact hours are around 10 hours per week. In Terms 1 and 2, full-time students can typically expect between 8 and 12 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. In Term 3 and the summer period, students will be completing the dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their supervisors.

Part-time and Flexible students will need one day per week for each 15-credit module, plus additional time to prepare for assessments.

Modules

The Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA consists of eight taught compulsory modules (120 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits).

Students take four compulsory sociology modules alongside other postgraduate sociology students in the department.

Students also take four childhood-specific modules.

Dissertation teaching begins in Term 1 and includes workshops and individual supervision.

The Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA consists of eight taught compulsory modules (120 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits).

Part-time students will complete the course over two academic years. Up to six 15-credit modules can be taken in Year 1, with the remainder taken in Year 2.

Dissertation teaching begins in Term 1 of Year 2 and includes workshops and individual supervision.

The Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA consists of eight taught compulsory modules (120 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits).

Flexible students have between two and five years in which to complete the course, with the dissertation taken in the final year of study. You do not have to take modules every year. 

Compulsory modules











Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights.

Fieldwork

Students may choose to organise and undertake fieldwork in relation to their research for their dissertation, but this is not a requirement. If undertaken, fieldwork must be self-funded.

Placement

The course is well-connected with a range of organisations offering voluntary placements to students. Organisations are invited to come and discuss these opportunities with students in Term 1 and further opportunities are advertised as and when these become available. Undertaking a placement is not mandatory. 

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Where you'll study

people walking

The Social Research Institute is one of the leading centres in the UK for multidisciplinary teaching and research in the social sciences. We work to advance knowledge and to inform policy in areas including gender, families, education, employment, migration, inequalities, health and child/adult wellbeing.

Find out more about the Social Research Institute

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £16,800 £8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27) £35,400 £17,700

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a £350 deposit will be charged.

For modular/flexible offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a £500 deposit will be charged.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

The purchase of books may constitute an additional cost, but there is no requirement to purchase any book as part of the course.

Students are responsible for covering any travel, accommodation, and other expenses involved in conducting research for their dissertation, and should account for these costs when planning their finances. Fieldwork is not compulsory to complete a dissertation. If fieldwork is conducted, this is at the student’s own expense and should be estimated according to the type and length of fieldwork proposed. The exact cost to the student will depend on the location, prevailing exchange rates, and the price of travel and accommodation.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights at graduate level
  • why you want to study Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen course
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging course
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this course match what the course will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Social Research Institute
Social Research Institute

r.mendizabal@ucl.ac.uk

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