Master Children’s Books & Co.

"The training of professionals for the children's book sector is a subject that BCBF has long felt it was time to commit to. The value of this project and the excellence of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore fascinated us from our very first meeting, and it was with great enthusiasm that we agreed to join the project, imagining that our experience of over half a century in the sector and our network of continuous relationships with its worldwide community could bring an effective contribution to the contents of the new Master's degree. A new chapter is beginning for BCBF and it is a gift to be able to inaugurate it in the very year in which we our celebrating our 60th anniversary." - Elena Pasoli, Exhibition Manager, Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Children's literature is a varied and innovative sector of Italian publishing. A quick glance at bookshop, TV series and film box office rankings is all you need to realise how vital the entire sector of productions for the youngest has become and that it is, therefore, also a great job opportunity for those who know how to illustrate, narrate, produce, edit and work with content intended for the world of the youngest, whether traditional or digital.

The new Master's degree course in Children's Books & Co. Publishing for Children and Cross-media was thus born from the collaboration between the Bologna Children's Book Fair and Università Cattolica, from an idea by Pierdomenico Baccalario and Book On a Tree. The aim is to provide, for the first time in Italy, all the professional tools and experience in the field needed to form solid, enthusiastic and informed skills for the minds destined to work in the sector.

"The idea behind this Master's programme, therefore, is to provide, finally and for the first time in Italy, all the professional, academic and field experience tools necessary to form solid, enthusiastic and informed skills, for the minds destined to work in the sector." - Pierdomenico Baccalario, Founder of Book On a Tree

Moreover, thanks to the educational experience of the other Master’s degrees in Publishing at the Università Cattolica, Professione Editoria and BookTelling, and the collaboration with many publishing houses, agencies, bookshops and promotional networks, the students will be involved in an engaging educational experience, made up of practical lessons and workshops, visits and mini-courses held by Italian and international professionals in the industry, professors from the Università Cattolica and other universities, an internship resulting from a personalised orientation pathway, and, finally, substantial post-graduate support.

"Along with the other two Master's programmes, the new course we have designed has some of the features that have led to excellent placement results over the years, with about 95% of the students working just one month after graduation." - Luca Rivali, Director of the Children's Books & Co. Master's programme.

The whole project takes an interdisciplinary and transmedia approach, paying attention to content and communication, economic and legal aspects, but also to psychological, pedagogical and cognitive ones.

What is the purpose? To train professionals in the production of content for children and young adults: scouts, editors, literary agents, rights officers, production management, communication, promotion and marketing, event organisation, creatives involved in the conception of books and their adaptations for the cinema, animated series, comics and video games.

As such, Bachelor's and Master's graduates from every course of study and every faculty, as well as curious and enthusiastic readers, are welcome. Graduating students are also eligible for the Master's course, provided that their degree is completed by the last term of the 2022/2023 academic year (by March/April 2024).

Further requirements: excellent general knowledge, creativity, motivation to work in the world of books and the cultural industry for children and young adults; interest in the aspects of communication-promotion-sales, digital technologies and graphics; good knowledge of English and preferably of other languages; curiosity and intellectual vivacity, willingness to get involved, willingness to commit one's personal resources to teamwork with other students, professional teachers and companies.