University launches degree in comic books

A Scottish university is to offer the UK's first degree in comics. Dundee University said the one-year Masters in Comic Studies would be launched by its English department in September 2011.

The degree is built on "strong local traditions" in the comic book industry, the university said. Dennis the Menace, Desperate Dan, Oor Wullie and the Broons, the inventions of Dundee-based publishers DC Thomson and Co, were all born in the city.



Graduates on the course will study the impact of comics on the worlds of art, literature and popular culture. The degree programme will be led by Dr Chris Murray, one of the UK's leading authorities on comics, and editor of the Studies in Comics journal.

Dr Murray said: "This is a very exciting time for comics scholarship, and I am delighted to be able to offer this postgraduate course on comics. This is a unique opportunity to give this important medium the attention it deserves, and to allow those with an interest in comics to study it in detail." A PhD in comic studies will also be available to those who have completed the MLitt course.