MA Publishing (12 months)

Introduction

Our Masters in Publishing will take you on a journey through the contemporary publishing industry, giving you key skills and knowledge for a career in publishing and related fields. You will investigate how books and other publishing products and services are commissioned and completed, including the modern production processes and business strategies used to succeed in the competitive media environment. You’ll consider the legal environment in which publishing operates, focusing on the management, sale and licensing of rights in publishing. You’ll also look at wider issues connected to digital publishing, including e-book and audiobook markets.

Offered in Cambridge full- or part-time, our postgraduate degree has been developed in consultation with Cambridge University Press and other local publishers including ProQuest and Lutterworth’s, so you can be confident it meets the professional needs of today’s publishing industry. Our connections with UK and international firms and organisations will provide you with many opportunities to make contacts for your career, including through work placements and field trips. Lectures by invited publishers, authors and agents will give you up-to-the-minute information on key issues and emerging technologies. We also run a professional mentoring scheme with Cambridge University Press so you can find an industry mentor reflecting your own interests.

How you'll be assessed

You will show your progress on the course through a combination of essays, reports, business plans, book proposals and individual or group presentations, as well as your final Major Project.

Careers

Our MA Publishing will help you develop skills and knowledge for a career in the publishing industry, or any field that involves editorial work, marketing, business planning or project management. Many of our graduates now work in a publishing-related role with companies such as Bloomsbury, Wiley Capstone, Pearson, Cambridge University Press and Macmillan. Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your time with us. You could choose to continue your academic career with a research programme at ARU, such as our PhD Publishing.

Students should have a good honours degree (or equivalent), normally in a related subject. Students with professional experience are also encouraged to apply.