Welcome to the MA in Publishing at UCLan - the only specialist postgraduate Publishing programme in the North of England. We have worked closely with top professionals in the publishing world to create a unique curriculum which provides you with an excellent academic qualification and the vocational skills vital for you to pursue a successful career in Publishing. Our team of lecturers and tutors are dedicated academics and experienced practitioners in the book industries and we have designed the programme through consultancy with leading publishing houses such as Canongate, Faber & Faber, Harpercollins and Penguin, academic publishing houses, such as Liverpool University Press and Manchester University Press, as well as specialist houses, such as Carcanet and Comma Press.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

We normally require a good honours degree or equivalent. However, we will take into account previous experience in the workplace. Informal enquiries are welcome and may be followed by an initial advisory interview (which can be conducted by phone). If your first language is not English, you will be required to have an IELTS score of 7.5 or higher, or equivalent. Such equivalence may be shown by taking UCLan's own test of English proficiency.

Course Content

Our programme, consisting of six taught modules and an extended dissertation project, is designed to give you a broad range of skills and expertise to pursue a successful career in the publishing and book industries as well as situate publishing within the wider context of the creative, cultural and media industries.

Modules:

The History and Culture of Publishing is the core module for the MA in Publishing and will develop your understanding and knowledge of publishing and related industries, considering the evolution of editing, product development, publishing production and sales/marketing within a range of delivery platforms, including book, journal and digital media.

Digital Content Landscape explores the rapidly evolving digital landscape and equips you to identify emerging publishing opportunities, exploring hat publishing can learn from other media endeavours in this fraught area. You will be involved in creating sharing, managing and publishing digital content using digital technologies within a supported and scholarly environment.

Professional Practice: Work Placement and Evaluation is designed to support your work-based learning. Your work placement will provide opportunities to apply knowledge and to participate fully in the processes of publishing, within a guided and supportive framework. The module is designed to integrate your academic skills with business practice, continuing the work undertaken for the core module EN4400: Publishing Culture and Business Practice.

The Editorial Department explores the roles of both the copy and commissioning roles in relation to the processes of publishing, to develop your practical skills in publishing. 

The module involves your participation in a live project, dealing with the processes of publishing, from acquisition to the production of print-ready copy.
Children’s Writing and Publishing looks at the significant market for children’s books and publications. You will work in groups to establish a children’s imprint, publish and sell your own children’s book on the open market.

Fundamentals of Business for Media Entrepreneurs provides you with grounding in core principles of finance, strategy, marketing and other areas that comprise contemporary business fundamentals. Unlike traditional postgraduate-level business modules, this module orients the subject matter toward entrepreneurial media professionals, with particular emphasis on applying key concepts to multi-platform publishing businesses.

You will also complete a dissertation project, which will investigate an original topic relating to the publishing industry. You can work with a work with a publisher on a project you develop as part of your work placement, or produce a research study of aspects of publishing you have found to be of significance.

Course at a Glance

The programme consists of one double and four single taught modules and a dissertation. The modules are as follows:

EN4400 The History and Culture of Publishing
EN4401 Digital Content Landscape
EN4403 The Editorial Department
EN4405 Professional Practice
EN4604 Children’s Writing and Publishing
JN4110 Fundamentals of Business for Media Entrepreneurs
EN4404 Dissertation/Project

Semester 1

EN4400 The History and Culture of Publishing (20)
EN4401 Digital Content Landscape (20)
EN4405 Professional Practice (continues in semester two) (20) Semester 2
EN4405 Professional Practice cont. (20)
EN4403 The Editorial Department (20)
EN4604 Children’s Writing and Publishing (20)
JN4110 Fundamentals of Business for Media Entrepreneurs (20)  

Semester 2

EN4405 Professional Practice cont. (20)
EN4403 The Editorial Department (20)
EN4604 Children’s Writing and Publishing (20)

Semester 3

EN4404  Dissertation (60)

Links with Professional Bodies:

UCLan has established excellent links with a range of national publishing houses, for example, Hodder, Macmillan, Penguin and Random House, and leading independents such as Canongate and Faber & Faber, as well as publishers based in the north west region, including Carcanet Press, Comma Press, Liverpool University Press and Manchester University Press. Students can take their work experience in publishing houses within the region as well as those based further afield.

Assessment:

The programme incorporates a range of assessment strategies including presentations, pitches, indepdent and group work and practical projects that contribute to your understanding of how publishing works.

Learning Environment:

You will have access to our Realistic Work Environment in Publishing, which is located in the state-of -the-art Media Factory, one of UCLan's innovative learning spaces.

Careers:

A course module that will help you plan your career is available as a free choice module (called an elective), which you can study as part of your degree programme.

Fees and Finance

The standard fee for this course will be: £6,000 per year

For further information including the availability of bursaries/scholarships or student financial support please view our Fees and Finance pages.