Publishing (Full Time) - MA

Do you want to launch your graduate career in a competitive, dynamic global industry? At Plymouth you can develop vital editorial, production and marketing skills with industry relevant digital technologies. Gain a network of professional contacts and invaluable experience through work placements and collaborative projects. Benefit from international events, such as London Book Fair, while exploring key publishing processes. You’ll also learn specialist software and create original publications.

This course is also available to study part-time.

Key features

• Engage with contemporary digital technologies, academic debate and research through the University’s Centre for Media, Art and Design research (MADr).
• Network with industry professionals, attend exclusive seminars and discover the global reach of publishing by attending London Book Fair through our MA programme.
• Take advantage of a range of professionally equipped facilities, including a suite of Apple Mac computers, small and large scale digital printers, a letterpress workshop and digital sound and video editing suites.
• Gain a vocational qualification endorsed by the publishing sector and establish your career in an industry that contributes £4.7 billion to the UK economy.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of the publishing industry in context, through practical workshops with Rooks Books, to behind-the-scenes trips to commercial printers and international distributors.
• Refine and test your newly acquired skills by undertaking a proofreading and copyediting qualification, as part of your masters degree.
• Benefit from a long-standing partnership with the University of Plymouth Press, enabling you to gain work experience and collaborate on live publishing projects.
• Immerse yourself in the regional publishing and arts sector through involvement with projects such as Plymouth International Book Festival, The Arts Institute programme or INK magazine.
• Join the list of our previous graduates who work for global publishers such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Wiley, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, FW Media and Quadrille Publishing.
• Establish a network of contacts through a dedicated work placement module. Benefit from invaluable partnerships with publishing professionals and a team of academic staff with extensive and diverse experience in the industry.
• Get ahead in a competitive, fast-paced sector by developing skills in editing, production, marketing, digital publishing, product development and publication design. 
• Tailor your time at university to meet your needs by fitting your study around work and personal commitments. Our part-time route allows you to study over two years, giving you the flexibility to study at a pace which suits you.

Course details

Programme overview

Study our MA Publishing and you’ll gain insight into key areas of the publishing industry and achieve a qualification endorsed by the sector. You’ll immerse yourself in the world of digital publishing, discovering new technologies and the impact these have on the industry. Through dedicated modules, you’ll develop an understanding of the skills and responsibilities essential to becoming a publishing professional, as well as the roles and collaborative processes vital to the industry. Engage with the different stages of the publishing process, from production and distribution to marketing and financial viability. You’ll be able to network with guest lecturers from established publishing companies and negotiate invaluable work experience, through placements and collaborative projects. Benefit from key industry partnerships with publishers such as FW Media and University of Plymouth Press.

Core modules

• MAPU716 Publishing Practice and Target Market
• MAPU717 Publishing as a Creative Industry
• MAPU718 Publishing Process
• MAPU719 Publishing Work Experience/Collaboration
• MAPU720 Publishing Dissertation or Publishing Project & Report

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest programme structure and may be subject to change:

MA Publishing Programme Specification 2017 18 5933

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.

Visit the Publishing (Full Time) - MA page on the University of Plymouth website for more details!