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Universities Ireland National University of Ireland Galway Courses MA Literature and Publishing

MA Literature and Publishing
at National University of Ireland Galway

Galway, Ireland

Tuition Fee € 16,940
Country Rank#14
Duration12 Months
Score IELTS: 6.5 TOEFL: 88

Program Overview

Founded in 1995, this long-established and perennially popular MA remains Ireland’s only postgraduate programme dedicated to literature and publishing. It is a distinctive offering that explores the interfaces between writing and the marketplace, between literature and transmission, and between the aesthetic and material aspects of texts. Over the course of this year-long programme, students deepen their existing knowledge of literary studies while also developing new competencies in areas such as marketing, the practical elements of editorial and production work, and the business aspects of contemporary publishing.

This MA places a strong emphasis on professionalisation. Students participate in workshops dedicated to topics like finding internships, writing cvs and cover letters, developing interview skills, and maintaining a personal digital brand; they may also be offered Adobe InDesign training. In addition, it is possible to gain valuable, hands-on publishing experience by becoming involved with ROPES, a literary journal developed, edited, marketed, and produced by this programme’s students on an annual basis. This extracurricular project provides students with practical, cv-enhancing experience in areas including editing and copyediting, decision-making, project management, design, production, marketing, sales, promotion, and teamwork.

Students in this programme benefit from contact with numerous guest speakers from publishing and related industries who share their experiences and perspectives. Visiting speakers in recent years have included individuals from Tramp Press, O’Brien Press, The Educational Company of Ireland, Coracle Press, Skein Press, Gill Books, and Cúirt International Festival of Literature, along with many other companies and organisations. The programme also facilitates visits to libraries, cultural institutions, publishing houses, printers, or other relevant businesses. Some students volunteer with book fairs and literary festivals, and some become interns with Irish publishers.

The MA in Literature and Publishing not only seeks to prepare students for the varied demands of the professional world, but it also cultivates core academic skills in oral and written communication, textual analysis, critical thinking, and research. Students are encouraged to take an active approach to shaping their course so that it complements their prior academic credentials and work experience and reflects their individual interests.

Course Content
Students complete 30 ECTS of taught modules in semester 1 and 30 ECTS of taught modules in semester 2. In semester 1, all students register for ‘Contemporary Publishing’ (10 ECTS) and ‘Publishing: Perspectives and Professionalisation’ (10 ECTS). The remaining credits are selected from a suite of offerings that may include such choices as ‘Introduction to Business’ (10 ECTS), ‘Introduction to Digital Humanities’ (10 ECTS), ‘Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O’Casey’ (10 ECTS), ‘Representations of the Book in Literature and Film’ (5 ECTS), or ‘Media and Marketing Communications’ (5 ECTS). In semester 2, students register for 30 ECTS worth of modules such as ‘Copy-editing and Proofreading’ (10 ECTS), ‘Book History’ (10 ECTS), ‘Literature and Colonialism’ (10 ECTS), ‘Books Journalism’ (10 ECTS), ‘Medieval Aesthetics and Poetic Art’ (10 ECTS), ‘W.B. Yeats and the Cultural Revolution’ (10 ECTS), or ‘Literature of North America’ (10 ECTS).

In the final summer months of the programme, most students undertake the ‘Literature and Publishing Portfolio Project’ (30 ECTS). Portfolios contain several discrete pieces of work (approximately 15,000 words in total) related to contemporary literature and/or the publishing industry, and students have the flexibility to combine formal academic essays with other types of writing. In lieu of a portfolio project, some qualified students elect to complete the ‘Literature and Publishing Dissertation’ (30 ECTS). This option involves producing a single, extended piece of research-based academic writing (approximately 15,000 words) on a topic of the student’s own choice.

Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Year 1 (90 Credits)
- Optional DT6102: Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey - 10 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional MG529: Introduction To Business - 10 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional EN547: Literature And Colonialism - 10 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional EN6127: Representations of the Book in Literature and Film - 5 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional EN6128: Publishing: Perspectives and Professionalisation - 10 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional MK314: Media & Marketing Communications - 5 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional EN6136: Thinking about Books/Thinking about Theatre - 10 Credits - Semester 1
- Required EN579: Contemporary Publishing - 10 Credits - Semester 1
- Required EN6133: Literature and Publishing Portfolio Project - 30 Credits - Semester 1
- Optional EN581: Copy-editing and Proofreading - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional EN527: Literature Of North America - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional EN6101: Books Journalism - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional EN6125: WB Yeats and the Cultural Revolution - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional MIC6100: Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional EN6131: The Odes of John Keats - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional EN570: Book History - 10 Credits - Semester 2
- Optional EN6134: Studies in Literary History and Aesthetics - 10 Credits - Semester 2
Entry Requirement
NQAI Level 8 degree with an overall degree result of H2.2 and with a H2.1 in one subject is required (GPA 3.0 or equivalent overall).

Please note the IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent at least is expected, if applicable.
Fees & Scholarships
Fees: EU
€6,980 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Tuition
€6,840 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Student levy
€140 p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Non EU
€16,940 p.a. 2022/23

Student levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.
Career Prospect
Employers across a variety of sectors value not only the specific, publishing-related knowledge and competencies that MA in Literature and Publishing students acquire, but also the transferrable communication, research, project management, teamwork, and critical thinking skills that are cultivated over the course of this programme.

Many of our programme’s graduates have gone on to work in the publishing industry or related fields, such as arts administration, advertising, or public relations. Our alumni have secured internships or entry-level positions with companies including Gill and Macmillan, New Island Books, Four Courts Press, Random House, Columba Press, Mercier Press, ROADS Publishing, Lilliput Press, CJ Fallon, Educational Publishing Company of Ireland, UCD Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Springer Nature, Folens, Angry Robot, Penguin, Elsevier, and Educate.ie.

The MA in Literature and Publishing also provides a solid academic foundation for those interested in continuing their studies at PhD-level in English or related fields.

Cost Of Studying At National University of Ireland Galway

Interest rates as low as 8.9% ^*

250K+

Students Assisted

800Cr+

Loan Amount Disbursed

5000+

Loans Sanctioned

Check Loan Eligibility

MA Literature and Publishing at National University of Ireland Galway