MA Publishing

at University of the Arts London

Each course is divided into units, which are credit-rated. The minimum unit size is 20 credits. The MA course structure involves 7 units, totalling 180 credits.

Term 1

The first stage of the course introduces publishing theory and analyses aspects of content and audience. You’ll explore the publishing process from commissioning and copyright to marketing and production. You’ll learn critical approaches and make connections across your growing holistic understanding of publishing. You’ll start to explore aspects of research that will underpin your final project.

Context (20 credits)

Surveying the theoretical context and creative industries in which publishing sits, you’ll focus on building your academic research and reading skills.

Content (20 credits)

Taking a practical approach to learning, this unit will support you to explore the traditional commercial frameworks for books and magazines. You’ll analyse and evaluate ways to source and develop content, as well as designing and producing different types of content using print and digital production methods.

Audience (20 credits)

You’ll explore ways to analyse and understand markets as well as creative approaches to identifying and engaging diverse audiences for published content. The focus of this unit is on industry-facing assignments.

Term 2

The second stage of the course provides opportunities to develop creative and collaborative approaches to publishing. With the focus on projects, you’ll have the opportunity to put your learning into practice. Research, practical working and industry-facing activity continue through these units.

You'll have the opportunity to experiment, connect with other creative people and develop your thinking around future publishing applications.

• Audience (continued)
• Collaborative Unit (20 credits)

Applying your learning so far, you’ll work alongside other creatives to manage a publishing project to a deadline. This project emphasises practical aspects of workflow and project management as well as creativity in collaboration.

Innovation (20 credits)

Offering the opportunity to build on your digital skillset, you’ll conceptualise an experimental publishing product or service in digital-only formats. You’ll think about content from a digital-first perspective, examining existing models of innovation and exploring new business models for digital products. This project involves research to drive experimentation.

Professional Practice and Enterprise (20 credits)

This unit focuses on your professional journey with support and discussions looking at future careers and opportunities in the sector. You will engage in conversations with industry guests, be involved in producing our annual publishing event and explore cutting edge ideas in publishing.

Term 3 and Term 4

• Innovation (continued)​
• Professional Practice and Enterprise (continued) 
• Major Project (60 credits)

The Major Project is your opportunity to develop a significant project of your own, building on your learning from the previous stages.

Choices of output here allow you to explore an industry-facing publishing issue, question or problem, depending on your particular interests and personal approach.

You may choose to work on a dissertation, a research project leading to the development of an artefact or prototype, or a business strategy research document.

All choices will involve conducting primary research, applying methodologies that are taught as part of this unit; a critical and analytical approach, as appropriate to a higher level of study, will be reflected across these options ensuring this research stage is challenging and stimulating.

The unit commences with taught sessions in the first part of the summer term before you’ll continue to work independently on your project for the remainder of the course, with the support of your supervisor.

The course team welcomes applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, from all over the world.

Students are admitted on to the course having gained the necessary entry requirements. An Honours degree of 2:1 and above is required, or an equivalent international degree. In some circumstances a 2:2 is considered (this might be based on personal circumstances or strength of interest and clear capability to undertake the course as indicated in the application form and interview).

Educational level may be demonstrated by:
 

• Honours degree (named above);
• Possession of equivalent qualifications;
• Prior experiential learning, the outcome of which can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required;
• Or a combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.

APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning)

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
 

• Related academic or work experience

• The quality of the personal statement

• A strong academic or other professional reference

• OR a combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

Language requirements

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend you let us know your English language test score in your application. If you have booked a test or are awaiting your results, please indicate this in your application. When asked to upload a CV as part of your application, please include any information about your English test score.
 

• IELTS 7.0 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 6.0 in each of the four skills.

Home fee
£11,550

International fee
£23,610

Our MA Publishing graduates are highly prized by the international publishing industry, across both print and digital media. The course has an excellent record of graduates entering employment. The heritage of the College and our alumni cut across all sectors of communication, design and media professional practice areas, at home and internationally.

Typically, our graduates enter first level entry jobs across all of the different functional areas of publishing editorial, production, digital and marketing and sales. They are highly sought after by publishing employers because our graduates can hit the ground running and add value immediately. Accordingly, we find that their careers accelerate beyond the normal and they move up to executive and managerial positions quicker than most.

The transferable skills you will gain on this course can be applied to a wide range of management, media and communications areas, functions and sectors. These can be applied across the private corporate and SME sectors, or the public sector, including international and voluntary not for profit organisations. Some of our past graduates have started their own publishing micro-businesses, or have developed careers related to the digital communications sector.

Importantly, besides the traditional functions, the course equips our graduates with the adaptable skills to enter the new jobs that are emerging across media sectors, whether as a digital producer in a well-known book company, an online content editor for a global magazine or a digital marketer for a new media business.

Our graduates are often found taking up roles which require a publishing specialism within media and communications services, creative agencies and brands. Being flexible, having the ability to take the initiative and thinking ahead of the curve are key attributes for our graduates.