MA Publishing

The focus of this MA is on contemporary publishing and emergent themes in writing. You will engage with a diverse and inclusive range of creative and critical texts in a variety of forms, enhancing your knowledge of the current publishing landscape. You will develop creative skills surrounding the reading, generation, selection, development and publication of new texts.

Your major project will be the co-creation of a publication such as The York Literary Review - a journal of original literature (including prose, poetry, non-fiction and art). You will also have the flexibility to pursue your own projects that you are passionate about. Projects can be developed and tailored to your learning needs. The staff team of award-winning writers have an exciting and diverse approach to creative writing, literature and publication and are able to supervise a huge range of proposed projects. 

York is a fantastic place to be if you love books and reading. There is a rich literary history in the city, and each year, the city celebrates its literary heritage with the York Literature Festival, for which our department organises several events. We are also instrumental in the annual York Big City Read with our partner institution, York Explore.

You are encouraged to take a professional approach to your study and attend the variety of events provided by the York Centre for Writing, which include visits from agents, publishers, editors and writers and fosters an important sense of belonging and community. You will also have opportunities to take part in field trips.

Qualifications

You must meet the minimum entry requirements which are listed on the course specifications. 

• MA candidates have usually already excelled at undergraduate study. We therefore normally require an undergraduate degree at 2:1 grade or higher (or equivalent). We are open to considering previous degrees in the Humanities, Arts, Sciences and Social Sciences or other related subjects.

• If you have a 2:2 undergraduate degree and knowledge of a subject related to Publishing, you may be accepted on to the course following an interview. You may also be required to submit written work to support your application.

International Students

International students will need to demonstrate that they have equivalent experience /qualifications as home students (i.e the same entry criteria as above).

If their first language is not English they must show evidence of English Language competence at IELTS level 6.0 (with no skill below 5.5) or equivalent.

APEL policy

If you can't meet these minimum requirements it may be possible to take into account evidence of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) as an alternative method of meeting the programme’s entry requirements. In such a case, appropriate references and records of employment might be presented to support the applicant’s case for admission.

This MA will prepare you for a career in the exciting and varied world of publishing. You will also leave with transferable skills in project management, copywriting, editing, communication, team work and more.