About

Benefits of this course

London is the global heart of the publishing industry, and this MA makes the most of its London location to bring you a programme that aims to be commercially and professionally applied alongside giving you a critical understanding of the contemporary industry.

You will learn directly from past and present industry professionals how publishing is continuing to evolve alongside the digital revolution.

Our programme gives you an applied understanding of how physical and digital texts are conceived, developed and marketed. This MA looks at the different sectors of the publishing industry, including commercial fiction and non-fiction publishing, children’s publishing, education and academic publishing.

Your learning will be directly influenced by your own publishing interests, allowing you to write assignments focused on a topic and sector of the industry of your choice. The ‘Working in Publishing’ module gives you the chance to apply for placement opportunities at leading London publishers to get hands-on real-world experience.

Different modules take you through the main areas of publishing, explaining the role of editorial, production, sales, and marketing, as they are understood in different sectors of the industry. The MA also examines the big challenges facing the industry, from diversity to sustainability, and, crucially, helps students to build their creativity and innovation skills, to better equip them for the world of work.

You will examine how digital and print publishing are no longer separate activities. Today’s publishers must combine print and digital to produce innovative content that works across a growing variety of media forms for a wide variety of readers and markets. City’s MA places digital publishing and innovation at the heart of its curriculum.

By working on research-led and industry-led analytical assignments, you will develop key publishing skills in print and digital publishing that are core to most entry-level jobs in publishing.

Award

You can select to apply for one of the available exit points for this course.

Master of Arts (MA)

Who is this course for?

If you are interested in exploring a career in the publishing industry, and you recognise that global publishing is undergoing dramatic change and you want to gain professionally relevant skills, our programme is ideal.

Your first degree might be from the humanities, the social sciences, or the natural sciences and you could be a new graduate or have an amount of work experience.

We equip you with the knowledge and skills needed by the next generation of publishers.

Acquire the skills needed to thrive in publishing with the Publishing MA from City. Explore topics shaping the industry such as A.I., diversity, BookTok, fan fiction, and sustainability through modules led by industry experts and the opportunity to make a book, create digital prototypes and participate in our Publishing Salon.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Saudi Arabia

Please refer to the UK entry requirements for the course, check for any prerequisites such as compulsory or preferred subject areas, and use the following as an indication of the Saudi Arabian equivalent required.

The equivalents provided are intended as a guide only and individual applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Saudi Arabian Bachelor degrees are typically accepted with GPA 3.2 out of 4.0 or GPA 4.0 out of 5.0 equivalent to a UK 2:1 (second-class upper) Honours Bachelor degree and GPA 2.4 out of 4.0 or GPA 3.0 out of 5.0 equivalent to a UK 2:2 (second-class lower) Honours Bachelor degree.

Pre-master’s programmes

If you don't meet the entry requirements, please check to see if there is a suitable preparatory programme available for your course at City, University of London. You can explore your options by visiting City's Foundation Programmes page.

Visa requirements

International Students coming to study in the UK may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study. The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:

Students on courses of more than six months
Students on courses of less than six months

For more information see our main Visa page.

English Requirements

IELTSMin 7

English Program Requirements

If you're a national of a recognised majority English-speaking country as defined by the government, or have previously completed a university degree (or equivalent) in one, you will not need to prove your knowledge of English to apply for the course.

Please note that if your country is not defined as majority-English-speaking by the government you will need to demonstrate you meet the English language requirements for the course.

This course requires the equivalent of an IELTS academic test with an overall score of 7.0 with no less than 5.5 in any subtest.

We will also accept an equivalent score in any of the tests listed under the English language requirements section.

You must have completed the qualification no more than two years prior to the start of the course.

Know that this list is exhaustive and as such we are unable to accept any qualifications or evidence outside of this.

Please note that the scores stated at the link above are lower than those you would need to meet for entry to the course.

Contact the admissions team if you have any questions about qualification equivalencies.

English language programmes

Don't meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.

Career

Our Publishing MA graduates develop careers in a variety of organisations, and most secure a publishing role within months of graduating.

This small selection of positions secured by our recent Publishing MA graduates shows the scope of potential global careers:

Contracts and Business Affairs Assistant, Penguin Random House
Marketing Assistant, Edinburgh University Press
Account Manager, Nielsen Bookscan
Publishing Executive at Finder
Content Executive, Original Travel
Contracts Assistant, Hachette
AI Annotation Analyst, Apple
Content Lead, Cambridge University Press.

Internships

We encourage you to undertake an optional work internship during your time here. An internship can give you an essential step towards your first career move.

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

32,853 / year