Digital Publishing
MA or PGDip
Key facts
Start dates
September 2023
Location
Course length
Full time: MA: 12 months, PGDip: 8 months, PGCert: 4 months, Sandwich mode: MA 24 months
Part time: MA: 24 months, PGDip: 3 semesters, PGCert: 2 semesters
Department
Overview
Our MA in Digital Publishing provides you with the skills, knowledge and networks to kickstart your career in publishing. Or improve your current position.
With an emphasis on digital publishing, the course gives you an excellent overview of every aspect of publishing. And you will gain a broad understanding of the key issues facing the publishing industry in the 21st century.
Our staff have extensive experience in national and international publishing roles. Many of them have written key texts on publishing. We also have an extensive list of visiting speakers and associate lecturers who are leading industry specialists.
Oxford is a global centre for the publishing industry. So you will have unrivalled access to work experience in Oxford, London and elsewhere.
Digital Publishing is part of a group of courses run by the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies, which enjoy a high international standing in the publishing world. You'll benefit from our close links with publishing companies in Oxford and London.
How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Entrants to the programme should possess the following minimum qualifications:
- a second-class honours degree, or equivalent, in any subject
or
- an appropriate professional background and experience in the publishing industry.
Applicants should also demonstrate a commitment to work in the publishing or communications industries. This attribute is usually evidenced through the application, personal statement or references.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English you will require IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
International applications
There is a sandwich mode in which the course can be taken over two years - the second year is a work placement. Students must complete 180 credits including the compulsory modules before they can progress to the compulsory work placement module. There is no guarantee of a work placement but the student's visa will allow them to complete a second year.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
You do not need to wait for your references before you apply.
While we do not have a deadline for applications and continue to accept students through the summer, the earlier you apply, the earlier we can respond.
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
The full-time fees quoted are for the taught Year 1. Fees will be charged for the placement year in Year 2 and are available on request from finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Compulsory costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| Two day trips that cost around £60 each. | £120 |
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
European or international field trip |
£350-600 |
| Field trips to London and other local venues. | £30 |
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
There are a number of scholarships and funding schemes available for students on our courses.
In past years we have offered a range of scholarships, such as the following: London Book Fair Scholarship, Wiley Scholarship, and the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies (International) Scholarship, Princeton University Press Scholarship, and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Scholarship, and the Stationers' Foundation. These ranged in value from £1000 to £6,000.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
The MA consists of:
- five compulsory modules
- one elective module
- a dissertation or major project.
The PGDip consists of:
- five compulsory modules
- one elective module.
Compulsory modules and optional modules are listed below.
Study modules
The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the PGDip award your module choices may be different. Please contact us for more details.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
We use a variety of teaching methods.
Lectures
Provide you with foundation knowledge and a framework for study to enable you to achieve the module's learning outcomes.
Seminars and workshops
- encourage you to engage in discussion with tutors and peers
- test your understanding and ability to apply ideas
- develop your transferable skills
- encourage deeper learning.
Computer workshops
Enable you to test, clarify, and apply your IT skills.
Field trips to book fairs and the industry
For example, printers, publishers, retailers. Thes trips allow you to observe aspects of the industry that we teach in lectures and workshops.
Work experience and internship opportunities
Prepare you for your future career and are available across a broad range of departments and market sectors.
Group work role play
You'll simulate new product development in a real-life publishing context.
Individual supervision
Supports self-directed outcomes for your dissertation or major project.
Field trips
Study trips and book fairs are a key part of your course. Each year students attend the Frankfurt, Bologna, London, and Beijing International Book Fairs.
These trips are optional and the cost is not included in tuition fees.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
Assessment is primarily by coursework.
We also use a limited number of class tests assess your skills in rights, marketing, and proofreading.
We design assignments in all modules to assess the knowledge and skills you develop during the period of study. These align with industry practice and help you gain confidence in your ability to complete live publishing projects.
After completing the course successfully, you will be ready to enter the publishing industry as an effective employee.
Research
The Oxford International Centre for Publishing (OICP) is one of the leading centres for publishing education in the world. We focus on areas such as:
- book consumption and the life cycle of books
- book trade and publishing history (especially 18th-21st centuries)
- museum publishing
- serials publications
- pedagogy and publishing education
- the future of the industry.
Research is supported by the resources of Oxford Brookes Library. The Special Collections feature:
- the Booker Archive
- the Publishing in Africa Collection
- the Rainbird Archive
- the Peter Stockham Collection of Children’s Books.
OICP carries out independent research and training with the international publishing industry. Recent clients include:
- the British Council
- Hewlett Packard
- the Society of Experimental Biology
- Sports Books.
The OICP can offer PhD and MPhil supervision in the following areas:
- The Culture and History of Publishing
- International, Strategy, Policy and Development
- Publishing by museums, galleries and other institutions.
After you graduate
Career prospects
A Digital Publishing MA will provide you with the skills, knowledge and equally important access to networks that kick-start your career in publishing, or improve your current position.
Graduates who have completed publishing courses at Oxford Brookes have been exceptionally successful in obtaining employment soon after graduation and have a strong record of career progression because our courses enjoy a high international standing.
Our flexible work experience opportunities with local, regional, national and international publishing enterprises provide you with the essential up-to-date practical knowledge that will enhance your employment prospects on completing the programme. In addition our teaching staff have extensive experience in national and international publishing roles and a broad range of contacts that are at your disposal for your individual interests in this diverse industry.
While studying with us, you will develop a wide range of publishing and general management skills, including digital publishing proficiency. Graduates who have completed our publishing courses have been exceptionally successful in obtaining employment in trade, children's journals, ELT and schools publishing, rights management, digital and production roles. Our alumni have strong records of career progression.
Our graduates have established an enviable reputation in the publishing industry and they are extremely successful in obtaining good jobs fast. Evidence from our alumni suggests that they are able to enter the industry at a higher level than would otherwise have been possible.
Our international alumni work in:
- publishing companies in New York
- rights management in Toronto
- production in India
- digital enterprises in Kenya
- a variety of roles throughout European publishing companies.
In addition, European and UK students work at:
- Oxford and Cambridge University Presses
- Taylor and Francis
- Simon and Schuster
- Sage
- Penguin
- Elsevier
- Touch Press
- Lion Hudson
- Barefoot Books
Our Staff
Dr Miriam Johnson
Miriam’s professional career includes work as a second hand and collectible bookseller, founder of The Istanbul Review, and in working with Scottish PEN and Scottish Book Trust, as well as developing an immersive literature project in Edinburgh in conjunction with The Bridge Awards and Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature (echoesofthecity.com).
Read more about MiriamProgramme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.