Publishing (Distance Learning)
MA or PGDip or PGCert
Start dates: January 2024 / January 2025
Part time: MA 32 months, PGDip 24 months, PGCert 12 months
Location: Distance learning
Department(s): School of Arts
Overview
Our MA in Publishing via distance learning mirrors our established campus-based publishing degrees. It’s designed to be exclusively part-time so that it can fit around full-time employment from anywhere in the world.
You’ll cover publishing across different types of media and channels. With our employability focus, you’ll tackle the latest industry trends such as AI, multimedia and digital innovations.
From academic to trade, we cover all publishing sectors from a commercial and creative perspective. You’ll be taught by our experts who have first-hand experience working in the industry and are known for their high-quality research.
Our Publishing Advisory Board includes the major publishing houses and several independent publishers. They ensure our curriculum reflects current and future practice, as well as offering scholarships, internships and volunteering opportunities. Oxford is a global centre for the publishing industry, so we’re well-placed to facilitate work experience opportunities with publishers in Oxford, London and further afield.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
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Industry-led content
Our extensive global publishing industry links mean our course content is highly relevant and topical, so will equip you for a promising career.
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Professional software and market data resources
You will be given an Adobe Creative Cloud license and access to Nielsen BookScan.
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Industry events
Attend professional events such as The Booksellers Kid’s Conference online, London Book Fair, and Frankfurt International Book Fair.
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High employability rates
Our graduates have a strong track record of winning industry Rising Star awards, securing dream jobs and fast promotions thanks to the thorough grounding from the course.
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Designed for flexibility
This course mirrors our campus-based publishing degrees, but it’s designed to be part-time so it can fit around full-time employment from anywhere in the world.
Course details
Study modules
The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the PGDip and PGCert awards 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.
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.
Careers
Our graduates go on to work for major publishers across the UK and internationally, across academic, educational and trade. Others, use the MA as a stepping stone into further postgraduate research.
Our MA also offers the opportunity to develop transferable skills suited to a variety of roles and employers across the wider creative industries, and is highly sought after. You’ll be equipped for roles in:
- marketing and social media
- public relations and project management
- journalism
- digital production
- international licensing
- rights management
- academic journals
- children’s publishing
- ELT and schools publishing.
Our students have been successful in building fulfilling careers with a wide range of publishers, including:
- Arab Scientific Publishers Inc. (Lebanon)
- BBC
- Bloomsbury
- Bonnier
- Clarivate
- De Gruyter
- Elsevier
- Emerald Publishing
- HarperCollins
- Huddersfield University Press
- Iman Publishing (Malaysia)
- Indigo (Canada)
- Institute of Physics
- Manchester University Press
- Open University
- Oxford University Press
- Pearson
- Paulines Publications (Kenya and Uganda)
- Sage
- STM
- UNESCO (France)
- Wiley.
Our Staff
Alexandra Shakespeare
Working with retail brands and newsstand publications to create compelling content for a variety of audiences, Alexandra is expert at both crafting copy and strategising editorial concepts.
Read more about AlexandraHelena Markou
Helena Markou is a Senior Lecturer and the Subject Coordinator for the MA Publishing responsible for curating the taught aspects of the programme. In addition to tutoring across all aspects of publishing, she is passionate about supporting people in their publishing careers and continued professional development
Read more about HelenaRelated courses
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Entrants to the programme should possess the following:
- a 2:1 honours degree or above or international equivalent in any subject.
- demonstrable interest in the creative publishing industries, such as work experience or voluntary work in a publishing company or fulfilling a publishing-related function in a non-publishing organisation.
- two references; these may be, for example, two academic references, or one academic reference and one from an employer.
- access to the Internet through broadband or fast modem on a daily basis. This programme is delivered through web technology and makes extensive use of digital resources. In order to study effectively on this programme, students should have experience and familiarity with computer technology.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
Selection process
Apply with references, a personal statement and supporting documents.
Your personal statement should explain why you want to study on the programme and your particular area of interest in publishing.
Discuss any work experience you have enjoyed that is relevant to the programme.
English language requirements
Applicants whose home language is not English must demonstrate that their level of reading, written and spoken English is appropriate for study at postgraduate level. This may be demonstrated through attaining one of the following qualifications:
- British Council IELTS: Level 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component.
- recognised and approved equivalent qualification
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
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.
International qualifications and equivalences
How to apply
Application process
For 2024 entry, the induction will start on Monday 15 January.
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
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.
Optional costs
Additional costs | Amount (£) |
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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 |
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.
All financial support and scholarships
Programme 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.