This year’s highlighted programs are grappling with how best to prepare students for an ever-evolving industry. Amid growing calls to increase DEI efforts, modernize business practices, and prioritize publishing’s hardworking people over profits, these programs demonstrate that cultivating positive industry change starts in the classroom.
EMERSON COLLEGE Boston
MA in Publishing and Writing
What separates Emerson’s graduate publishing program from others is its focus on content creation, says Bill Beuttler, associate professor and graduate program director. Magazine writing and editing courses are embedded in its Writing, Literature, and Publishing department, where instructors with extensive professional experience help guide students through the curriculum.
“We try to give them the basics to compete for jobs in book, magazine, or digital publishing,” Beuttler adds, “and to persuade them not to insist on concentrating on any of those exclusively.”
A residential-focused curriculum, the program’s four-plus-one degree track allows undergraduate publishing students to complete their BA and MA degrees in five years total, with a small selection of capstone courses online to “add flexibility for students who might find it convenient to begin or end their studies online because they have jobs elsewhere,” Beuttler says. In response to the increasingly complicated dynamics of corporate consolidation affecting book publishing, the program recently received approval to hire a new full-time faculty member focused on book editing.
Faculty: 9
Tuition: $1,349 per credit; 40 credits needed for degree
Standout Course: Writing for the Boston Globe Magazine
“We try to give them the basics to compete for jobs in book, magazine, or digital publishing, and to persuade them not to insist on concentrating on any of those exclusively.” —Bill Beuttler
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Washington, D.C.
MPS in Publishing, Graduate Certificates in Publishing and Publishing Management
Last year was a watershed for the publishing program at George Washington University. In addition to many of its students landing their first publishing jobs, the program launched its new GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing to give students experience managing a professional journal, “which in turn provides them with confidence and experience to relate in job interviews,” says John W. Warren, program director and associate professor. “The program prepares students by its comprehensive nature, instilling expertise that is both wide and deep, by emphasizing career management, by demonstrating the wide range of rewarding sectors and job positions in the field.”
Available fully online or in person, the program has new courses such as Publishing Entrepreneurship, Global Publishing, and Audiobook and Podcast Publishing that reflect the industry’s change from being a trade to a profession that requires continuous improvement, Warren says. “Students are more intentional about a career in publishing,” he says. Over the program’s 15-year history, “we’ve built a strong community, not only with our alumni, students, and faculty but also with the publishing community,” he explains, adding that the success of the program reflects that.
Established: 2008
Faculty: 18
Tuition: $1,075 per credit; 30 credits needed for degree,
18 for graduate certificates
Scholarships: $5,000 available per semester based on merit
Graduates to date: 510
Standout Course: Copyright Law in Publishing
“We’ve built a strong community, not only with our alumni, students, and faculty but also with the publishing community.” —John W. Warren
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY New York City
MS in Publishing
NYU’s publishing program aims to develop students into publishing professionals who are “digitally savvy” and “eager to embrace change,” says program director and associate dean Andrea Chambers. Early on, students are introduced to technology not as a threat but as a “conduit to efficiency and innovation,” she adds. “We talk about artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, explore advances in audio, and look closely at the advent and influence of new technology.”
Studying in the Big Apple, students learn the publishing business with access to events and internships from the Big Five, their publishers, editors-in-chief, and marketing and sales directors. A board of advisers composed of C-suite executives, publishers, and company presidents helps to enrich the program by advising on new faculty and curriculum. What also sets NYU apart from other publishing programs is the option for students to enroll in its Summer Publishing Institute, a four-week immersive program, separate from the MA track, that provides a teaser into the publishing world and helps students hone their interests, Chambers says. “With the increasing book buying power of millennials and now Gen Z, and more recently the success of BookTok, the industry has experienced a seismic shift,” she explains. “Publishers are reaching out to a new generation of readers and revamping marketing and distribution practices to meet their needs and interests.”
Established: 1997
Faculty: 60
Tuition: $74,000 total
Scholarships: $500–$9,000 available per semester based on merit
Graduates to date: 930
Standout Course: Book Acquisition and Editing
“With the increasing book-buying power of millennials and now Gen Z, and more recently the success of BookTok, the industry has experienced a seismic shift.” —Andrea Chambers
PACE UNIVERSITY New York City
MS in Publishing
The MS in publishing from Pace University has been available online for more than 20 years. Students have the option to take the program completely online, completely in person, or a combination of both, with an emphasis on “practical experience” through internships, says Manuela Soares, director of the publishing program and director of the Pace University Press. “Connections are essential and, through our networking and mentoring initiatives, our program does an excellent job of making sure that our students have professional connections in the industry,” she adds. In Pace’s One-to-One Mentoring program, students outline their professional goals and interests and are then matched with industry mentors.
Soares notes that technology is changing the speed of publishing, and social media platforms such as TikTok are changing the acquisition process. “The pandemic significantly changed how the publishing industry functioned,” she says. “Remote opportunities were greater than ever before for staff and interns. As publishers struggle to get workers back into the office, there may be more opportunities for in-person work”—bringing more opportunities to students.'
Established: 1985
Faculty: 33
Tuition: $47,880 total
Scholarships: $7,000 available per semester based on merit; $5,000 available per semester based on need
Graduates to date: 1,064
Standout Course: Financial Aspects of Publishing
“Connections are essential and, through our networking and mentoring initiatives, our program does an excellent job of making sure that our students have professional connections in the industry.” —Manuela Soares
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY Portland, Ore.
MA in Book Publishing, MS in Book Publishing
An ever-changing industry requires an ever-changing set of skills, says Rachel Noorda, associate professor and director of the book publishing program at Portland State University. “Students must be agile, flexible, and creative” in today’s publishing business, she adds. But most importantly, “the PSU program teaches students how to advocate for themselves. There are a variety of jobs and careers that utilize publishing skills, and we encourage all students to be open to possibilities, especially to find jobs where pay, flexibility, location, work-life balance, workplace environment, and benefits fit best with their needs and goals.”
PSU is a fully in-person program, and students work for two years at its student-run trade publishing house, Ooligan Press, gaining experience in managing teams and departments. They publish four books per year under real-world market conditions and constraints. “In this experiential learning model, students directly and creatively apply the principles they learn in the classroom to real-world publishing contexts,” Noorda says.
Publishing graduate students also conduct and write research papers—often in collaboration with the APA, IBPA, and PubWest—that address industry challenges, including decentralizing the publishing world to grant greater access to publishing jobs. “As the industry continues to prioritize diversity and equity, decentralizing publishing from New York City is going to be increasingly important,” Noorda notes.
Established: 2001
Faculty: 15
Tuition: $22,608–$33,648 total
Scholarships: $1,000 available per semester based on need; tuition remission opportunities
Graduates to date: 735
Standout course: Literary Agents and Acquisitions
“As the industry continues to prioritize diversity and equity, decentralizing publishing from New York City is going to be increasingly important.” —Rachel Noorda
ROSEMONT COLLEGE Rosemont, Pa.
MA in Publishing
Rosemont College’s asynchronous, fully online curriculum allows students to tailor the pace of courses to fit their schedule. With the option to earn an MFA in creative writing and an MA in publishing simultaneously, students learn the creative and corporate sides of publishing, explains program director Carla Spataro. “The biggest challenge is helping them understand what’s possible and where the jobs are,” she says.
Students are encouraged to look beyond large publishing houses for career opportunities and to cultivate connections with local indie presses. “What’s important for students to understand is that publishing is so much more than the Big Five or Big Four or whatever,” Spataro says. “In our area, there are so many opportunities for people interested in the publishing industry. We also have some wonderful indie presses that publish all kinds of terrific books.”
Last year, MA and MFA students were invited to campus for a summer publishing seminar, where they spent a week networking with industry professionals and learning about DEI initiatives with special guest Susette Brooks, director of strategy, diversity, equity, and inclusion at Penguin Random House.
Established: 2011
Faculty: 10
Tuition: $675 per credit; 36 credits needed for degree
Scholarships: Tuition remission opportunities available
Standout Course: Small Press Practices
“What’s important for students to understand is that publishing is so much more than the Big Five or Big Four or whatever.” —Carla Spataro
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Master of Publishing
Simon Fraser University’s publishing program does not seek to train students for individual jobs but rather to prepare them “as whole people with a breadth of skills, competencies, and insights,” explains associate professor and program director John Maxwell. “A student’s career path to being a literary editor, for instance, might be through the sales and marketing departments. As publishing weathers disruptions and challenges, we find that bigger-picture understanding and competencies are truly valuable.”
Last year, students celebrated coming back to class after two years of virtual learning, and the program also brought back its Emerging Leaders in Publishing industry conference. “Our curriculum is continually evolving in response to new ideas and new possibilities,” Maxwell says. “It is a fascinating time to be entering the world of publishing, when so much is changing.” And he believes the most important tool students can bring into their careers is “imagination”: “What kind of world do we want to live in, and as publishers, how are we bringing that about?” He adds, “The difference between getting an entry-level job and beginning a career is the breadth of experience and understanding that an individual is able to bring.”
Established: 1994
Faculty: 8
Tuition: C$20,225 total
Scholarships: C$20,000 total available based on merit
Graduates to date: 500
Standout course: Book Publishing Project
“As publishing faces and weathers disruptions and challenges, we find that bigger-picture understanding and competencies are truly valuable.” —John Maxwell
WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY Gunnison, Colo.
MA in Creative Writing, Publishing Concentration
The students at Western Colorado University are not only “focused on working for a traditional New York publishing house,” says program director Kevin J. Anderson. “Our students are in the thick of it,” with lectures and readings from taken from recent blogs, podcasts, publishing magazines, and guest speakers who are at the cutting edge, including representatives from Audible and ACX, Atticus, Draft2Digital, Publisher Rocket, and 20Booksto50K. “Graduates of Western’s publishing MA program come away with all the tools to pursue a successful career in many paths of the publishing world, not just one aspect,” Anderson adds.
With most classes held online, and a one-week in-person summer residency, the program offers learning opportunities for students across the country. Faculty balance full-time jobs and have significant publishing industry experience, including Anderson, who is an author. Upon graduation, students will have published two books.
“Each student edits, designs, and produces a beautiful edition of a classic work, completing each step themselves, and they go through the nitty-gritty process of editing an original professional anthology that receives hundreds of submissions worldwide,” Anderson says. “The accessibility of sophisticated but usable publishing tools has democratized the field and allowed smaller presses to create professional books comparable to anything produced by a major house. Students are hungry to learn how to do it themselves and get it right, and they need to wear every hat.”
Established: 2018
Faculty: 3
Tuition: $21,000 total
Scholarships: $2,000 available per semester based on need
Graduates to date: 27
Standout course: Indie and New Model Publishing
“The accessibility of sophisticated but usable publishing tools has democratized the field and allowed smaller presses to create professional books comparable to anything produced by a major house.” —Kevin J. Anderson
