Literature & Publishing

This MA not only strengthens academic skills in literary analysis and research, it also places a strong emphasis on preparation for the professional world. Students participate in workshops dedicated to topics like finding internships, writing cvs and cover letters, developing interview skills, and maintaining a personal digital brand; they may also be offered Adobe InDesign training. In addition, it is possible to gain valuable, hands-on publishing experience by becoming involved with ROPES, a literary journal developed, edited, marketed, and produced by this programme’s students on an annual basis. This extracurricular project provides students with practical, cv-enhancing experience in areas including editing and copyediting, decision-making, project management, design, production, marketing, sales, promotion, and teamwork.



Students in this programme benefit from contact with numerous guest speakers from publishing and related industries who share their experiences and perspectives. Visiting speakers in recent years have included individuals from Tramp Press, O’Brien Press, The Educational Company of Ireland, Coracle Press, Skein Press, Gill Books, and Cúirt International Festival of Literature, along with many other companies and organisations. The programme also facilitates visits to libraries, cultural institutions, publishing houses, printers, or other relevant businesses. Some students volunteer with book fairs and literary festivals, and some become interns with Irish publishers.



The MA in Literature and Publishing not only seeks to prepare students for the varied demands of the professional world, but it also cultivates core academic skills in oral and written communication, textual analysis, critical thinking, and research. Students are encouraged to take an active approach to shaping their course so that it complements their prior academic credentials and work experience and reflects their individual interests.

Optional MK314: Media & Marketing Communications - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Optional EN527: Literature Of North America - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional EN6140: Publishing History - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Optional EN6142: Creative Arts Ideas Lab - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Required EN6128: Publishing: Perspectives and Professionalisation - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Required EN579: Contemporary Publishing - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Required EN6133: Literature and Publishing Portfolio Project - 30 Credits - Semester 1

Optional EN6136: Thinking about Books/Thinking about Theatre - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional FR6101: Language, Gender and Power - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional EN6129: Literature and Publishing Dissertation - 30 Credits - Semester 1

Optional MG529: Introduction To Business - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional EN6143: Media for Social Change - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN581: Copy-editing and Proofreading - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN6139: Diversity and Activism in YA Fiction - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN6101: Books Journalism - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN547: Literature And Colonialism - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN6141: SERVICE LEARNING: LITERARY STUDIES IN THE COMMUNITY - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN570: Book History - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN573: Travel Literature - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN6138: Digital Scholarly Editing: Theory and Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional MIC6100: Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN6126: Interrogating Literary History - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional EN6135: Studies in Poetry - 10 Credits - Semester 2

NQAI Level 8 degree with an overall degree result of H2.2 and with a H2.1 in one subject is required (GPA 3.0 or equivalent overall).



Please note the IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent at least is expected, if applicable.

Closing Date

Please view the offer rounds website at https://www.universityofgalway.ie/postgrad-admissions/key-dates/



Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System

1 year full-time.

Next start date September 2024

Closing Date Offers are made on a rolling basis.

Employers across a variety of sectors value not only the specific, publishing-related knowledge and competencies that MA in Literature and Publishing students acquire, but also the transferrable communication, research, project management, teamwork, and critical thinking skills that are cultivated over the course of this programme.



Many of our programme’s graduates have gone on to work in the publishing industry or related fields, such as arts administration, advertising, or public relations. Our graduates have launched successful careers in a range of fields, including publishing, advertising, bookselling, arts administration, social media management, and public relations.



Our alumni have secured internships or entry-level positions with companies including Gill and Macmillan, New Island Books, Four Courts Press, Random House, Columba Press, Mercier Press, ROADS Publishing, Lilliput Press, CJ Fallon, Educational Publishing Company of Ireland, UCD Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Springer Nature, Folens, Angry Robot, Penguin, Elsevier, and Educate.ie.



The MA in Literature and Publishing also provides a solid academic foundation for those interested in continuing their studies at PhD-level in English or related fields.