11 Post-Graduate Publishing Programs Reviewed
By Jackie Stanziano ‘13
As an English major, I am very used to the question: “What are you going to do with that
degree? Teach?” Whenever I reply with a simple “no,” I always receive strange looks like having
this degree is synonymous to being an underwater basket weaver. An English degree can be
ambiguous, lacking direction and certainty. However, that doesn’t mean that with a little research
and ambition you can’t find a legitimately recognized career. One specific route that any English
major can take is through the ever-evolving publishing industry. If you are interested in
publishing, listed below are eleven different publishing programs that are offered as postgraduate programs. They are listed in order of overall rating, chosen by me based on things such
as cost, location, and courses offered. Don’t forget, if you are interested in publishing, or any
other program for that matter, always make sure to research as vast an area as possible so that
you can find the right career and program for you.
1. New York University – Master of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media
Rating: 4/5 Located in the hubbub of New York, this school offers a great outlook for
careers, but is quite pricey.
New York University can be found in the Big Apple, also known as New York, New
York. It is a 42 credit hour program with a rate of $1572/credit hour, totaling about
$66,000 (this, however, does not include fees such as room and board, health insurance,
etc). Students will take core courses on publishing fundamentals including editing,
marketing and branding, and interactive media. Internships are offered for credit and can
be taken at many major publishing corporations. In order to aid students, NYU offers
night classes so that you can work during the day. To apply students must submit an
online application, two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and an official
transcript(s).GRE and GMAT test scores are optional, but NYU reserves the right to
request test scores throughout the application process. Although this program is very
expensive, it comes with many benefits. NYU asserts that it maintains strong ties with
major publishing houses. Because of this, they receive job openings on a regular basis,
which leads to a higher job placement rate. Alumni of the NYU publishing program
currently work at Time Inc., Macmillan Publishing, and Scholastic Inc. Another benefit is
the payment plans and scholarships offered to students. NYU is willing to work with
students in order to help them achieve a degree.
2. University of Baltimore – Creative Writing and Publishing Arts
Rating: 4/5 This program offers a great mentorship program with experience
professionals, but can be a very timely program.
The University of Baltimore is located in the thriving city of Baltimore, Maryland. To
receive a M.F.A. in creative writing and publishing arts, one must complete 48 credit
hours. Because no full-time program is offered, students only attend classes on a parttime basis. Students have a choice of taking 3, 6, or 9 credits at a time. In-state cost rates
are $618 per credit hour, whereas out-of-state cost rate is at $896 per credit hour. Courses
offered include a memoir workshop, electronic or print publishing, and an internship.
Students in this program have interned at various reputable companies including
Publishing Genius, Mayapple Press, and Passager Books. Students have been published
at places such as Best American Poetry, Weave Magazine, and Folio. While taking
classes, students are encouraged to teach English at various locations including Carroll
Community College and the University of Baltimore. One of the most interesting
programs students can work with is an organization called Write Brain Kids. Students at
the University of Baltimore participate in this organization by encouraging and helping
with weekly reading-aloud sessions and creative writing activities with local fifth-grade
students. In order to be admitted to this program students must have a bachelor’s degree
with a minimum GPA of 3.0. They must complete an online application, pay a $30 fee,
send in an official transcript(s), a statement of personal interest, two letters of
recommendations from professors or employers, and a portfolio that contains either 10
poems or 15-20 pages of prose writing. No GRE score is required. Two slight downsides
to this program are that it is not offered full-time and costs almost $300 more per credit
hour for out-of state students. However, the program offers a focus on creativity, book
arts, and electronic publishing with experienced mentors to help students along the way.
3. University of Houston – Victoria – Master of Science in Publishing
Rating: 4/5 The biggest benefit for this school is that it can be taken online and offers
internships in major cities, but even though it can be completed in one year it costs over
$20,000.
The University of Houston – Victoria is located in Victoria, Texas. The publishing
program can be completed in 36 hours with a total cost of $22,746. One of the biggest
benefits that can be found with this program is that it can be taken on campus, online, or
with a combination of both. The online program consists of lectures, critiques, meetings,
and interactive projects. Coursework for both portions of the program include learning
about writing, editing, design, production, promotion, and distribution. UHV offers
courses in order to learn about the newest technologies including InDesign, Illustrator,
and FontLab. Throughout the program students must complete two internships. Students
have completed these internships at places such as BlazeVox Books, Ugly Duckling
Press, and Phizome Books. Because courses are offered online, UHV has partners in
places such as Austin, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. Students are required to
complete at least one of the internships in person. If students take the courses as full time
students they can complete their degree in one year. In order to apply for this program
students must complete an application and send in an official transcript(s), GRE scores, a
writing sample, an essay of why they wish to apply, and an admission index of 1400 or
higher (this is calculated by one’s undergraduate GPA and GRE scores). One of the
biggest benefits of this program is that UHV is home to multiple publishing sources such
as American Book Review, Cuneiform Press, and the Society for Critical Exchange. This
close proximity offers various opportunities for direct contact with the publishing
industry.
4. Emerson College – Publishing and Writing
Rating: 4/5 This program is extremely costly, but it offers once-in-a-lifetime internships
and explores various areas of publishing.
Emerson College is located in Massachusetts’s capital city – Boston. To complete this
program, a student must complete forty credit hours – twenty-four hours for publishing
courses and 16 for department electives. The cost is about $1,049 per credit hour not
including fees. If taken full time, students can graduate in two years, part time takes about
a year longer. Students will take classes such as magazine publishing overview, book
publishing, and electronic publishing. There are courses available to gain certification to
teach writing to undergraduate students as well. Throughout the course of the program,
students will be exposed to developmental, line, and copy editing as well as acquisition
skills, publishing and marketing, and book and magazine design and production.
Internship opportunities include Beacon Press, E!Online, and Random House. In order to
apply for admission, you must complete an application and send in: an application fee,
writing sample, official transcript(s), three letters of recommendation, one essay on
professional goals, a professional essay, and GRE scores. Emerson College also suggests
students have a passion for publishing and be willing to make a 2-3 year commitment.
One negative aspect of attending Emerson would be cost, nearly $45,000 for a completed
degree. There are many benefits for attending Emerson College. First, the program, if
fully committed, takes two years and offers courses to find jobs during the program.
Also, because it is located in one of America’s largest publishing hubs, internships are
usually granted at large, reputable houses. Students will be exposed to electronic
publishing (tablets, readers, mobile devices, etc), preparing them for the ever-changing
technological advances.
5. The George Washington University – Publishing
Rating: 4/5 This program is easy on the wallet and offers both online and on-campus
classes, but the specialization tracks may limit future career options.
The George Washington University is located in the nation’s capital – Washington D.C.
In order to complete this program students must take 30 credit hours at a rate of $120 per
credit. GW offers online classes as well, but the rates are raised to about $180 per credit.
There are five different tracks offered: editorial, business, design, marketing, and
technology. GW offers courses such as ethos of the journal, copyediting and composition,
and copyright law in print and cyberspace. Classes are offered on weekday evenings as a
benefit to those students who work during the day. One of the most beneficial offerings
that George Washington University has is the graduate certificate for academic
publishing. It takes an extra 12 credits, about one year of classes, but it focuses on online
research and library integration, peer review, and open access publishing. In order to
apply for admission students must have two letters of recommendation, an official
transcript(s), a statement of purpose, and a resume. One of the biggest benefits that
George Washington University has to offer is that they maintain that students can
complete the program in two years while working.
6. Pace University – Publishing
Rating: 4/5 (We seem to have a lot of these ratings) This program is extremely pricey, but
has the best percentage for job placement after graduation.
Pace University is also located in the hub of New York City. Courses are offered both on
campus and online. It is a 36 credit program that has a cost rate of $987 per credit hour.
Courses offered include magazine production and design, marketing principles, and
editorial principles and practices. Full time students serve a twenty hour per week
internship while taking classes at night. Because it is located in New York, Pace
University has many notable places for internships including Seventeen Magazine, The
New Yorker, and Penguin Putnam. Admission to this program requires and application, a
$70 fee, two letters of recommendation, a resume, an official transcript(s), and a personal
statement. Pace University, much like New York University, has a grand outlook for
jobs. Pace reported that, in 2011, 84% of graduate students were placed in jobs within a
year of graduation. Their alumni work at prestigious organizations such as Scholastic,
Cambridge University Press, and Harper/Collins.
7. Augsburg College – Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Rating: 4/5 This highly individualized program offers great mentors, but because it is so
new it doesn’t have the high reputation like that of New York University and the
University of Baltimore.
Augsburg College is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Starting in 2014 Augsburg
College will be offering a publishing track to their MFA in creative writing. It is a 13
credit program that costs about $2,345 per course. It is a two year, low residency program
that includes an annual summer residency, one-on-one work with mentors, and online
class sessions. All programs start with a ten day summer residency in which students
participate in daily workshops, readings, mini courses, and visits. Visitors to the program
include distinguished writers, editors, agents, publishers, and literary entrepreneurs. In
the publishing track, students will act as the staff of a new publishing house, and will
select and publish one book a year. Courses include topics such as critical and creative
reading, as well as a mentorship with a faculty member. To apply for this program one
must sent in a $50 application fee with their online application. Students must also
provide an official transcript(s), two letters of recommendation, an essay, and samples of
creative work. One of the most beneficial parts of this program is the 5:1 mentor to
student ratio. This low ratio suggests that students will get the one-on-one attention they
need in order to successful understand and complete the program.
8. Arizona State University – Scholarly Publishing Certificate
Rating: 3/5 This twenty credit hour program is one of the most expensive, but offers great
courses for those interested in academic and higher education publishing.
Arizona State University is located in the warm city of Tempe, Arizona. This 20 credit
hour program offers students a certificate in scholarly publishing. It focuses on those
students who wish to find jobs in university presses, higher education, textbook and
reference publishers, journal publishing, book publishing, and documentary editing.
Courses consist of topics such as scholarly editing, research in publishing, and a summer
internship. Previous students have interned at places such as Harvard University Press,
Left Coast Press, and W.W. Norton & Company. Courses cost up to $1,177 per hour for
students not residing on campus. Recent graduates work for Annual Reviews, Grand
Canyon Associate, and University of Illinois Press. In order to apply, students must
submit an application with a resume, letter of intent, official transcript(s), three reference
letters, and a writing sample. Although Arizona State University is located in a beautiful
climate, it is quite costly and requires students to take at least 9 hours of elective courses.
9. University of Denver – The Publishing Institute
Rating: 3/5 Although the program is both very short and beneficial, having only a
certificate in publishing may negatively affect students when competing with those who
have a master’s degree in the same area.
The University of Denver, located in Denver, Colorado, offers a four week certificate
program through its Publishing Institute. During the program, students work one on one
with professionals who work at trade, university, textbook, and small independent
publishers throughout the country. There are multiple workshops and lectures that
students are required to attend. These include workshops on editing and marketing and
lectures with titles such as “How the Novel is Born.” Special sessions are also provided,
including tours of local independent publishing houses and courses on magazine
publishing. In order to be accepted into the program one must complete an online
application with a $65 application fee. Included with the application must be official
transcript(s), a resume, a personal statement, and two letters of recommendation. The
total cost for the program is $4500, not including room and board. Although this program
focuses specifically on book publishing, it has many other benefits. The University of
Denver offers training courses in mock interviews and building resumes. Also, because
students are working one-on-one with professionals they have direct access to job
information and networking. The University of Denver also sends out information
pertaining to job openings, even have students have graduated.
10. Youngstown State University – Certificate in Publishing
Rating: 2/5 Located away from many large publishing cities, this certificate program does
not offer individualized attention or meaningful internships.
Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio. It offers a special program
to receive a certificate in professional writing and editing. This 12 credit hour program is
designed for those interested in technical writing and editing, company news and
information directors, and/or grant proposal writers. Students must take four courses:
technical communications, document design and production, publications issues and
management, and professional communications. Students are also encouraged, but not
required, to complete an internship. The frequency of classes allows for students to finish
in four semesters. However, this campus is not located near large publishing houses that
can offer experiential internships, making the overall experience level at a low. This is a
wonderful program if one is interested in publishing at smaller houses.
11. CUNY Publishing Institute – Publishing Institute Program
Rating: 1/5 Although this program is taught by extremely successful professionals, it is
only offered for five days and is for individuals who have an established career and are
interested in expanding their knowledge.
The City University of New York (CUNY) Publishing Institute is located in New York
City, New York. Offered through the Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY provides a
five day course of programs for those interested in publishing. Starting in 2013, this
program will host sessions with faculty made up entirely of New York area publishers,
editors, and writers. John Oakes, an experienced veteran of traditional publishing and,
most recently, dabbler in Internet publications will become the program’s director.
Tuition is only $900, but students are responsible for their food, transportation, and
lodging. To apply, one must submit an application and resume. Although it is very quick,
convenient, and cost effective, this program is aimed at those will a little experience in
the publishing industry and those who are looking to start their own publishing company.