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NUI Galway

Literature & Publishing

Your course
As Ireland's only postgraduate programme dedicated to literature and publishing, this MA provides the opportunity to study the history and business of publishing within the context of literary study. The programme offers a perspective on the industrial and commercial dimensions to the production of literature and provides insights into book and magazine production, copyediting, publishing law, marketing, electronic publishing, book history and digital studies.

3 Good Reasons To Study This Course

1. Professional journal: The publication of the journal ROPES is integral to the programme and students take full responsibility for its production.

2. Speaker series: A weekly speaker series, Publishers on Publishing, brings people working in publishing in Ireland and abroad to discuss their careers.

3. Visits and volunteering: There are opportunities for visits to publishing houses, printers and other relevant businesses. Some students volunteer with book fairs and literary festivals and some become interns with Irish publishers.

Entry requirements

Minimum Entry Requirements
NQAI Level 8 degree or equivalent, H2.2 overall with H2.1 in one subject. GPA 3.0 or equivalent. IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent if applicable.

Duration

1 year full-time.

Careers or further progression

Career opportunities
Graduates have found positions in a range of fields, including publishing, advertising, bookselling, journalism, arts administration, public relations and teaching. Employers include Gill & Macmillan, Columba Press, the Educational Company of Ireland, Business & Finance, Angry Robot, Elsevier and Penguin. Some graduates opt for further study in doctoral programmes.

Further enquiries

Dr Rebecca Barr
T: +353 91 495 609
E: rebecca.barr@nuigalway.ie

Subjects taught

Modules offered are: Contemporary Publishing; Electronic Publishing; Copyediting and Proofreading; Publishing Law; Marketing Communications; Introduction to Business; Digital Marketing; Book History; Textual Studies; Representations of the Book in Literature and Film; The Nineteenth Century Literary Marketplace; Travel Literature; Literature of North America; Medieval Aesthetics and Poetic Art; Discovering the Archives; Cultural Journalism; From Globe to Globe; Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey; Irish Drama and Theatre from Beckett to the Present; Thinking about Theatre; Literature and Colonialism; Studies in Oral History; Studies in Regional Identities; Film in the Digital Age.

Application date

Applications are made online.

In the first instance, all applicants to this programme should supply the following supporting materials:

1) a personal statement of approximately 600 words;

2) scanned copies of all university transcripts (not required for applicants who earned their BA from NUIG);

3) a scanned copy of their passport or birth certificate (not required for applicants who have been previously enrolled as students at NUIG);

4) and the names and full contact details for two academic referees willing to provide a letter of recommendation (relevant professional referees may be substituted by applicants who are a long time out of the education system).

Please note that referees may be contacted and asked to supply references to the MA programme director.

At a later stage of the process, applicants may be required to supply hard copies of documents or additional materials, such as evidence of English-language competency (for applicants whose first language is not English).