Publishing

You’ll graduate with essential publishing skills, from writing persuasive, concise copy and text editing, to communicating brand identity and audience research. We’ll teach you how to layout content and manipulate images using industry-standard software, with opportunities to develop your skills in image use, video, photography, infographics, and HTML.

Additional modules offer the chance to specialise and deepen your knowledge and skill base, and to work on larger personal projects linked to your career aims.

Year one
We’ll introduce you to core publishing principles, with a focus on copywriting and editing. You’ll become familiar with layout, production and publishing software. There will be weekly deadlines, so you’ll get used to turning around work quickly and in a well-presented form. Alongside this you’ll start to build an in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry and have the chance to work collaboratively on all-day challenge projects.

Year two
You’ll gain greater insight into particular areas of publishing, such as marketing, editorial and design. Optional modules allow you to delve deeper into areas such as illustrated books, independent magazines, fiction editing, and the use of publishing skills for social enterprise and charity work.

Year three
Tutors will guide you to focus your skills and knowledge around your personal creative and career interests. You’ll be encouraged to develop your individual approach as a creator, curator or project manager; your final portfolio will reflect this, showcasing your work for prospective employers. Optional modules cover book commissioning, children's publishing, and cross-platform digital publishing.

You’ll be assessed by coursework, including portfolios, essays, feature articles, reflective commentaries and reports. In some modules you’ll share your work through short, informal presentations.

You’ll be taught through creative workshops, skills labs, seminars and lectures. You will learn to be adept at project management and product development following a research and development process. We work on-screen and beyond: creating sketchbooks; making physical prototypes; getting out and meeting people; finding opportunities.

Throughout the course, you’ll work to briefs set by your tutors or industry collaborators, as well as working on your own projects. We expect you to work with flair and enthusiasm, taking your ideas and developing them into industry standard work.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

From visiting the London Book Fair or a bookbinders, to working on projects with local companies, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork across the Publishing modules.

Students have the opportunity to work on live projects and collaborations. We have worked with international and local clients such as the BBC, TEDxBristol, Bonnier Books, X Media Lab, the National Trust, Forest of Imagination arts events, and Bath Film Festival.

With our support, many students carry out work experience and freelance work. The Publishing lecturers have had a great amount of experience in the industry and are in an excellent position to help students to develop internship and work experience opportunities.

We work with industry contacts to develop internship and work experience opportunities for students. 

You can also work on the publishing student-run Milk Magazine.

Publishing graduates have been highly successful in gaining graduate-level jobs, including Editorial Assistant, Production Assistant, Digital Editor, Digital Marketing Coordinator, and Project Manager. Graduates have been employed by publishing companies including:

• Future
• Taylor & Francis
• Penguin Random House.

Each year we award a publishing prize to one student from each year group.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

Publishing is taught on our Newton Park campus. You'll have access to a wide range of excellent facilities, including:

• The Publishing Labs: digital and print making spaces
• Newton Park library
• Commons building
• Our Virtual Learning Environment

As a Publishing student, you'll benefit from:

• Experienced Publishing technical demonstrators to support you
• The latest specialist software as well as various print and handmade publishing equipment including digital cameras, iPads, booklet makers
• Free equipment hire with SISO, Bath Spa’s loan system.