Master of Arts Program

Master’s Degree Program

As detailed in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin, eight semester courses (32 credits) and a thesis related to editing are required for the degree. In addition to the five required Editorial Institute courses, students take at least one related course in another department at the University and at least one directed study; the eighth course may be a related course or a directed study. All three courses must be relevant to the subject of the thesis, and approved by the student’s faculty advisor.

Learn more about our current MA candidates here.

Learning Objectives for the MA in Editorial Studies

Students graduating with an MA in Editorial Studies are expected to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and practice of scholarly editing

2. Produce, in a timely fashion, a thesis that shows knowledge of primary sources, secondary literature, and research methods and techniques appropriate to the particular field in which editorial work has been conducted.

3. Conduct research in an ethical manner

Courses for the Master’s Degree

The Theory and Practice of Literary Editing (CAS EI 501)

An introduction to the theory, practice, and principles of editorial decisions, such as questions of modernization, revision, and annotation. The course features several speakers and attends to notable editorial achievements.

Textual Scholarship (CAS EI 503)

Fundamentals of textual scholarship: bibliography, paleography, typography, textual criticism, and annotation.

Topics in Textual Scholarship and the History of Western Society: The History of the Book (CAS EI 506)

Investigates the impact of print technology on society from the fifteenth century to the present, considering the sociology and politics of publishing, writing and reading practices, concepts of authorship and copyright, censorship and control of the press, and the future of the book.

CAS EI 507 Publishing Procedures
Professor Marilyn Gaull

“Publishing Procedures” is a graduate course at the Editorial Institute. It examines the history, principles, theory and practices of book publication focusing on scholarly and serious trade monographs.   The course is designed for scholars and writers, for anyone who reads, writes, buys, collects,  produces or sells books.  Among the many goals of the course: to introduce all the processes involved in publishing,  their origins and purposes,  to cultivate an  appreciation for books and their history,  to complete a single long project,  work collaboratively, and  write at a professional level.    EI 509, History of the Book is a prerequisite, ideally taken concurrently.

Editing Across the Disciplines (CAS EI 508)

Bringing together expertise from different areas of the University, this course will introduce students to the purpose, practices, and effects of editing, broadly defined, in disciplines as diverse as musicology and Biblical studies, philosophy and classics.

Directed Study (GRS EI 901/902)

Supervised research toward the Master’s thesis.

Please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin and the College of Arts and Sciences Bulletin to review related courses in other University departments.