MA/MS in Book Publishing: Admissions & Scholarships

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Books propped up at a booth, photographed from behind.

Overview

To apply to the graduate program in Book Publishing at Portland State University, you must submit an electronic application through the Graduate School. This link will walk you through the application process step by step. You will be prompted to pay a $65 non-refundable application fee.

Application Fee Waivers

If you do not qualify for an application fee waiver through the Graduate School, the English Department may be able to provide you with one. The Department has a limited number of application fee waivers available, which will be granted on a first come, first served basis. To request a fee waiver through the Department, please complete the Graduate Application Fee Waiver Request Form by the indicated deadline:

Winter 2025 applicants: September 1, 2024
Spring 2025 applicants: October 15, 2024
Fall 2025 applicants: January 1, 2025

Application Deadlines

The graduate program in Book Publishing allows prospective students to begin courses during the Fall, Winter, or Spring terms. This means there are three possible application deadlines, each corresponding to an academic term (click here for PSU’s academic calendar). The deadlines are as follows:

For Fall term admission: January 15 of the current year
For Winter term admission: September 15 of the current year
For Spring term admission: November 1 of the previous year

Application Process

Here is a handy list of supplementary materials you will need to collect before you finish your application:

Personal introduction: This is a brief (3–5 double-spaced pages) opportunity for you to describe the ways in which your background and experiences make you a strong prospective student for the graduate program in Book Publishing, to share the reasons you are interested in the program, and to state your goals and the things you hope to achieve with your degree.
Writing sample: This is made up of 15–30 pages of writing that demonstrates your potential as a publishing professional. Previously published work is welcome, and your sample can consist of multiple pieces, so long as they do not exceed the page limit. Your sample can be of a professional, academic, or artistic nature (or a mixture of the three). Indeed, a diversity of materials is oftentimes most effective at demonstrating your strengths as a prospective student for the graduate program in Book Publishing. If you have editing or design experience, samples of this work are welcome, but in these instances, please be sure to include a brief cover letter that details your role in these projects. With editing samples, it’s particularly important that we can actually see the editing you’ve done; one way to achieve this is to submit both pre- and post-editing versions, another is to submit a document with your copyediting marks handwritten on it, and yet another is to submit a document with track changes. This writing sample, like all other application materials, is meant to be submitted digitally through the online application system, but if it’s necessary to submit hard copies of any documents as part of the writing sample, contact the Director of Publishing, Dr. Rachel Noorda, at rnoorda@pdx.edu.
Transcripts: Submit unofficial transcripts from each post-secondary institution at which you received a degree. These unofficial transcripts may be scans of official transcripts issued to you, or they may be printouts of your academic record from the Registrar’s website at your institution. If you are accepted into the program and decide to attend, you must submit official transcripts to Graduate Admissions before you can register for classes for your second term in the program.
Three letters of recommendation: These should be letters of high praise from professional or academic references that can attest to your skills as they pertain to the academic study of publishing. It is important to recognize, however, that these skills can be defined either narrowly (e.g. editing, marketing, design) or broadly (e.g. work ethic, attention to detail). The collection and submission of these letters is done online. As you go through the online application process using the above links, you will eventually come to a portion that says “Submit Recommendation Request.” You will be prompted to enter the full name and email address for each letter-writer, and the online system will send them a request. Please inform and prepare your references and make sure they are looking out for this email.
Optional application statement for graduate assistantships: See our Funding and Awards tab for more details on graduate assistantships. Applicants who would like to be considered for the Book Publishing program’s incoming-student graduate assistantship should submit a short statement (three double-spaced pages, maximum) about why they are a good fit for this position. The incoming-student graduate assistantship is limited to outstanding diverse backgrounds and experiences that are traditionally underrepresented.

Funding and Graduate Assistantships

If you’re wondering how much a Master’s degree in Book Publishing might cost, this handy tuition estimator is exactly what you need. When it comes to paying for your graduate degree at Portland State University, everything you need to know is available on the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs website. This website covers the three main types of funding assistance that are available to graduate students: financial aid, scholarships, and graduate assistantships.

Unfortunately, the graduate program in Book Publishing does not have any dedicated financial aid or scholarship arrangements, so applicants for these two forms of financial assistance will be entering the general pool of prospective PSU graduate students.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are budgeted yearly and are reliant on funding. Typically, the graduate program in Book Publishing offers two graduate assistantships that are available only to second-year students, and one graduate assistantship that is available to an incoming student in odd years (i.e., 2025). Graduate assistants receive a stipend and a 9-credit tuition remission in fall, winter, and spring terms.

Second-Year Graduate Assistantships

The second-year graduate assistants are appointed for only one year and serve as assistants to the Director of Publishing and Ooligan Press’s Publisher, aiding in fundraising, outreach, and event planning for the program. Given the nature of their responsibilities, these two graduate assistants must be second-year students. However, since graduate assistantships always run from the beginning of Fall term until the end of Spring term, if someone starts in the Spring term, for example, then it’s possible that he/she could get a graduate assistantship beginning in their second term of study (i.e., Fall term of the following academic year).

Incoming-Student Graduate Assistantship

The incoming-student graduate assistant is appointed for two years, contingent on satisfactory academic progress and available funding. Currently, this assistantship is only awarded to an incoming student in odd years (i.e., 2025). The incoming-student graduate assistantship is limited to outstanding diverse backgrounds and experiences that are traditionally underrepresented. The incoming-student graduate assistant will, in the first year, typically tutor in the Writing Center for one quarter, and teach WR 115: Introduction to College Writing or WR 121: College Writing for two quarters. In the second year, the incoming-student graduate assistant will typically teach each quarter, though may opt to spend a quarter in the Writing Center.

Other Graduate Assistantships

Book publishing graduate students have secured graduate assistantships across the university: CLAS Dean's office, Graduate School, Transportation Research and Education Center, Student Sustainability Center, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Education Abroad, Office of International Partnerships, Student Activities and Leadership Programs, University Communications, and the Portland Center Program (part of the Center for International and English Learning).

Many non-academic divisions of the university also offer graduate assistantships, including, for example, University Communications, Campus Recreation, University Housing, Office of International Affairs, Women’s Resource Center, Queer Resource Center, and Student Health and Counseling. Sometimes these non-academic graduate assistantships are listed on the Office of Graduate Studies website, but not always. Unfortunately, there is no truly comprehensive, centralized listing of these non-academic graduate assistantships; some programs/departments may only list this information on their own website.

Other Funding Opportunities

Ooligan Diversity Scholarship

Indigo Editing, Design, and More generously funds a $1,000 Ooligan Diversity Scholarship to an incoming student to increase the representation of marginalized and underrepresented students in the Book Publishing program. Indigo believes it is crucial to support BIPOC, disabled persons, and others from marginalized backgrounds in pursuing careers in publishing so the industry can better represent those voices among editors, designers, publicists, authors, illustrators, audiobook narrators and producers, and readers. The award recipient will receive $1,000 toward tuition and fees to attend the PSU Master in Publishing program as well as a mentorship opportunity with Indigo’s founder, Ali Shaw.

The first of these scholarships was fully funded by a donation made in the name of Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa, a poet, activist, and Black Panther. Read more about Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa.

To be considered for the Ooligan Diversity Scholarship, applicants must submit their responses to the following essays through the "English - 2024/2025" application in Scholarship Universe (SU). Instructions on how to use Scholarship Universe may be found on Student Finance's website.

Required essay questions (up to 500 words each):

Please consider how your demographic is underrepresented in the publishing industry, what effect that underrepresentation had on you personally and on others in your community, and how you hope to contribute to publishing diverse voices to improve the book world when responding to the essays.

Describe your educational and long-term career goals and the difference you intend to make in your field. Please elaborate on how your Master's education will help you achieve these goals and share supporting evidence that illustrates your determination to achieve these goals.
Write a brief statement that expresses how you work within an environment that welcomes and serves individuals of diverse race, gender, ethnicity, culture, age, sexual orientation, religion, political viewpoint, military background, national origin, familial status, or disability. Include examples that have impacted your life or education.

Jessica Tyner Scholarship Fund

The Jessica Tyner Scholarship Fund is awarded exclusively to students with a Native connection pursuing a degree in writing or literature. Jessica Tyner Mehta, who created the fund, is an alumna of PSU’s master’s degree in Book Publishing as well as a poet, writer, and member of the Cherokee Nation. The Jessica Tyner Scholarship Fund is administered by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC), although any student attending an accredited graduate program in the US may apply. More information can be found here.

Dennis Stovall First Edition Award

Honoring the founding director of both the graduate program in Book Publishing and its student-staffed publishing house, Ooligan Press, the Dennis Stovall First Edition Award is given once a year to the student who best exemplifies the publishing program’s mission. In particular, the panel of experts judging student applications for the Dennis Stovall First Edition Award look for evidence that the student has both breadth and depth in his or her publishing education. The award is bestowed at the English Department’s end-of-year capping ceremony. See our Donate page for past winners.

University Studies Peer Mentor

University Studies Peer Mentors come from all academic backgrounds and work with Freshman Inquiry and Sophomore Inquiry courses. Mentors plan and facilitate 50-minute mentor sessions for these courses. Mentors serve as friends, colleagues, and teachers, helping undergraduate students learn the academic ropes. All new mentors must enroll in a four-credit Education course that is offered in the Spring term and a two-week training prior to the start of Fall term. Mentors work 10–20 hours per week. Mentors receive both tuition remission for up to 9 credits per term and a stipend for the academic year. For more information, go to the University Studies website.

On-Campus Work

An on-campus job that is greater than half time can result in a significant tuition reduction. These jobs are posted on the Careers Center website.