Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Entrepreneurship and Publishing

The BA (Hons) Entrepreneurship and Publishing programme explores the creative and commercial processes involved in publishing while examining key business themes that support the development of innovative solutions for success within the publishing industry and related sectors. Book and magazine publishing form a significant part of the creative and cultural industries, involving a wide range of professionals between manuscript completion and final publication, including literary agents, editors, and publishers. The course examines these processes to develop the ability to analyse, implement, and evaluate solutions to challenges within professional writing, book publishing, and magazine publishing contexts.

Alongside this, the programme addresses broader themes of business, enterprise, and entrepreneurship, supporting the development of skills required to establish new ventures or introduce innovation within existing organisations.

Real-world learning is embedded throughout the course, with opportunities including work on live briefs, projects set by external industry partners, and the option to undertake a business-focused placement year between the second and third years of study to gain valuable professional experience. The programme benefits from a strong heritage of collaboration with regional, national, and international partners, including publishers, magazines, writing organisations, literary agents, book fairs, festivals, and other literary institutions.

Entrepreneurship is treated as a highly practical discipline, with a strong emphasis placed on experiential learning. Academic expertise is applied to connect theoretical business and entrepreneurship frameworks with the practical realities of modern enterprise. Extensive links with the business community, particularly through the Derby Network of Entrepreneurs, further enhance the programme’s applied focus and professional relevance.