May 03, 2017

Susquehanna University has been named one of the top 10 Best Colleges with Publishing Degrees in the U.S. by Universities.com.

Susquehanna’s program ranks No. 9, alongside New York University, George Washington University and Manhattan’s The New School.

Universities.com’s ranking is based on data from reliable government sources, student surveys, college graduate interviews and editorial review.

Susquehanna realized an 80 percent boost in enrolling English majors after promoting its publishing and editing minor to a major several years ago.

The new major, led by Laurence Roth, professor and co-chair of the English and creative writing department, takes the core of traditional literary studies and adds courses to build real-world skills. The program features classes with a professional-in-residence, required relevant internships and a capstone project.

What differentiates it from other strictly pre-professional publishing programs is that students get those skills without sacrificing the valuable critical-thinking skills and deep understanding of literature that an English major provides.

“If you don’t understand literature, you can’t really understand what its future might be and the different ways and platforms it might be delivered on in that future,” Roth said. “Here we’re trying to say that in publishing, you’re not just marketing a product to people that’s the same as razor blades and toothpaste. You are engaging in a longer history of art-making called literature that has a profound impact on peoples’ understanding of our world and ourselves.”

This is not the first honor for Susquehanna’s English and creative writing department. The Huffington Post named our Writers Institute one of the best creative writing programs in the country.

Students in Susquehanna’s publishing and editing program have access to a high-tech, dedicated lab and eight department student publications.

They have also secured prime internships and postgraduate opportunities at top magazines, newspapers and presses, including The Overlook Press, San Diego Magazine, Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents and Odyssey Online.

Each year, students have been accepted into the prestigious Columbia Publishing Course and New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute.