Statement of Aims and Objectives

This is perhaps the most intimidating step of the application process, especially if you are uncertain about what you want to do with your degree when you are finished. No matter where you are in your career, you should highlight why you want to apply to the program and what you will bring to it. Also, what brought you here? How does the MPub program fit into your career path? What have you already done, both professionally and academically? What areas of publishing are you interested in? This is the area where you can showcase your passions and personality.

Prerequisite Knowledge

What courses did you take in your undergraduate degree? Get syllabuses from past marketing, accounting, publishing, and Adobe CS courses and to highlight what you have previously learned. Note that the while you should have a basic background in these areas, if you don’t have the exact courses or their equivalents there are other ways to meet the prerequisites before the course begins. You can describe your professional experience in these areas, and just like in a job interview you should expand on your answers with examples of different times you have used different skills and what the result was.

References

Contact people well in advance of the application deadline, and make sure you provide them with background information on the program as well as your future goals so they are able to tailor their answers accordingly. While three references are required, contact a few extra people in case the first people you approach are unavailable.

Portfolio

The portfolio should be a clear demonstration of the skills and abilities you will bring to the Master of Publishing program. Many applicants submit a cover sheet listing the contents of the portfolio and noting how they created or contributed to the creation of the contents. Portfolios can include, but are certainly not limited to: examples of design work, desktop publishing samples, newsletter and/or brochure samples, articles or books (for those who have experience in editing), samples of photography and examples of academic writing. Go for breadth, and show the range of things you’re capable of. If you don’t have many portfolio pieces, you could complete mock projects to submit. Portfolios are to be uploaded to the graduate online application unless previous arrangements have been made with the Program Advisor (pub-info@sfu.ca).

Make your application really stand out by branding yourself and using the same design treatment throughout each section. Of course, your application should also be well written and free of errors.

Best of luck, and if you have any further questions that aren’t answered in our FAQs, please contact: