Changes to Publishing Education at SFU

In light of ongoing transformations to the post-secondary sector and the publishing industry in Canada, the structure of publishing education at SFU is undergoing some significant shifts. Most notably, the Minor in Publishing will be moving back to its original home within the School of Communication and the Master of Publishing Program will suspend new admissions after the incoming 2026 cohort. Publishing at SFU is not ending, but it is taking new forms. We remain committed to ensuring that SFU remains a sought-after destination for publishing education in Canada.

Background

In 1988 the Minor in Publishing was established within what was then the Department of Communication. In 1994, the Master of Publishing was established as a professional degree oriented towards training students to work in the Canadian trade publishing industry. Further, in 1997, a professional development workshops series established at the Banff Centre in the early 1980s came to SFU, where it has run since as the SFU Publishing Workshops, a set of non-credit offerings for industry and the general public. 

As the publishing industry has changed, so has the content of the Master of Publishing, shifting to encompass the rise of ebooks, audiobooks, and most recently AI. MPub alumni can now be found across the Canadian publishing sector and internationally; they are leaders in publishing, cultural policy, entrepreneurship, and more. We have not only continued to educate a new generation of publishing professionals but have also developed a robust research profile that spans from book history to open access scholarly publishing to podcasting.

As the publishing industry has continued to undergo rapid shifts, the needs of our students have shifted. More and more, our students are drawn to interdisciplinary degrees and certificate offerings that allow them to develop wide-ranging and agile skillsets that better prepare them for the shifting realities of contemporary publishing. We are committed to developing the Minor in Publishing to meet these challenges.

What Is Changing 

As of Fall 2027, the Minor in Print and Digital Publishing will be relocated to the School of Communication. This is an obvious fit, considering that the majority of Publishing minors are Communication majors. The move will also give us an opportunity to update the curriculum. 

The Master of Publishing will suspend new admissions after our incoming 2026 cohort. In Fall 2026 we will also open applications for readmission to any members of previous cohorts who would like to return to complete their MPub (details can be found here). Applicants will be readmitted on a rolling basis beginning in Spring 2027 and ending in Summer 2028. During that transitional period, we will collaborate with the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, the School of Communication, MPub alumni, and our many long-term publishing industry supporters and collaborators to re-envision what accessible and flexible professional publishing education should look like in the decades to come. 

What’s Next 

While the Publishing Program at SFU will be winding down over the next two years, the commitments that have animated our work—industry collaboration, student-centred pedagogy, practice-based research, and an expansive understanding of publishing as the infrastructure of our shared culture—will find a new home in the School of Communication. 

Publishing at SFU is not ending, but it is taking new forms. We cherish our students, alumni, and colleagues in the industry, and remain committed to staying connected to and supporting our community. 

If you have questions about these changes, you can reach out to Hannah McGregor, Director of Publishing, at hannah_mcgregor@sfu.ca.