By Dawn Angelicca Barcelona
For anyone who is a storyteller, you might feel moved at some point to continue your Creative Writing education at the graduate level. Perhaps you want to keep the momentum going from your undergraduate writing projects, or maybe you’ve explored a career unrelated to Creative Writing for several years, and you’re looking to go back to school to make a pivot. Before applying to Creative Writing programs, I served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea and worked as a technical recruiter in San Francisco, experiences which inform the topics and themes I write about now. Don’t fret if you have taken time off before applying to school! Your life experiences can help augment your application, and you are still a competitive applicant no matter the stage of life you are in.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty details of what to write in your personal statements, what to include in your creative writing samples, and who you’ll be asking for recommendation letters, you’ll first need to decide what kind of program you’re looking to enter into. You can always apply to various types of programs, but the most common decision in pursuing Creative Writing at the graduate level is between pursuing an MFA (1-3 years) or a PhD (4-4+ years). In this article, I’ll break down the major hallmarks of typical MFA and PhD programs so you can help yourself evaluate which program might be the best fit for you.
Overview of Creative Writing MFA Programs
There are two types of MFA programs: full-time and low-residency. The outcome of any MFA program is to complete a book-length thesis that will be ready to submit for publication.
A full-time MFA program requires you to be on campus to take coursework and teach in-person during the academic year. The average length of a full-time MFA program is 2-3 years. MFA programs focus on generating and workshopping creative work and may also have opportunities for you to take classes in literary theory if your schedule allows for it.
Low-residency programs are remote except for twice yearly residencies (winter and summer), where students and faculty meet on campus for 1-2 weeks in person to workshop pieces, attend professional seminars, and build community with their cohorts. A low-residency MFA option is a great fit for anyone unable to relocate or leave their current careers. It allows for maximum flexibility since you will be working with a faculty member one-on-one in between residencies.
Overview of Creative Writing PhD Programs
A Creative Writing PhD typically lasts 4 years, with the first 2 years emphasizing coursework in critical theory, academic research, pedagogy, and workshops. Students take exams on analyzing texts from a craft perspective and a literary/historical perspective, culminating in a dissertation versus a book-length creative work. Because PhD programs are twice the length of typical MFA programs, you will have more time to accrue teaching experience that will be helpful in putting together a CV suited for the academic job market. There are fewer PhD programs than MFA programs to apply for, so your options on where you apply will be more limited. There are also English PhD programs that allow for a Creative Writing concentration.
Factors to consider
Some general factors you should consider when deciding between MFA and PhD Creative Writing program options include but are not limited to:
- Location
- Career Goals
- Funding and Length of Program
- Teaching Load
- Faculty
- Research Opportunities
- Season of Life
Location
Think about what your writing life looks like right now and what you envision to be the best circumstances for you to do your best writing. Do you thrive when you’re able to write in a bustling city cafe, or do you feel most focused when you’re in a peaceful outdoor location? How does weather play a role in your mood? Is it important for you to have public transportation or an airport nearby?
Programs in higher cost-of-living cities tend to offer more opportunities to connect with authors who travel for their book tours and attend literary festivals hosted by arts and cultural organizations. You might also have more potential for internship or shadowing opportunities while you are actively a student, which can be extremely valuable if you are interested in pursuing a career outside of academia.
Many creative writing programs are located in beautiful small towns with easy access to walking trails, hiking, and parks, making for an idyllic writing setting, especially if your work deals with the natural world. Being in a lower cost-of-living area while you are studying can be helpful financially, and you might also have fewer distractions if you are not close to a city.
Career Goals
Both the MFA and PhD are terminal degrees, meaning that you will be eligible to apply and be interviewed for tenure-track jobs at the university level. Tenure-track jobs are far and few, so it is wise to keep your expectations grounded and think widely about your career options after graduation.
If you aim to teach creative writing and literature courses, obtaining your PhD can make you a more attractive candidate to get your foot in the door so you have more years of teaching experience and critical theory coursework. If you are not interested in pursuing an academic career, an MFA degree is valuable to careers in public programming, publishing and editing, learning and instructional design, nonprofit management, and marketing, among others. And, if your goal is to work in publishing, a university’s literary magazine is often run by MFA students who read submissions or edit pieces. Universities may also have a publishing press or imprint that can provide internship opportunities.
Funding
Fully funded programs exist for both full-time MFA and PhD students, so I strongly encourage you to look at programs that include full funding for all years of coursework and comprehensive health insurance. Some MFA programs have a two-year guarantee of funding with the option to apply for a third year, so you’ll need to double check on what each program offers. Some institutions may also provide funds for you to attend writing conferences, fund research trips to archives, or cover contest submission fees, which is a nice plus!
Your funding package might be composed of internal or external fellowships (that you can find on ProFellow!), graduate teaching assistantships, and/or research assistantships. When you are on a fellowship, you do not have any work or teaching obligations, so you can focus on your own writing during that time. When you have teaching or research obligations, you will gain professional skills that you can talk about during job or faculty placement interviews and build your network of references.
Low-residency programs are designed for students who cannot or do not want to leave their careers or have other obligations that prevent them from relocating to a university campus. Low-residency programs overall cost much less than if you were to pay out of pocket for a full-time MFA program and allow you the flexibility to continue your life as-is. Some partial funding is available for low-residency programs, but expect to pay some amount out-of-pocket.
Faculty
Since the duration of an MFA program can be short–between one to three years, with the majority of the programs to be completed in two years–there can be a chance that a faculty member you really want to work with might be on leave or take a sabbatical. Since your professors are themselves working writers and actively publishing material, they may need to step away from their academic duties to promote their books or meet deadlines with their publishers. However, if you pursue a PhD, you will be in school for longer, so you’ll be more likely to catch any faculty on leave before your program ends. It can be helpful to see if your aesthetic and goals resonate holistically with faculty and alumni in your chosen program rather than banking on a single faculty member to be there.
Season of Life
Depending on your life circumstances, you may have to talk over your decision with a partner, child, or other loved ones. Consider the flexibility of programs if you need to travel – will you have summers off, or are you expected to be on campus? If you have children, what schools and activities are available for them? Are you ready for a new adventure in an unfamiliar location, or do you view graduate school as a way to get closer to your hometown? Each program will have its own perks and benefits for students and their loved ones, so it helps to talk to prospective students to get a first-hand perspective of what attending the program is like.
Conclusion
Deciding between an MFA and a PhD in Creative Writing is a deeply personal choice that depends on your career goals, lifestyle preferences, and where you are in your writing journey. Whether you seek the intensive, creative focus of an MFA or the academic rigor and teaching experience of a PhD, both paths offer unique opportunities to grow as a writer and contribute to the literary world. Ultimately, the right program for you is one that aligns with your aspirations and supports your growth as a storyteller.
Interested in fellowships in creative writing? Be sure to create a free ProFellow account and bookmark programs that stand out to you!
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