Is a Creative Writing Degree Worth It

We’ve heard plenty of discourse on whether a creative writing degree is worth it or not, with some people believing there are better choices out there to set you up for success in the future. However, in our experience, we’ve found a lot of the people who question the validity of this subject have never looked into it. They also certainly don’t have a passion for writing, so it makes sense that they won’t understand it.

However, if you want a degree that can be used for advancing your career in creative writing, this subject might be the best option for you. Keep reading to learn more about whether the creative writing degree is really worth it for you!

Benefits of a Creative Writing Degree

There are four main benefits of studying a creative writing degree that we’ll look at now so you can get excited about what you might have to look forward to if you go through with it:

1. You can develop stronger writing skills
2. You’ll get the opportunity to explore more genres and styles of writing
3. You can build your network
4. You might be able to expand your career options

It’s important to note that you can do all of these things without studying for a degree through practice and self-discipline. However, you’ll likely have to do this alongside working and you won’t have as much time to hone your skills. It’ll also probably take longer to reap these benefits when you’re doing it on your own, and you won’t have supervisors around to help you make the most of your craft.

Types of Creative Writing Degrees

There are several creative writing degrees to choose from, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. Each comes with a slightly different focus which can pivot your future career in the direction you want it to go most, so this isn’t an easy choice! Let’s take a look at some of the options you have available to you:

Undergraduate Degrees

Undergraduate degrees tend to take four years to complete, although some courses are shorter or longer than others. There are generalized and more specific degrees focused on creative writing:

• Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
• Bachelor of Science in Writing

Graduate Degrees

Graduate degrees, on the other hand, are degrees that you can apply for once you’ve completed your undergraduate. Don’t worry, you don’t always need to have an undergrad degree in a similar field to your master’s, so you should be able to study creative writing at postgrad level no matter what.

There are a few reasons why you might want to study creative writing at a postgrad level, including:

• You think that you might want to teach creative writing one day at a college level or higher
• You have an undergraduate degree in another subject but still want to study writing
• You want to advance your study of writing further than it was at an undergraduate level

There are also a number of graduate degrees you can look into when deciding you want to study creative writing, such as:

• Master of Arts in Creative Writing
• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
• PhD in Creative Writing

Career Options After Studying Creative Writing

One of the biggest questions people ask is ‘But what career will that degree get you?’ – believe us, we had many people ask us those exact words when we studied creative writing. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually plenty of careers out there that will be interested in a creative writing degree, because almost all jobs require some level of writing experience! Here are just some of the jobs that you can go into after studying creative writing:

• Authoring
• Editing and proofreading
• Copywriting
• Content writing
• Technical writing
• Social media marketing
• Screenwriting
  

  

• Journalism
• Literary agency
• Publishing
• Advertising and marketing
• Communications specialist
• Teaching or lecturing
• Brand strategist

And that’s just a few! Ultimately, creative writing will give you applicable skills that you can use in multiple jobs that you might not even associate with writing. Some employers might even be more interested in your application when they see your writing experience!

Final thoughts

The question of whether a creative writing degree is worth it is down to you, and you alone. There are many benefits to writing, such as improving your craft and networking with like-minded people, but you can do this without paying for the degree. However, it might take longer and be more inconvenient while you’re working. No matter whether you decide if it’s worth it or not to you, don’t let the opinions of others influence you. Good luck!