To MFA or not to MFA?
Why bother getting a 'useless' degree?
If you don’t know, I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 9. If you didn’t also know, I have a MFA.
I planned on writing a version of this at some point - why I got a MFA, have I found it useful or not, etc - but I’ve seen some comments on both Substack and the Internet lately that made me scratch my head.
They boiled down to:
MFAs are a degree of the past
Substack is the future
MFAs are too expensive, teach a specific type of writing, and don’t prepare writers to earn money afterwards
My reaction upon reading this was: What a weird thing to say. Especially because the authors themselves had MFAs.
But, I thought, maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. So I asked a few writer friends and former classmates, and their responses mirrored mine, from ‘confusion’ to ‘pitchforks.’ So, let’s get into it.
Before we go further, some caveats. I am not a lawyer, and I am not offering you advice. While I have previously worked in academia, I am not affiliated with any MFA program, and I’m not trying to sell you anything, either. Is a MFA worth it? Ultimately, you’ll have to decide that for yourself. I am just recounting my experience, and why I continue to think it’s a useful degree to have. Onwards.
First, what is a MFA? MFA stands for a Masters in Fine Arts.1 They are, despite prevailing wisdom, still quite popular. Poets & Writers has 256 listed in their database. The MFA I received was in creative writing. There are other MFA programs (illustration, graphic design, photography, etc.) which is why I thought the comments above so absurd in the first place. Sure, have a bone to pick with Creative Writing MFAs, but there are many other industries where having a MFA is useful, if not required.2
Within Creative Writing MFA programs, there are two types: fully residential and low-residency (low-res) programs. I did the latter. Think of it this way: a fully residential program means committing to a degree program for 2 years, stopping work, and maybe needing to relocate. A low-residency model is predicated upon the fact that the writer will continue to work while they complete their studies. As much as I would have loved to take two years off of work to read and write, I couldn’t afford it. So, twice a year I took a week of vacation so I could go down to Newport and go to school. They were intense weeks, don’t get me wrong, there was so much time talking and workshopping and writing and networking. But it was cramming in as much as humanly possible in a short period of time. Because, you know, people have lives.
Now, do you need a MFA to be a professional writer? No, absolutely not. Many professional writers do not have MFAs and they’re doing fine. There are also journalism degrees, and plenty of other communication programs that might better suit your interests. Would that a MFA confer immediate riches and bestseller lists, but alas, it does not. However, most of my professors (who were all published authors) had them, and if not a MFA, another Master’s degree in a relevant field. If you are considering a MFA program, allow me to expand upon some of the common critiques listed above. At the end of the day the decision is yours, but Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum, as they say.3
Common Critique: MFAs are expensive
You’ve got me there. I will not argue that. However, this is not solely a MFA problem. In the United States, all higher education is absurdly expensive. Most people have to take out loans merely to get a Bachelor’s degree, least of all a Master’s. I will not speak for the rest of the world. Yes, it may not seem economical to spend upwards of $40-$50,000 to get a MFA, but getting a J.D. or a M.D. will not necessarily shield you from potential unemployment. I remember reading about many unemployed lawyers during the 2008 financial crisis. No degree is foolproof against economic instability. Seeking to get a degree solely based on its potential return on investment seems short sighted to me. How many stories have you read, fiction and non-fiction alike, about people going to school for what they ‘should’ study rather than what they wanted to?
Yes, a MFA may not be the smartest investment, but looking at higher education in general, getting a Bachelor’s or advanced degree may not, either. My generation (Millennials) will be the first to not outmatch the standard of living of our parents. There are systemic forces at work here, and expensive higher education is a symptom, not the cause. I’d argue this is the reason many of my peers have adopted to get higher degrees anyways. If you’re going to be in debt no matter what, might as well get a degree in something you like.
If I may add one caveat here, it is this: no matter what discipline you’re interested in studying, at some point, you will need to pay for expertise. Whether that’s an advanced degree, or a workshop, or a lecture, deepening your skillset requires investment. And that will require money. Full stop. There is no way around that.
I took many, many classes at Grubstreet in Boston. While not the price point of a MFA, they were still hundreds of dollars each. I knew I would receive quality education, and they helped me deepen my writing practice. Teachers also deserve to be paid for their work, and teaching as a whole is an incredibly underpaid job in this country. Asking writers or other teachers to just…teach…for free is also not the answer, either.
If you are worried about the cost of writing programs, most programs (degree or not) will offer scholarships or will help. This will not necessarily solve everything, but many writing programs are recognizing the importance of diversity, and ensuring that those who don’t have the means to be in the (writing) workshop have an opportunity to do so. So please don’t let the threat of expense deter you from pursuing something you’re interested in. Yes, take cost into account, but your degree will be expensive, no matter what you choose to do.
Common Critique: You’re paying for access to a network
Sure you are. But how does this differ from any other degree? What do you think lawyers and doctors do? They have professional associations and they make connections within those, too. Part of the benefit, I’d argue, of attending a MFA program is that you now have a built in network you can draw upon for assistance. That is also part of what you’re paying for.
Note: I am not in a place to comment on diversity in the publishing industry as a whole or at the Big 5 publishing forms. There is absolutely a gatekeeping problem there, but that is not what I’m talking about here.
If I sound very mercenary, (I am a Capricorn Rising after all), know that all of my teaching jobs have come from folks I met during my MFA program. My connections at Salve Regina are because of my MFA. I got a referral to a tutoring job from a former classmate. I have also tried to pass along the favor in kind, recommending my classmates and other writers I know whenever I know of an opening they may like.
Again: if getting a MFA meant that I automatically would become a famous author, I have clearly done something very, very wrong. Like any networking, it matters how much effort you put into it. I know that I have professors I can reach out to if I need help or have questions, and honestly, I should probably be doing that more than I am, what for fear of bothering them and all.
Common Critique: MFAs are useless degrees
As I mentioned at the beginning, MFAs are not just for creative writing. That’s why the ‘A’ is for Arts, they are available for many disciplines.
MFAs do have an Ace in the hole that most other Master’s degrees do not: they are terminal degrees. What’s a terminal degree? They are the “highest achievable degree in an academic field or professional discipline.” In practice, that means you can teach at the collegiate level.
In most disciplines, the terminal degree is a Ph.D, or some form of doctorate (MD, JD, DDS, DDM, DVM, etc) That is many, many more years of schooling and tuition, especially if you’d like to teach. I received the same qualification in 2 years. Why was I able to teach Creative Writing and First Year Writing at Salve Regina? I had a MFA. Why was I asked last minute to teach a class at the technical school where I tutored? I had a MFA. There were many other tutors, but I had a MFA. I also had a history of teaching adults as a software trainer, but that would have meant diddly-squat unless I had the MFA next to my name. I know I spent a whole lot of time earlier talking about expensive degrees, but if you have any interest in higher ed in any sort of fine art discipline, then a MFA is a bang for your buck.
I was not going to get a Ph.D. I knew this. So the fact that I could deepen my writing skills and receive the professional qualifications to teach at a university? Hell yeah. Out of my 10 person graduating class, 4 of us have gone on to teach at the collegiate level. None of us are pursuing PhD.s4 We are still qualified to teach, and will continue to do so.
Common Critique: They teach a rarefied type of writing
There’s a little decoding that needs to happen here. What this generally means is that MFA programs teach ‘literary’ fiction, and not genre fiction. As in - the types of books that win all the prestigious literary awards, the novel versions of Marriage Story.
While this used to be the case, there are newer genre MFA programs that exist to focus solely on Science Fiction, Fantasy and other ‘commercial’ genres.5 I have a whole rant about genre vs. literary fiction, but I will spare you from that. What I will say is that many of the techniques emphasized in literary writing are also applicable to genre writing. As MFA programs have grown and expanded, so has the definition of what is writing.
Many traditional programs are now pushing the boundaries of what literary writing means. Sure, if you go to the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, you’ll probably focus a lot on literary fiction, but I’m going to guess that was what you were interested in anyways. Most of the faculty in my MFA wrote across genres, and my creative thesis advisor,
, has written memoir, fiction, horror, mystery, and fantasy. All of the lessons we were taught were done in an ‘agnostic’ manner (well, except for poetry, maybe.)Common Critique: MFAs don’t prepare writers to earn money as a writer
This was not my experience. At all. The entire structure of my program was based on the fact that I’d be working and making art at the same time. As much as we all want to dream of being on the NYTimes Bestseller list, at the end of the day, there are still bills to be paid. My MFA, and other low residency programs, say the loud part up front: you’re going to have to support yourself in order to make your art. Might as well start that now with your schooling.
My program had specific panels with editors and agents, where they discussed how to query your work and also what they look for when analyzing work. We also had a lecture dedicated entirely on how to submit to literary magazines, and another on how to find residencies/grants/money to write. I still refer to those notes to this day.
My professors shared tips and tricks on how to succeed. And they themselves were also living proof: all of them were working writers. As in, they wrote, and published their works, but also taught, or did other writing adjacent work.
Again, I cannot speak for other programs, especially full residency ones, where the emphasis on work/life/art balance may not be as pronounced. But the entire point of my degree was a practical crash course in how to support yourself as a writer.
And, lastly, the market is very different now than it was even 10 years ago. Traditional media is in a perpetual decline, Twitter has all but imploded, and many people now need second or third jobs/side-hustles to keep themselves afloat. At the end of the day, we’re all just making this up trying to do our bests.
Well. This is longer than I anticipated. Clearly I do not feel strongly about this at all. I still have three more sections in my outline (my own experience, MFAs vs. Substack, and where do we go from here) so I guess I’ll see you back next week for more MFA chronicles. I’m not called the Chaotic Reader for nothing.
Ahead on Friday, the first weekly roundup in my new bi-weekly cadence. And I am most overdue on an Artist Interview for you. Until then, let me know your MFA thoughts!
Or Mother-F-ing Artist, if you spend too much time on the Internet.
Substack isn’t going to make illustration or graphic design MFAs a thing of the past, but we’ll get into that.
Don’t let the Bastards get you down, as quoted from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Which I also read for my degree!
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/05/handmaids-tale-nolite-te-bastardes-carborundorum-origin-margaret-atwood
That I’m aware of. Ladies, let me know if I’m wrong.
I am putting these words in scare quotes to differentiate them, not to cast aspersions on either literary fiction or commercial fiction.
All great points. I think one critique that is worth mentioning is that a lot of writers of color do not feel welcome in these spaces, and that's a problem that the MFA world is not addressing enough.
It's no different from academia more broadly and the publishing world in its failings, but that's not an excuse.
Sounds like an MFA is what you make of it. I’ve looked at low residency programs in Texas and haven’t been impressed enough to enroll. Thanks for giving us your experience.