To outsiders, creative writing might sound like an impractical major. At first glance, the only obvious career path it offers is becoming a published author, and even outsiders know it’s hard to get published—and even harder to earn enough money from it to keep the lights on. Otherwise,
1. Definitely consider going to graduate school. Of the 149 creative writing alumni who responded to our survey, nearly 60 percent attended graduate school. (That’s not unusual for any Knox alumnus/na—historically, 65 percent of Knox graduates, regardless of major, will enroll in a graduate program within five years of graduation.) FYI: Six alumni reported that they now teach at the college level.
you can … teach English? Work in publishing? Outsiders see a world that needs more accountants and nurses and engineers, not poets
Graduate degrees earned by creative writing alumni
and playwrights. It looks different from the inside. Studying creative writing teaches students more than how to craft a beautiful poem or a memorable story. It also helps them become keener observers, awake to new ways of seeing the world and able to help others see it, too. Since Knox’s Program in Creative Writing was established in 1967, nearly 800 students have graduated with a degree in creative writing; year after year, it tops the list of Knox’s most popular majors. Knox Magazine reached out to those alumni to ask about their lives now—the careers they have pursued, whether they are writing and publishing, and how their education informs the work they do now. Here’s what we learned from them.
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KNOX MAGAZINE Fall 2017
M.A. - 29% M.F.A. - 44% Ph.D. - 5% J.D. - 8% MBA - 2% M.L.S. - 2% Other Master’s Degree - 10%