SocialKonstruct

Perhaps but this is definitely not the case since the current government seized power in 2025... definitely the emphasis is on business and non-humanities endeavors in the academic field... the US government is pretty much wanting to focus on AI-driven rapacious fields... https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/20/universities-humanities-programs The opposite has been going quite substantially with the dismantling of anything which doesn't satisfy the agenda of the current dictatorship/mandarin during the past year. To provide an example, I walked into the ASE office at USC this past week and they had fired all of their staff of around 15, only to rehire 3 people back at a lower position. Even engineering folks were not saved either. So far, the business school has thrived (along with other tech related fields) and grown during the same time frame. So I don't see how literary expertise based on this envisioned schema is going to be satisfying what the administration/landed gentry is going to want over the next few years to fuel their ultimate agenda. The main reason I want to go back to a PhD/MFA creative writing program is 90% political. For me, protesting what's going on today in the streets is pretty futile and I honestly see that writing novels and poetry is the only way to document the atrocities happening in the US as well as abroad and resisting the clutches of late stage capitalism.

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/tuition-debt-and-graduate-creative-writing-programs "Creative Writing (MFA/BA): Often viewed as a "cost center" or having lower ROI, with two-year tuition potentially reaching $63,000, while graduates may face low-paying jobs or debt. However, some funded programs provide stipends, indicating they are supported by university, not just student tuition."

Myriad reasons but mostly universities earn more donations and support with business/MFA programs especially since they are professional degrees so those aren't full funded. Same goes for MD's, JD's, and MPH's (I have the MPH one which wasn't funded at all really when I went to Yale...). Also I wouldn't be interested in becoming a best-selling author since I'm a firm anti-capitalist... money is definitely not the reason I am pursuing a Ph.D. (or MFA backup). I am trying to create memorable and philosophically challenging literature that lasts beyond my own death and hopefully for future generations, assuming that Earth survives in 10 years. Plus most authors are hardly comparable to Hollywood or Broadway stars. Most MFA creative writing graduates will be authors on the small scale and considering that those programs are geared to creation of literary outputs, the focus will be on the innovative and experimental side of things (hopefully) and not part of genre fiction typically. Plus authors really don't donate to the universities and I can promise you that university admin could care less about the English dept when sports and business and medical fields are raking in donations to foot their bills/projects etc. etc.

To provide some context for the wide gamut of reading which I do everyday, this is a link to all of the thirty-six books I read in 2026 so far- https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2026/91869667

Indeed let's look at solid writers who didn't have an English literature degrees but are still kickass writers... 1) Lewis Thomas 2) William Faulkner (didn't even bother with college) 3) Claude Simon (studied painting not literature) 4) William Gaddis 5) Don Delillo (communication arts major) 6) Cormac McCarthy (he actually hated other writers) 7) Harper Lee 😎 Thomas Pynchon (engineering and physics) 9) Ray Bradbury (another who needs college) 10) George Orwell and so on... English lit degrees are fun but in no way are needed to be a fabulous writer/author

I probably am the wrong person to ask since I have um... 4 degrees already so far. A BA in English Literature/Creative Writing, then a MPH in Environmental Health Sciences... lately a BFA in Photography and Digital Imaging and just last year a MFA in Graduate Fine Art/studio art.

I applied to UCI but it was for creative writing... I did attend a fun party with UCI MFA studio artists and it was quite the contrast with ArtCenter folks.

I am more worried about the state of the nation's affairs than whether getting in is in the priority list... after all, living here in downtown LA area I have had my share of watching government detentions and enough news to inspire so much writing this year... tragic but I tend to avoid self-absorption as much as I can strive for within my writing practice.

Most likely rejected from USC MA+P PhD track. This week would have been the interview stage and I didn't get an invite so I am going to assume bye bye birdie for this program. Looking to see if I get into my creative writing or American studies/ethnic PhD. applications (1 MFA application) instead.

I applied for PhD's in Creative Writing and American Studies/Ethnic Studies with a MFA in studio art. Not sure if this is what you were wanting.

To give an example of when MFA acceptances tend to arrive, I didn't get my notification until March 18th. The email I got then was as follows: dear -----------, I am writing to congratulate you on your recent acceptance to the Grad Art program at Art Center. The faculty (all of the core faculty) spent a great deal of time reviewing and discussing applications over the last two months, and we were particularly impressed by your portfolio, essays and interview. I am reaching out to you to offer you the opportunity to ask me any questions you want to about the program, should you have them. So please feel free to ask me anything. I can also connect you to other people -- faculty, current students, alumni in certain cases -- should your questions point in that direction. Finally, I would encourage you to come visit the program, if that's possible. Some combination of a theories ("crit") class, academic class, and/or grad seminar will give you a lot of detail about just how things work here. Upcoming guests in the grad seminar include ---------, ------------, ------------.... Above all, I just wanted to write to say I am here if you need anything. This is really the moment when the ball is in your court. You were at the very top of our list of applicants (if I may say so), and we want to make sure you have everything you need from us to make a decision. All best, -------------------------

While folks are worrying about results regarding their degree outcomes i am more worried about how am I going to TA and get away with assigning 8 to 12 novels in a semester for a creative writing course if I get into a MFA or PhD program. https://archive.is/GFWzW

Whelp. I know the feeling dude.... I still have an outstanding poem I submitted to The Paris Review last July... and still pending.

Anyone here a specialist who focuses on post 1970's American or British contemporary or post-colonialist literature? Looking especially for a person who knows Zadie Smith works in and out.

UCI fiction will be later.... they have more folks to look at.

No clue tbh. I would guess so but again I am no expert or crystal ball master here. The way I can guess is that at USC the post-fellowships in the English dept seemed to have dried up too... so late Feb/early Mar are my guesses at this point. Your guess is as good as mine.

It's all political. Very likely Wash U lost a ton of funding due to current *ahem... *no comment* and they probably decided to release their results later to scramble to find funding for even the candidates they want to fund. An example of cuts in their program include https://www.studlife.com/news/2025/04/29/creative-writing-mfas-grapple-with-postgraduate-fellowship-termination

Just wanted to provide some support to y'all for applying for a visual arts MFA degree during one of the most difficult times possible :). As a person who just received a MFA last year, I can attest that the job market for visual art MFA's is pretty bad atm. To give you an example, I applied to nearly around a hundred visual arts jobs and got only one interview but didn't get that job at the non-profit gallery in East Hollywood ultimately. If you are keen on getting ready for what is one of the worst job markets (and definitely a MFA doesn't even help you land a desk job at an art gallery in the front), then check out https://www.jobs.art/. As I leave permanently the visual arts world to head into the literary world, I really do wish y'all the best. I admire those who can be persistent after the MFA years to maintain a studio practice. Sadly enough, keeping an art studio isn't free and getting gallery representation is definitely a long shot unless you have the connects... (which is why I decided to get back into writing which doesn't require any capital)... Right now I'm just waiting to hear back and hopefully I can get into my dream Ph.D. program.

? I didn't understand but unsure how this relates to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JFC_International?

This policy at ArtCenter changed when we got our new chairs (Jennings and Thater) and the number of international art students went down substantially. The cohort size at ArtCenter (my class is the last of its kind) went from around 8-10 now up to 17-19 students per year so the MFA program is over twice as large. Plus admissions are now rolling so it's a good idea to apply to ArtCenter until the cohort sizes are filled up. The faculty is outstanding I must say. About UCLA the acceptance rate went down most likely. Funding there is harder to get so I assume that less folks are able to get in starting Trump 2.0 era.

I wouldn't worry about this yet. A lot of visual art MFA programs don't announce until at latest mid March. You gots time.

Another very good article: https://www.amsterdamreview.org/poetry-clearance-the-mfa-industrial_complex.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawP1nOBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCYUtaSnJRUlhrdW9tRW9Lc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiy5Q5-pV7DG5pGLr1xgRWo3a81en6LlFaiBxrlAALYtUmm_x4NKXW7W161r_aem_Ut4mUsmxdhLig5YtGDoF1A

I hate Facebook so much but I ended up making a new account reactivation just to join :\. But the ghost of Zuckerberg always haunts me. Weekends, a few school may have staff on hand to do results. It's school by school I suspect.

For anyone who wants the most scientific way of ranking MFA/PhD creative writing programs this is the summary list and references. https://creativewritingmfa.info/rankings/ I don't agree with some of it but still very useful to gauge by some metric.

This list is out of date. Art Center has just now increased their acceptance rate to over 50% in fact as of last year due to the political regime changes and the decreased support for intl students... Rolling admission deadline too.