KendraA

Everyone has been very helpful on here, thanks. In case anyone looks at this forum again, I have another question. Assuming I get an MFA in creative nonfiction, and then apply to a PhD program in writing and rhetoric, does anyone know if I have to take the GRE again? (My scores will at that point be six years old). I don't know if most PhD programs require the GRE if you already have a masters degree of some sort. I assume they do, but I will hold onto any scrap of hope that I might not have to take that horrible test again. Thanks!

I agree!

Thanks to everyone for all the info. I'm glad I made this post as everyone has been quite helpful. The overall message I'm getting is that an MFA wouldn't necessarily help me get into a PhD writ/rhet program, but it wouldn't hurt me, and that a PhD would make a teaching career more accessible, but that's not to say that I shouldn't do an MFA, or both, if it's something I love. I guess it's time to apply to both kinds of programs and see where I get in and funded! Maybe my decision will be made for me. If anyone has any additional thoughts, this is all very interesting and informative.

@anti, that is what I was worried about... I'm from much more of a writing workshop background as well. Do you think writ/rhet PhD programs might actually be more likely to dismiss your application if you have an MFA, or would they merely not view an MFA as a replacement for an MA in English? I'm ok with being considered as if I just had a BA by PhD programs, even after completing an MFA, because the main reasons I want to do an MFA is 1. open up opportunities to teach creative writing (after getting a PhD- I know an MFA alone is not the ticket)- 2. for fun and to improve my writing (hence only applying to funded programs). I will reconsider whether or not to apply to MFA programs, however, if I think it might make it harder for me to eventually get into a writ/rhet PhD program, which I consider my real career move.

Thank you ComeBackZinc, you are a lifesaver.

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone knows of any funded writing and rhetoric MA programs. I want to go straight for the PhD, but I worry that with just a BA it might be a long shot to get accepted to any of these programs. Thanks!

Thanks Stately! That's a great point about writing creative nonfiction in a rhea comp program, since the field can be so broad. Have you ever heard of either of these degrees being off-putting to the other programs? For example if I get the MFA, could PhDs be less likely to accept me, or if I got for the PhD first, is it possible I would have a harder time getting into an MFA if I wanted to do that later? I don't see why it would, but I want to consider every facet before I make my decision.

Hi all, I'm applying to grad school for fall 2013, and am having trouble deciding which of my interests to pursue. I am equally excited about the idea of attending an MFA program in creative non-fiction, and a PhD program in writing and rhetoric, because I want to improve my writing, return to an academic environment, and get teaching experience. I know a PhD will lead to more teaching jobs, which is why I would like to ideally pursue both of these degrees at some point. However, I want to make sure that already having an MFA wouldn't for some reason make me less desirable to writ/rhet PhD programs, and visa versa. I can think of no logical reason why these degrees would be mutually exclusive, but I wanted to get the opinion of the grad community. Thanks!

The job placement rates are great- it seems almost every well-known school that offers a PhD boasts 100% placement! I'm perfectly happy to bounce around at community colleges for a while, but when the time comes, it's nice to know we'll have a good chance of sticking around somewhere. I hope it stays like that for at least the next decade. I keep freaking myself out by reading too many grim admission and job statistics for English PhDs. I will definitely be applying to UT Austin (for their Digital Writing and Research Lab), and many of the schools you mentioned are on my "do more research" list. I'm still honing my interests within rhet/comp as well; I'm planning to take some courses this fall to help me with that, since I come from a broad writing background rather than a focus in rhetoric. What draws me to the field is the ability to look at seemingly anything, from pedagogy to pop culture and social issues, through a lens of writing and teaching writing. My undergrad major was “creative writing for contemporary media” with an emphasis on social/political creative non-fiction. My thesis was a multimodal writing project about how women act as agents of resistance using elements like appearance, performance, lyrics, protest rituals, and independent media like zines within radical subcultures (such as punk and radical political communities). So I'm assuming my research interests in grad school will fall in a similar field. I'm especially interested in the ability of the rhet/comp field to produce books like Whistlin' and Crowin' Women of Appalachia: Literary Practices Since College by Katherin Kelleher Sohn, and Angel's Town: Chero Ways, Gang Life, and the Rhetorics of Everyday by Ralph Cintron. I hope to end up doing work similar to theirs. Sorry for the long post! It's exciting to find someone on the same path. How did you choose the schools on your list, and what are your interests within the field?

I'm in the same boat, proflorax! Applying to writ/rhet PdDs for fall 2013 and beginning the process very early. My neuroticism in this respect is I think from hearing from English/lit applicants how random the application process becomes with so many qualified applicants. I hope our field is still growing, to the point that we don't have to worry about this quite as much. Here's what my undergrad advisor (director of the writing department) said to me when I asked her the exact same question about dissertation/research specificity in SOP: "You absolutely don't need to know what you want to write your dissertation on before you get into a program; in fact if you did, you should hide that fact. They do want to teach you something, after all." Do you have a concrete list of places you're applying yet?

Hi everyone, was anyone accepted to UT Austin's Rhet/comp? I'm a hopeful for fall 2013 and was wondering if anyone has any tips on applying! Thanks!