Help me pick a degree!

[wetheplants]

Hey folks,

So I'm a graduating senior this year at Colby College and I'm just starting my grad school search. I'm planning to take probably two years off before I apply (one year in my hometown working, then hopefully the second year I will be teaching English in Vietnam) but I'm really stuck in how to even begin to look for the kind of program I want.
I really want to study both English lit (probably medieval) and creative writing. I also think that I want a PhD as it'll better my chances of getting hired. I'd be happy enough to just go for the straight English lit PhD, but I've heard that it's just getting really hard to be published as a novelist unless you're coming out of MFA programs.
Ideally, I'd like to be able to pursue scholarly literary research and get some creative writing feedback/make the right connections to get published. I want the research portion to be substantial because I don't want to be limited to teaching only creative writing.
I've seen some programs that offer dual PhDs in Lit and Creative Writing, like USC, but they accept so few people that I'll obviously need to apply to more places.  I also know that there are some dual MFA/PhD programs?
(Also, does anyone know about similar programs in the UK or anywhere else outside the US? Do the programs there work differently?)

I would love some advice! Thank you so much!

Edited April 22, 2013 by wetheplants

[champagne]

IMHO (and people with further expertise in creative writing are more than welcome to correct me if wrong), it sounds like you would be more well-fit for a straight literature Ph.D. program if you don't end up going through a program like they have at USC. 

 

My logic behind this comes from the ability of literature students to take creative writing courses at the institution they choose in addition to their traditional coursework in literature. Obviously, since you will be on fellowship or be a TA for literature, that is where you will spend the vast amount of your time, but that doesn't mean you can't continue to work on your writing and make connections with creative writing professors. For example (warning: this is anecdotal), I've heard of students in the literature program at the University of Mississippi also working with and lauding the creative writing program in Oxford as a great resource even if you are pursuing a literature Ph.D. Just my schilling's worth. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Gauche]

Personally, I wouldn't pursue a PhD if increasing your chances to get hired is the only thing that motivates you to get one. Taking two years off sounds like a good idea because it would give you some life experience and time to think about what you really want to do. It sounds like the MFA program would suit you well. I would look into schools that have separate MA and MFA degrees and see if you can take Medieval Lit courses as part of your degree requirement. There are a handful of programs that encourage collaboration between Creative Writing and Lit students if you look for them. The program I'm entering in the fall is one of those.

[charabanc]

I agree that if you want to study creative writing at the graduate level, an MFA is a better step (most creative writing PhDs do not accept students without masters, anyway--I think USC has in the past, and University of North Texas?  but most do not).  I did my MFA at Indiana University where non-workshop (i.e., literature) courses were required and so it was very much an academic degree in that sense.  As far as trouble getting published without an MFA, that's nonsense.  You can pick up connections from an MFA but it is in no necessary to get your book picked up by an agent/publisher.  That said, if you want to teach creative writing, the MFA-then-PhD track is a good one to take, along with getting a book (or two) published.  Your end goal is the thing that should determine what you want to do, though I do understand that the acceptance rates can be daunting.

 

Oh, and I think Cornell is the only MFA/PhD joint degree thing.

[Bennett]

I second everyone here. I think the PhD-vs-MFA decision is mostly about what you want to end up teaching: if you want to teach creative writing then the MFA's the right choice; if you want to teach (medieval) literature than I'd go for the PhD. (In general creative writing PhDs prepare you for creative writing teaching positions, not academic ones.) That said, there's nothing to prevent you from pursuing an MFA and then a PhD--plenty of my friends have done so--except, of course, for time.

 

The only exception, as others have noted, is Cornell. Their joint degree is unique in combining a creative-writing MFA with a standard academic dissertation and PhD in English literature. I don't know whether their graduates end up teaching creative writing or academic analysis (you should check) but it's certainly an option worth looking into. That said, you have to be accepted separately by both programs--and they take only a handful of joint applicants--so it's extremely competitive.

 

If you go the MFA route, my only advice is to go where the money is. I agree with an earlier poster that you don't need an MFA in order to get published, and would add that plenty of MFA graduates don't get published anyway. When the odds are that long, the last thing you want to do is go into debt for your degree.

 

[asleepawake]

When you send out your novel's manuscript for publication, nobody will give a single hoot if you have an MFA or not.

Edited April 22, 2013 by asleepawake

[Fishbucket]

I think you should get a DVM, and/or a degree in fashion merchandising

[wetheplants]

Are there many PhDs that allow/encourage you to pursue interdisciplinary studies? IE, if I want for a straight English PhD, would I be encouraged to also write creatively if I wanted, or to study theater (the other thing I'm thinking about studying).

[grubyczarnykot]

There are a lot (well, maybe not a LOT, but a good few) of PhD programs that are interdisciplinary in nature, or at least the departments themselves have an interdisciplinary edge. The poetics program at SUNY Buffalo is great for this (I regret not finishing my application for them :/), UPenn has a lot of faculty that do both creative and critical work and from what my professors that have gone there and/or work for Penn have told me, it's a good "fit" for people who are interested in both critical and creative work. Additionally, there are some interdisciplinary PhD programs that focus on cultural studies, theory, media, etc, I don't know how interested you are in media studies at all but Brown has a "Modern Culture and Media" PhD that seems pretty flexible. I'm sure there are tons of other options, it's just a matter of researching and really looking into the faculty that would allow for some sort of creative leeway in your research. However, I'm of the opinion that critical work can often be (at least for me necessarily is) creative in itself, especially if you also write creatively "on the side" or whatever. There's also the option to pursue a critical degree and work closely with faculty/peers to produce creative work that perhaps doesn't directly apply to your degree. Anyway, good luck

Edited May 1, 2013 by grubyczarnykot