by our College Data Analytics TeamCreative Writing was the 120th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 6,817 degrees in this year alone. This is a difference of 231 over the prior year, a growth of 3.4%.
This year's Best Creative Writing Schools ranking compares 214 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom creative writing rankings further below.
A major in creative writing prepares you for careers in which understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents is crucial. Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience and giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times are all required skills for careers related to this major.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic creative writing program qualifications, to serve in some creative writing careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are various different levels of creative writing degrees. You can get anything from a in creative writing to the highest creative writing degree, a . Different creative writing degrees vary in how long they take.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to creative writing, with approximately 42.2% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for creative writing workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 36.2% |
| Doctoral Degree | 26.1% |
| Master’s Degree | 18.7% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 10.4% |
| High School Diploma | 5.0% |
82.7% of creative writing workers have at least a associate. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in creative writing have obtained.
This of course varies depending on which creative writing career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your creative writing degree? Creative Writing careers are expected to grow 6.7% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to creative writing.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Professors | 258,700 | 9.4% |
| Writers and Authors | 141,200 | 7.6% |
| Editors | 125,600 | -1.4% |
| English Language and Literature Professors | 92,900 | 9.8% |
As you might expect, salaries for creative writing graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for creative writing graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers creative writing grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| English Language and Literature Professors | $78,150 |
| Professors | $76,990 |
| Writers and Authors | $73,090 |
| Editors | $69,480 |
With over 704 different creative writing degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased creative writing school rankings to help you with this.
One of 4 majors within the Writing Studies area of study, Creative Writing has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing | 2,441 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | 1,871 |
| General Writing | 856 |
| Other Rhetoric & Composition/Writing Studies | 544 |
