Part 1: Background and Overview

Getting my MFA in creative writing was not in the plan when I went back to school in 2015 to complete my abandoned bachelor’s program as a non-traditional student. However, the more I sunk into student life, the more I realized that the advice I’d given my husband years ago could apply to myself. “If you enjoy school this much,” I advised my aspiring-professional-student husband, “you should really consider teaching.”

At least then you’d be paid to go to school, was my line of thinking.

So, hesitantly, I put an application in to one (yes, only one) Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the last year of my undergraduate work. My location ruled out a traditional MFA (the University of Minnesota, Mankato is the closest school which offers an MFA in creative writing, a two hour drive away), but I discovered a small low-residency program at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, an easy three-ish hour drive from where I live. Low-residency programs are mostly online, with (in Augsburg’s case, a yearly ten-day) “residency” where students attend an intensive in-person set of workshops and courses. Many MFA programs require two or three residencies per year, so Augsburg’s once-a-year summer residency worked better for my life and was much more affordable.

I applied to Augsburg late in 2016, and after a wait that was far more agonizing than I’d anticipated, I was accepted to the program’s creative non-fiction cohort in early March. Between March and May, I wavered. I wasn’t quite ready to take the financial gamble involved in continuing my education, but I didn’t really feel I was done with school just yet. I was increasingly drawn to the possibility of teaching on the college level.

However, when I walked for my graduation ceremony, I’d put aside the idea of getting an MFA. It was expensive, it was kind of scary, and I wasn’t sure I would be successful at teaching. Writing, however, I knew I could do. And that, I could do with an MFA or without. My plan at that point was to find a job that would pay the bills (i.e. student loans), build a (virtual) shed in the backyard and write in my off-hours.

Pro #1: Ability to Teach on the University Level

…In retrospect, the shed would’ve been cheaper, even if I had built the actual thing. But I couldn’t shake the desire to give my long-held dream of teaching a shot. About a week after graduation, I decided to take the leap. One of Augsburg MFA’s best features is that it’s one of the only low-residency programs to feature a teaching concentration. In traditional, fully-in-person MFA programs, students apply to be a graduate teaching assistant, funding all or part of their education by receiving on-the-job training in teaching basic undergraduate English writing courses. Low-residency programs, however, typically attract people with established careers, people who are looking for a way to polish their writing skills or publish their writing, not remain in the world of academia post-graduation. Augsburg’s program was exactly what I needed.

So, there was my justification. I could get my MFA, and have the possibility of teaching once I was done. Was it risky? Yes. Teaching jobs in academia —particularly teaching jobs in the humanities in the middle of an economic downturn and a pandemic— are extremely difficult to come by. Things may have looked slightly rosier a few years ago, but even then, I was never under the delusion that earning my MFA would guarantee my finding a teaching job. In retrospective, however, it was well worth it in my case. I wouldn’t have the job I have today (an adjunct instructor at my undergraduate university) without having earned my MFA.

An MFA in creative writing can be considered to be a terminal degree, which means that while it may not allow you to be addressed as “Dr. Lastname,” it does the job as far as opening the door to teaching on the university level. In my MFA program, the research component is an in-depth (in my case, twenty-four pages) “craft paper” on a topic pertaining to an issue in our genre. The main writing component is a creative thesis. In my case, this was a 180-page essay collection. Others in my program (in other genres) have written screenplays, poetry collections, novels, and plays.

Could I send my completed thesis/manuscript out to publishers? Perhaps, with a little reformatting and polishing. Many others have started their career as a published writer with their MFA thesis. However, other graduates and our mentors cautioned us that publishing one’s MFA thesis as-is, right out the gate is the exception and not the norm. Typically, an MFA creative thesis can be considered finished for academic purposes, but may still be a work in progress as to whether it’s publishable or not. Still, a few graduates of my MFA program already have books out currently or forthcoming. Some had published even before they began the program. Others have started literary magazines and small presses of their own.

Did I make the right choice, all things considered? Would I do it again? …Probably. Would I advise someone else to do it? That depends on a number of things. More pros and cons are forthcoming, point-by-point, in the following few posts to help you make the decision for yourself, if you’re considering an MFA in creative writing.