Creative writing is at its heart about storytelling. Whether you are writing a fiction novel, creating a marketing campaign or educating the next generation,a bachelor’s in creative writing can help you find success in a variety of career fields. As you consider how you want to use your writing skills to further your career goals, know that you can find the right fit for you, just as countless others have, through earning a degree in creative writing.
What Is Creative Writing?
Creative writing takes on many forms. However, the focus of most creative writing bachelor’s programs – including the program at UM – will fall into three categories: fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
A bachelor’s in creative writing can encompass just one or a mix of these categories. The purpose of creative writing as a bachelor’s is to increase your understanding of the fundamentals of good storytelling, to learn about the existing literature, both classic and modern, and to apply the techniques used in that literature to create compelling and interesting stories of your own.
A career in creative writing will require strong writing skills; editing, attention to detail, and the ability to recognize and create provocative language and ideas. With a BFA in creative writing, you will be equipped to make readers want to take action, not just give your topic a look and then forget about it. At the University of Montana, you will be in good company as you pursue your creative writing bachelor’s, with professors and alumni who have won numerous awards in the field of creative writing.
Creative Writing vs. English Literature
While studying for your bachelor’s in creative writing you will study a lot of English literature, but the two fields are distinct. A bachelor’s in creative writing has a stronger focus on the practical side of literature, teaching those who pursue the degree how to create original works as well as how to recognize quality in the written word.
Where English literature has a broad-strokes approach to understanding the written word and the impact it has had on society, the bachelor’s in creative writing provides deeper context on how those works came to be so impactful, and provides a link to the heartbeat of society through that context.
Where a degree in English literature may be helpful for pursuing a career in education, a bachelor’s in creative writing can be helpful in a broader scope. The gaming industry seeks out creative writers for story development on AAA video game titles. The film industry looks for creative writing graduates, as well. Publishing houses and marketing firms also look for those with a degree in creative writing.
Why Choose a Career in Creative Writing?
When you have been part of the development of a new brand in marketing, a new intellectual property in film or television or have done your part to educate the next generation of creative writers, you will know the fulfillment that comes with a bachelor’s in creative writing.
Just as the name implies, there is a great deal of creative freedom that comes with a creative writing BFA. You will be prepared to work in the arts, in marketing, education and more.
Careers in Creative Writing offer flexibility
There is so much that you can do with a bachelor’s in creative writing. The world is ready for more creative, groundbreaking leaders in education, media and the art of storytelling. In addition to offering a broad array of career paths to pursue, creative writing jobs also offer the flexibility to work remotely.
Jobs with a Creative Writing Bachelor’s offer diverse options
A bachelor’s degree in creative writing is listed as a requirement for many careers in film, television, digital media, video games, education, marketing, and even politics as a speech and campaign writer. The possibilities are open to you, no matter your interests.
What Can You Do with a Creative Writing Bachelor’s?
The most common careers for those with a bachelor’s in creative writing are in the fields of marketing and advertising, publishing, higher education, and visual and written media. High profile companies like Sony, Disney and Random House all frequently have positions available in their employ which list a bachelor’s in creative writing as a prerequisite
As you pursue a career with your BFA in creative writing, the technical and artistic skills you have learned as a student at UM will become invaluable, setting you a cut above those with just experience in the field.
The choice to achieve your own bachelor’s in creative writing ultimately comes down to how you want to use it. If the arts are your desire, visual, written and digital media are there for you. If you are more interested in the printed word, marketing and publishing houses are there, too.
A List of Careers for a Creative Writing Bachelor’s Degree
There are many career paths available for you if you get a creative writing bachelor’s, as you’ve already seen. They span academic careers as well as the arts industry.
- Literary Agent
- Screenwriter
- Video Game Story Writer
- Social Media Manager
- Marketing Copywriter
- Website Developer
A list of careers for a Creative Writing Master’s degree
If you desire to take your education further, you can be assured that your prospects for a career increase as well. A creative writing master’s degree opens up additional doors, with a greater expansion into the field of academia.
- Professor
- Literary Historian
- Marketing Management
- Grant Writing
- Publishing
- Public Relations
A list of careers for a Creative Writing Doctoral degree
Pursuing a Ph.D. in creative writing provides an incredible amount of prestige. It is a great undertaking, and will set you apart from every other person with a creative writing degree as less than 2% of the US population have a Ph.D. The career fields which are specifically open to those with a doctorate in creative writing are almost exclusively academic.
- Professor
- Literary Researcher
- Creative Director
- Governmental Writer
Where Do those with a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing Work?
A BFA in creative writing opens doors for employment in numerous fields. Frequently, those with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing work in universities as professors or adjunct staff, or as researchers. Much of the research work done by those with a bachelor’s in creative writing offers unique opportunities to read English texts from as far back as the 15th century. Aside from these academic opportunities, earning you creative writing bachelor’s degreeopen doors to working in media marketing, digital arts and gaming. With some additional education, even teaching in high school and elementary school become options.
Among the possibilities of employment for those with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing are:
- Universities
- Marketing Agencies
- Grant Writing
- Social Media Marketing
- Film Industry
- AAA Gaming Industry
- High Schools
- Literary History Preservation
Start Your Creative Writing Career: Earn Your Bachelor’s in Creative Writing at the University of Montana
The creative writing bachelor’s at the University of Montana is a program with a rich history in publication, and with many prestigious alumni. Nearly all the professors for the program are published, with dozens of awards in literature across their diverse backgrounds.
The creative writing major at UM offers an array of classes in fiction, nonfiction and poetry, courses in reading and revision and a class in which students solicit, write and publish submssion to The Oval, UM's undergraduate literary magazine.
As you consider the University of Montana as the place where you’ll get your own bachelor’s in creative writing, you can learn more about the individual professors and staff that make this program so incredible.
Learn more about the University of Montana’s Creative Writing Bachelor’s Program
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