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Creative writing professor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a creative writing professor. Creative writing professors usually study writing, english, or liberal arts. 40% of creative writing professors hold a master's degree, and 40% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 20 real creative writing professor resumes to see exactly what creative writing professor education sections show.
The most common colleges for creative writing professors are the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
There are also many online creative writing professor courses to help get the education required to be a creative writing professor.
What education do you need to become a creative writing professor?
What degree do you need to be a creative writing professor?
- Master's, 40%
- Bachelor's, 40%
- Doctorate, 7%
- Associate, 7%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a creative writing professor?
- Writing, 44%
- English, 25%
- Liberal Arts, 13%
- Biology, 6%
- Other Majors, 12%
Most common colleges for creative writing professors
| Creative writing professor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Colorado at Boulder | 9.09% |
| Knox College | 9.09% |
| Southern Connecticut State University | 9.09% |
| Sarah Lawrence College | 9.09% |
| New York University | 9.09% |
Best majors for creative writing professors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Writing | 43.8% |
| 2 | English | 25.0% |
| 3 | Liberal Arts | 12.5% |
| 4 | Biology | 6.3% |
| 5 | Photography | 6.3% |
Best colleges for creative writing professors
The best colleges for creative writing professors are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A creative writing professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for creative writing professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become creative writing professors.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for creative writing professors
Advertising disclosure
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Top 10 most affordable universities for creative writing professors
The most affordable schools for creative writing professors are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for creative writing professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for creative writing professors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative writing professors
The hardest universities for creative writing professors to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for creative writing professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for creative writing professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative writing professors
The easiest schools for creative writing professors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, notre dame de namur university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative writing professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for creative writing professors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
8. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average creative writing professor salary by education level
| Creative writing professor education level | Creative writing professor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $68,574 |
| Doctorate Degree | $82,983 |
Creative writing professor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025