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Major · English Language & Literature

A large online-dominated major with a modest earnings profile

Creative Writing is a genuinely large major — about 3,403 degrees awarded each year across 320 colleges, more than most single-discipline programs in the English family — but the enrollment picture is dominated by online universities. Southern New Hampshire University alone produces 607 completions (18% of the national total), and Liberty University adds another 238. Bachelor's completers report a five-year earnings median of $49,322, and the career list surfaces writers and editors as the bachelor's-entry destinations, with postsecondary teaching paths requiring a doctoral degree.

Schools offering
320
Annual completions
3,403
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$49k

About this major

Creative Writing is the production-focused branch of the English family — formal study of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and adjacent literary forms, combined with technical editorial skills, literary criticism, and practical instruction in manuscript marketing. Coursework typically rotates students through intensive workshops across genres, adding craft-focused electives in specific forms (short fiction, the novel, formal poetry, memoir) and literature courses in the broader tradition. The CIP cross-reference points to Playwriting and Screenwriting (50.0504) as the adjacent discipline for students interested in performance-oriented writing.

Program scale is significant but distorted by online-university dominance. About 3,403 degrees are awarded each year across 320 colleges, making this one of the largest single CIP programs in the English concentration. Southern New Hampshire University alone produces 607 completions (18% of the national total), and Liberty University adds another 238 — together accounting for 25% of all Creative Writing bachelor's degrees. Among residential programs, Western Washington University (120), Emerson College (116), UC Riverside (57), University of Pittsburgh (44), University of Arizona (42), Central Washington University (42), the University of Southern California (39), and Columbia University (37) round out the top ten. The pattern reflects the pedagogical fit between asynchronous online delivery and workshop-based writing instruction, and it has practical consequences for students evaluating programs: enrollment scale does not signal academic selectivity, and online and residential programs target different employment outcomes.

The earnings picture is modest. Bachelor's completers report a five-year median of $49,322, with associate's completers at $44,392 — a smaller gap than most majors because the degree's market signal is similar at both levels. The career list shows four destinations. Writers and authors at $72,270 median wage with 3.6% projected growth and editors at $75,260 with 0.6% growth are both bachelor's-entry SOC codes, but the earnings distributions are bimodal — a small share of writers earn well above the median, a much larger share earn below and supplement with adjacent work. Postsecondary teachers, all other at $78,490 and English language and literature teachers, postsecondary at $78,270 both require doctoral or terminal professional degrees, which in creative writing faculty hiring typically means an MFA. The $49,322 five-year median reflects realistic first-job work — editorial assistant at $35K–$45K, content writer or copywriter at $45K–$60K, communications coordinator at $40K–$55K, journalism roles at $35K–$50K — with creative output usually growing alongside a day job rather than replacing it.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Postsecondary teachers, all other $78k +1.8% Doctoral or professional degree
Writers and authors $72k +3.6% Bachelor's degree
Editors $75k +0.6% Bachelor's degree
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary $78k 0.0% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$49k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$44k

Bachelor's

$49k

Who this major is for

Students committed to developing a sustained writing practice, who want workshop-intensive undergraduate coursework in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, and who understand that the bachelor's is the beginning of a long creative arc rather than its destination are the strongest fit. Comfort with public critique of one's own writing, discipline to produce on deadline across multiple genres, and patience for the gap between workshop progress and publication signals all indicate fit. Students targeting MFA admission should use the bachelor's to produce a substantial body of original work, build relationships with faculty who can write detailed recommendations, and develop the writing sample that drives MFA admissions. Students targeting professional writing careers (publishing, content, copywriting, communications) should anchor the major with adjacent skills — marketing fundamentals, basic web content management, interviewing and reporting — that make the English-family degree hire-ready.

Reconsider this major if the primary goal is a stable writing career without graduate study. Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing (CIP 23.1303, 578 completions) produces a more direct pipeline into steady writing employment at technology companies, pharmaceutical firms, government agencies, and consultancies. Communication, General (9,537 completions) and Mass Communication/Media Studies (6,797 completions) cover a broader employer network in marketing, PR, and corporate communications. Journalism (8,274 completions) feeds news and digital-media careers directly. If the draw is storytelling through performance rather than the page, Playwriting and Screenwriting is the CIP cross-reference worth exploring. Finally, scrutinize the program choice honestly: SNHU and Liberty produce 25% of all Creative Writing bachelor's, and their online-adult-learner programs target different career outcomes than residential MFA-pipeline programs at Emerson, UC Riverside, or Columbia — both are legitimate, but the outcome expectations differ.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Creative Writing

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 0 607 607
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 36 202 238
Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 0 120 120
Emerson College Boston, MA 0 116 116
University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA 0 57 57
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA 0 44 44
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 0 42 42
Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA 0 42 42
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 0 39 39
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 0 37 37
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Communication, General

9,537 completions/yr

Journalism

8,274 completions/yr

Mass Communication/Media Studies

6,797 completions/yr

Rhetoric and Composition

1,071 completions/yr

Broadcast Journalism

672 completions/yr

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other

660 completions/yr

Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing

578 completions/yr

Business/Corporate Communications, General

540 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Why does Southern New Hampshire University produce so many Creative Writing graduates?
SNHU's 607 completions represent 18% of all Creative Writing bachelor's degrees awarded nationwide — an enormous share that reflects the school's position as the largest online university in the United States. Creative Writing is well-suited to online delivery because the core pedagogical tools (workshops, written feedback, submission-and-revision cycles) translate cleanly to asynchronous formats. The practical implication for prospective students is that enrollment scale does not always signal academic selectivity. SNHU and Liberty University (238 completions) together account for 25% of national completions, and their curricula emphasize professional communication and adult-learner pathways rather than the MFA-pipeline model that characterizes residential programs at Emerson College (116), UC Riverside (57), or the University of Arizona (42). Both models produce employable graduates, but they target different career outcomes.
Does this major actually lead to careers as a writer?
Sometimes, but rarely as the primary income source. The career list shows writers and authors at $72,270 median wage with 3.6% projected growth, and editors at $75,260 with 0.6% growth — both bachelor's-entry SOC codes and both economically viable. The practical caveat is that freelance writing and authorship careers are bimodal: a small share of writers earn well above the median and a much larger share earn below it, often requiring adjacent income from teaching, copywriting, content marketing, technical writing, or non-writing day jobs. The $49,322 five-year median reflects this reality — it is closer to entry-level communications and editorial pay than to the full-time-writer wage. Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing (CIP 23.1303, 578 completions) is the related major that produces the most direct pipeline into stable writing employment at technology companies, pharmaceutical firms, and government agencies.
Do students who want to become professors need to start with Creative Writing?
Not necessarily, and the career list is explicit about the credential requirement. Two of the four careers — postsecondary teachers, all other at $78,490 and English language and literature teachers, postsecondary at $78,270 — list a doctoral or professional degree as typical education. The realistic academic path for creative writers is a terminal MFA (Master of Fine Arts), which is treated as equivalent to a PhD for hiring in creative writing faculty positions at many institutions. MFA admissions are highly competitive, with top programs accepting under 5% of applicants. The undergraduate major matters less than the quality and quantity of original writing a student can produce during college; English, Creative Writing, Comparative Literature, and even non-English majors all feed successfully into MFA programs if the applicant's writing sample is strong.
How does Creative Writing compare with English, General or Rhetoric and Composition?
Creative Writing is the genre-focused production track, Rhetoric and Composition is the argument-and-analysis track (1,071 completions in the related-majors data), and English, General is the broader literature-and-writing umbrella. Creative Writing programs typically require substantial workshop hours in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, with less literature coursework than a traditional English major. Rhetoric and Composition prepares students for writing-center work, composition teaching, and some communications roles. English, General keeps graduate-school options widest — most English PhD admissions treat English generalists, literature specialists, and creative writers as roughly equivalent applicants provided the writing is strong. For employers outside writing-specific roles (marketing, publishing, communications, law school applicants), the specific CIP code matters far less than transcript evidence of reading, writing, and analytical skill.
What's a realistic first-job path for a Creative Writing bachelor's?
The common post-graduation trajectory blends content and editorial work with writing on the side. Entry-level roles include editorial assistant at a publishing imprint ($35K–$45K), content writer or copywriter at a marketing agency or corporate content team ($45K–$60K), communications coordinator at a nonprofit or university ($40K–$55K), and journalism or beat-reporter roles at digital or local outlets ($35K–$50K). Teaching English abroad is a common one-to-two-year bridge for graduates unsure about next steps. Those roles cluster into the $40K–$55K range, consistent with the $49,322 five-year median. Creative output (short stories, poetry chapbooks, personal essays) typically grows alongside the day job and feeds into MFA applications, teaching credentials, or eventual book contracts for the small share of graduates who persist with long-form work over multiple years.