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What Can You Do With a Creative Writing Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: A creative writing degree is associated with three occupations: writer and author at a median annual wage of $76,910, editor at $77,920, and English language and literature teacher, postsecondary, at $78,760 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The manuscript outranks pedigree for most writing jobs. Teaching creative writing typically wants an MFA plus publications, and tenure-track jobs are scarce. Freelance income is variable.
Creative writing is workshop training in original literary work – fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting – not workplace writing. The curriculum concentrates on making new pages and revising them under critique. That is why the portfolio or thesis manuscript carries so much weight, and why this degree is a poor substitute for professional writing if the job is documentation, proposals, or content strategy.
Jobs you can get with a creative writing degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| English language and literature teacher, postsecondary | $78,760 |
| Editor | $77,920 |
| Writer and author | $76,910 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Writer and Author | 13,400/yr |
| Editor | 9,800/yr |
| English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary | 5,100/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. Writing includes substantial freelance and contract work, and self-employed earnings are not reflected the same way as salaried wages.
Writer and author. This occupation covers novelists, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, and a wide band of commercial authorship. The national median annual wage was $76,910, with the 10th percentile at $44,310, the 25th at $58,230, the 75th at $101,950, and the 90th at $139,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). OEWS employment – wage-and-salary workers – was 47,940. The Employment Projections program, which includes self-employed workers, counted 135,400 writers and authors in 2024 and projects 140,300 in 2034, 3.6 percent growth, with 13,400 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). The gap between those employment counts is the self-employed share. Freelance income is variable. Titles include novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, playwright, and staff writer in settings that hire on a manuscript rather than on a house-style document.
Editor. Editors shape and approve other people’s writing: developmental editing of structure, line editing, copyediting against a house style, and the work of running a magazine, press, or literary publication. The national median annual wage was $77,920, with the 10th percentile at $41,250, the 25th at $57,300, the 75th at $106,100, and the 90th at $153,700; OEWS employment was 91,690 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Projected growth is 0.6 percent from 2024 to 2034, with 9,800 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Publishing houses, magazines, literary journals, corporate content teams, universities, and nonprofits all employ editors, and many editors work on contract. Workshop critique is relevant practice; a style-guide editing sequence is even more relevant, which is why some graduates add professional writing coursework.
English language and literature teacher, postsecondary. This is the academic path, including faculty who teach creative writing. The national median annual wage was $78,760, with the 10th percentile at $48,270, the 25th at $60,900, the 75th at $103,130, and the 90th at $137,250; OEWS employment was 57,720 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Projected growth is 0.0 percent from 2024 to 2034, with 5,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Teaching creative writing at the college level typically wants an MFA plus publications. Tenure-track jobs are scarce. Adjunct and visiting roles exist; they are not the same job as a tenure-track post.
What the degree level changes
Nothing in creative writing is licensed, so the practical question is not which credential unlocks which title. It is what pages you can show.
The online bachelor’s in creative writing is a portfolio-building exercise: workshop, craft study, and a senior manuscript, plus literature around it. It is a complete undergraduate credential. It does not make you a working novelist, and many working writers did not major in creative writing.
The online master’s in creative writing splits. An MFA is the terminal artistic degree and the usual minimum for teaching creative writing at the college level. An MA is more academic. Neither is required for freelance writing. If the work you want is reporting, compare journalism. If it is workplace documents, compare professional writing.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with a creative writing degree?
The associated occupations are writer and author, editor, and English language and literature teacher, postsecondary. Common titles include novelist, poet, screenwriter, essayist, staff writer, copyeditor, literary editor, and (with an MFA and publications) college creative writing instructor.
How much do creative writing majors make?
BLS OEWS, May 2025 national medians are $76,910 for writers and authors, $77,920 for editors, and $78,760 for English language and literature teachers, postsecondary. Freelance and contract income varies far more widely than salaried wages.
Do you need an MFA?
Not to write. Publication and most writing jobs hire on the manuscript. An MFA is typically the minimum artistic credential for teaching creative writing at the college level, usually paired with publications, and tenure-track jobs are scarce.
Which of these careers pays best?
Of the three associated occupations, postsecondary English teaching carries the highest national median at $78,760, followed by editing at $77,920 and writing and authorship at $76,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Teaching also has 0.0 percent projected growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). The highest median is not the most open door.
Is a creative writing degree worth it?
It is worth it if you use the program to finish a manuscript under real critique, or if you need the MFA as a teaching credential and understand that market. It is the wrong tool for a stable workplace writing job. The is a creative writing degree worth it page walks through the trade-offs.
Keep exploring
- Start at the creative writing program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become a writer, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: professional writing, journalism, liberal arts, communications, and technical communication.
Data verified: September 1, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.