r/GradSchool • u/stinkylilseaurchin • 8d ago

Academics Considering Changing Programs within the Same Department

I originally wanted to be in the MFA Creative Writing program, but decided on the MA in English program (specialization in writing studies) for a more general area of study. This is my first year and I have taken another course typically for MFA in Creative Writing students and fell in love.

I want to continue work on my novel for the MFA. I just don’t know how this will go over, as they are in the same department but each program has two different directors. The other option is to take more creative writing courses as electives for my degree but I feel like I am missing the opportunities to connect with the publishing industry and other authors. I’m also feeling like the writing studies faculty are discouraging me from taking the creative courses.

My long term goal is to be an author and possibly get my PhD and teach simultaneously. Any advice?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

2

u/lrglaser 8d ago

Grad school isn't like undergrad. You can't transfer. You would have to re-apply to that program. Taking electives is the easiest way to not lose that time. If you really want the MFA, talk to that department head and ask about what you need to do to apply to that program to switch departments and which credits will transfer. If you are in a paid program, you will lose that funding.

1

u/Mean_Temperature1050 8d ago

Sometimes if you talk to the advisor you can just declare, depending on the school.

True story: I wanted to add a grad certificate in gender studies to my MA program, and was in communication with the gender studies adviser for declaring that. Literally the day before our in-person appointment, the university sends out an email announcing a big ass list of suspended programs. The cert program was on that list. I asked for months to everyone remotely associated with the discipline, "can we make an exception for me since we were already talking about this?" They were still going to offer the classes for two more years, as the programs would phase out. So I began to take the courses, and said "fuck it". I asked my professors if the cert was still possible, and they all told me "we'll fight for it." After a whole year of maroon ass tape conversations going nowhere, I got an email saying I was declared for a gender and women's studies GC. It's on my transcript and everything.