Creative Writing

I would like to pursue a graduate degree in Creative Writing but am wondering what your opinion is as far as it’s marketable value. I would be doing it partially for my own benefit as well, but I’d like to know if any of you view a Master’s degree as a good career move for an aspiring creative non-fiction writer.

I have a Master’s degree in English Literature and now want to pursue a PhD in Creative Writing. Is there anything special that will help me stand out as a PhD candidate? Anything special I need to do?

Thanks.

I’ve heard a lot of people taking those courses and they end up in dead-end jobs unrelated to creative writing. It seems useless to me. The great writers of the past never took those courses, but they wrote masterpieces. What’s in those courses anyway? Can creative writing even be taught??

I’ve never taken a creative writing class, but I was reading an interview with a writer and it mentioned that after he completed his master’s thesis he began teaching classes at a university. He now teaches at a different university, and it seems that he only has a his MA.

Is this normal? The only instructors I’ve had that didn’t have their PhD were grad students, and even then they weren’t the main instructor. But I’ve never taken a creative writing class, so maybe it varies by subject.

I’m considering looking into getting a Master’s Degree in creative writing, and was wondering what programs are recommended for that particular area of study.