Writer Education Requirements

The educational requirements for a writer typically include an associate or bachelor's degree. According to Dr. Christy Mesaros-Winckles , Associate Professor & Department Chair of Rhetoric And Composition/Writing Studies at Adrian College, "ongoing education is also going to be crucial as content knowledge and creativity will increasingly become what differentiates content written by AI from that written by a human being". Writers can specialize in different niches, such as copywriting, technical writing, or content marketing, and can continue to develop their skills and expertise over time.

What education do you need to become a writer?

What degree do you need to be a writer.

The most common degree for writers is bachelor's degree, with 74% of writers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 8%.

  • Bachelor's , 74%
  • Master's , 11%
  • Associate , 8%
  • High School Diploma , 3%
  • Other Degrees , 4%

What should I major in to become a writer?

Based on the education requirements, the best college majors for a writer are English, Journalism, and Communication. According to Vicky Johnson Bós, Associate Professor of English at Tusculum University, "Getting a Master's Degree or even a PhD can greatly influence salary potential" for writers.

  • English , 18%
  • Journalism , 14%
  • Communication , 14%
  • Writing , 7%
  • Other Majors , 47%

Most common colleges for writers

Writers often get their degrees at New York University, Temple University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for writers in the US based on their resumes.

Best majors for writers

Best colleges for writers.

The top colleges for writers, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, offer opportunities for higher salaries and better jobs. These institutions excel in areas like admissions and retention rates, graduates' earnings, and cost of attendance. Writers typically need a Bachelor's degree, with Northwestern University and Columbia University in the City of New York being notable options.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

Harvard University

2. Harvard University

Northwestern University

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Columbia University in the City of New York

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

New York University

5. New York University

Washington University in St Louis

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

University of Southern California

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

University of Texas at Austin

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

University of California, Berkeley

9. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Stanford University

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

20 best online courses for writers

1. Teaching Reluctant Writers

All educators will encounter students who struggle with writing. This course first focuses on the reasons student writers may be reluctant and then provides learners with a variety of strategies and practices to help reluctant writers develop a greater comfort and confidence with writing. Learners will examine classroom relationships, mentoring, scaffolding, conferencing, low-risk writing and mini-lessons, all tools and techniques that can be brought right into the classroom to help struggling...

2. 3-Step Writing System: Blogging & Writing Secrets

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6. Adobe Photoshop Projects

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7. Conquering Writer's Block (Writing Mastery)

Proven strategies and tools to overcome writer's block, renew your motivation, and write novels with confidence...

8. Customer Service

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9. Customer Service Foundation

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10. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

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11. Online Marketing: SEO & Social Media Marketing Strategy

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13. Start Improving Customer Service

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16. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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17. Viral Blogging 101: Blogging & Content Writing Masterclass

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18. Adobe Premiere Pro CS6: The Complete Video Editing Course

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Top 10 most affordable universities for writers

The most affordable schools for writers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for writers 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 writers.

Baruch College of the City University of New York

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

Cost of Attendance

University of Florida

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

Hunter College of the City University of New York

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

California State University - Long Beach

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

Brigham Young University

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

California State University - Los Angeles

7. California State University - Los Angeles

University of South Florida

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

University of Washington

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for writers

The hardest universities for writers to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for writers 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 writers 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

Admissions Rate

SAT Average

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

3. washington university in st louis, 4. harvard university, 6. university of southern california, 7. massachusetts institute of technology.

Hamilton College

8. Hamilton College

Clinton, NY • Private

Northeastern University

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Boston University

10. Boston University

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for writers.

The easiest schools for writers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and grand view university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a writer 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 writers.

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