If you’re a recent college grad (or have a career but want a change) thinking about pursuing an advanced career in something creative, the likes of medical school, law school, and business school might not sound very appealing to you. But it turns out that you can easily pursue a graduate degree in an area outside of those vocations, and you’ve got a lot of options! West Virginia University has over 180 graduate degree programs, and several of these degrees are designed to satisfy the craving for a creativity-based advanced academic program.
Here’s a list of five WVU graduate programs that are perfect for the creatively inclined.
1. Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Interested in a career in production and distribution but hesitant about applying to an MBA program? The Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design program at WVU will prepare you for the interdisciplinary nature of the general agricultural industry, whether for research, education, sustainability projects, or even starting your own business.
Positions for employment are available in numerous settings — private industry, education, and federal and state government agencies. Graduates may find employment as educators, researchers, agriculturalists, extension agents, conservationists, or may start their own business. Many graduates also enter professional schools and doctoral programs.
2. Sculpture
WVU’s Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture is just one example of the many fine arts you can study on a graduate level at WVU — along with ceramics, graphic design, intermedia/photography, painting, and printmaking. Through this program, you’ll be able to learn from a diverse and knowledgeable faculty and guest lecturer series as well as work in a personal studio environment to maximize your growth as an artist.
This program’s selective and limited enrollment ensures regular individual contact with a dedicated, diverse faculty who are committed to a sustained professional exchange with each student. WVU’s faculty stress intense studio practice, multidisciplinary experimentation, and an awareness of the ongoing cultural discourse.
3. Design and Merchandising
If you’re interested in the creative side of business and technology, WVU offers an M.S. in Design and Merchandising, which allows you to hone your own design skills and develop an understanding of design curation and criticism. You can focus on virtually any aspect of design — from environmental sustainability to product design.
4. Creative Writing
WVU's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing strives to give you the structure of a more traditionally academic program in order to expose you to a breadth of styles and genres — not only to strengthen your writing but to enable you to pursue a career in teaching if you choose.
Job titles and employers of WVU’s recent graduates include:
- Writer/Editor, ModCloth
- Researcher, law firm
- Editor, University Press
- English professor, Northern Kentucky University
- English instructor, multiple colleges and universities
5. Performance
Are you a singer or musician seeking training in a university setting? WVU has a Master of Music program in Performance that allows you to explore music both artistically and academically — with robust training that will prepare you for both performance and teaching.
The performance curricula are especially designed for students wishing to prepare themselves as performers or as teachers of a particular instrument or voice. The increased interest of society today in the arts is creating many new opportunities for the professional musician and for the private music teacher.
Are you thinking of applying to graduate program at West Virginia University? The Admissions team here at WVU knows that sometimes applying to an academic program can be stressful and confusing, and that’s why we’ve put together a resource for your to reference: Everything You Need to Know About Applying to a Graduate Program at West Virginia University.
