Friday, August 02, 2013
Valuing the MFA
HowlRound: Our culture often has a negative view of the MFA degree. With no guaranteed return on investment and a high cost, many see it as a waste of time and money. One can write, act, direct, or dramaturge without a degree. As evidenced by the recent MFA series on HowlRound, even among artists the value of this degree is not quite clear. This negativity and confusion must filter down into the decision-making process. Some people know exactly what kind of art or writing they want to do and pursue the degree to hone their craft, but there are others for whom the MFA is a gateway to their artistry. They need the discipline and focus, as well as the exploration, to help them grow into the artist they will become. I was one of those people, and I worry that MFA programs and therefore the larger theater community could lose valuable artists because potential students are at risk of simply dismissing the degree.
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Graduate school is not for everyone, and its not for every career. The author of the article goes on about how wonderful an MFA degree is, and how we as a society should value the MFA more than we do. I agree with the author to the extent that an MFA degree can be helpful for certain people, but I don't think it is necessary. As the author explained, for some people an MFA can help them explore their art form and become better at it. Furthermore, the MFA doesn't only apply to art, and the skills learned can be transferred to other fields. On the other hand,I would not say that an MFA is as necessary to say, acting, as a masters in law is to a lawyer. For some artists, an undergraduate degree is all they need. I also feel as though we first need to remove the stigma associated with BFA degrees first. The skills acquired under a BFA degree program are not exclusive to the arts.
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