The Australian Association of Writing Programs

I think the teaching/salary/career aspect is to be respected. They don't hand the PhD's out with the cornflakes so it is worth having and it does represent a serious amount of commitment.

If one is not going to use it except to get better seats on planes by using the title 'Dr' then the buck stops with the person. Their choice and if people consider them a prat then at least they are an educated prat. I know where I can buy a PhD and transcripts for US$599... tempting (not).

I am seriously considering the thing simply because it is a life achievement. That and the chance to rub it in a few faces here and there.... {:o)  Cheers Perry

I agree with Perry and I think people undertake the PhD for lots of reasons and I don't think it's something they enter into lightly, it's a lot of time and effort to put in if you're only doing it for the title of Doctor.

For me it was an opportunity to do my own research on a topic I love. I'm also a big fan of the exegesis. As a writer I want to discipline myself to be conscious of how I develop and refine my craft and how I'm engaging with a wider literary tradition and I think the research and the theory we enegage with in the exegesis makes our creative work stronger as well as teaching us more about the work of our peers. 

I think the Creative Writing PhD and Creative Writing in academia are also exciting because they are still relatively new and there's a lot of discussion going on about Creative Writing pedagogy and where the discipline sits in the academic world, which we as post grads get to take part in. 

Mostly though, I'm doing it because I love to write and I think it's a great oportunity to improve my writing and become involved with a strong writing community.

Cheers,

Margot 

This too I can identify with...lol