My oldest daughter applied to a few PhD programs in her area, English with a specialty in Creative Writing. She worked for a couple years after undergrad. Then secured a fellowship where she taught undergrad English and earned a Master of Fine Arts. Since her MFA she has been working on a book, publishing in academic journals and teaching at a private prep school. She has asperations of a university professorship.
As I understand it: The MFA is considered a terminal degree but needs accompanying notoriety and publishing creds to move up to a university professorship. Additional academic work, she tells me is becoming required as there are now many MFA's. My daughter was not really certain if she wanted to go back to school as a student. However she figured applying doesn't mean you have to go and if you don't apply then the option will never be on the table.
Yesterday afternoon my daughter received a phone call from as she described, a luminary in her field at a university where she applied. This professor and the university offered her a Fellowship and acceptance into their PhD program. A formal package with all details is forthcoming. She was told, "based on the strength of your application and your credentials expect other offers but please let us know, we really want you!". It sounds like they want to fight for her or would be willing to sweeten the pot?
Other offers may yet materialize? There is one place she has yet to hear from and she said she would accept in a heartbeat. The Stegner Fellowship! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stegner_Fellowship There would be no degree here however my daughter said Stegner alums can write their own ticket and have to beat off the offers with a stick.
She is now faced with a decision making process that may get easier or more difficult, time will tell. If she accepts the offer currently on the table she would have to leave her job in Boston, relocate out west and become a student again! Since she is home visiting I can see she is already wrestling with yesterday's good news.