What’s the point of having a “dead-end” creative degree?

Are creative degrees worth it in the UK today? With politicians and policymakers recently labelling arts courses as “dead ends”, we explore what students really gain – and whether these degrees still lead to creative careers.

For many young creatives, university still feels like the default route into the creative industry. But with fresh debates around the value of creative degrees, more people are starting to question whether that path holds up.

Are creative courses really career dead ends, as some policymakers claim? What do students actually gain from studying art, design or media at university? And in a fast-moving industry shaped by technology, networks and self-taught talent, is higher education still relevant?

Photo by Gu Ko

Are creative degrees really “dead ends”?

First they were called Mickey Mouse degrees; then they were labelled rip-off courses. From graphic design BAs to filmmaking MFAs, the topic of creative higher education has got policymakers in a spin for decades – so it wasn’t surprising when Laura Trott, UK shadow education secretary, recently singled out creative courses as “dead-end degrees” hindering the students taking them. “They don’t have good job prospects; they have huge amounts of debt,” she said. “I refuse to keep funding degree courses which are not delivering for young people.”

Harsh. But it’s a familiar narrative. Since the early 2000s, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills have come to be seen as key to the UK’s economic growth, while the arts and humanities have been gradually devalued. Yet, this debate over creative education isn’t just a matter of policy – it’s about people like us.

University challenge

Since 2021, the government has separated arts subjects from other “strategically important” higher education disciplines and slashed some streams of public funding by up to 50%. “It’s due to the difficulty in accurately defining the value of creative courses as opposed to non-creative ones,” says Adam Andrascik, course lead of the MA Fashion: Digital Futures course at Ravensbourne University. “This makes them an easy target when viewing outcomes in purely GDP terms.”

As GDP, the measurement of a country’s income, definitively measures goods and services by their monetary worth, sectors that aren’t the most quantifiable – as various creative fields are – tend to get sidelined.

Photo by Roxanne Minnish

Adding to the challenges is a sharp drop in international student admissions: their tuition fees – which go up to £40,000 a year for some – have long been used to subsidise teaching and research. In November 2025, applications for student visas reached their lowest level in four years, a result of the former government imposing stricter immigration rules. These dwindling numbers and shrinking budgets have led to at least 14 universities closing their creative degrees or laying off arts faculty members.

For courses struggling to survive, the question is how to keep giving students a high-quality learning experience with such scarce resources. “This can be challenging, especially with rising software costs, AI evolution and support – not to mention fashion courses are notoriously expensive to run due to the amount of staffing and raw materials needed,” Adam says of his own experience.

The kids are not all right

The higher education debates have had a knock-on effect on students too. In a bid to patch up the flailing funding system, the government announced last autumn that university tuition fees, which have already crept up to £9,535 for local students, would now increase annually in line with inflation. Recent hikes to student loan repayments have added another layer of anxiety.

Benjamin Ross, who is pursuing a diploma in photography at Medway School of Arts, admits it’s been weighing on him. “I come from a working class background and I need that loan to essentially allow me to do a degree – so hearing just how much extra I’m going to be charged is ridiculous.”

For many students, these financial burdens are forcing students to sustain their degrees with more sources of income. “I had to take up some part time jobs in hospitality while working freelance alongside my studies to support living costs,” says Neha Goswami, who moved from Malaysia to study graphic design at Arts University Bournemouth. “Sometimes this meant burning the midnight oil and scrambling for deadlines while juggling work responsibilities.”

Yet, sometimes there aren’t even tutorials to turn up to. As university resources get stretched ever more thinly, the day-to-day experience of being a student has likewise changed. Strike action in response to job cuts have led to lesson disruptions; modules have been merged to economise on costs. It’s no wonder then that some students have started questioning whether staying in the industry is even possible.

Photo by Gu Ko

To be, or not to be a professional creative

Unfortunately, the odds aren’t quite in anyone’s favour right now: graduate posts fell to a record low of under 10,000 for the first time in February, and entry-level creatives are among the hardest hit. “My graphic design BA course did a good job of gradually introducing us to employability,” says Neha, referencing final-year modules involving career planning, company visits and networking. “But recently, an opportunity came up that made me seriously consider pivoting into a different career path, as I was getting bogged down with the job market and endless unsuccessful applications.”

In this difficult job market, it can be easy to wonder if there is any point in taking a creative course at all. After all, in her criticism of “dead-end” degrees, Laura Trott offered apprenticeships as an alternative to the courses she hopes to cull.

But James McLearie from Represent, a creative recruitment agency, maintains that there is value to both. “Creative degrees are absolutely something employers look at,” he explains. “It is a well-trodden path in the design world, so there is a certain amount of recognition there. That said, those who do not have a creative degree are still producing amazing work and landing jobs.”

Plus, contrary to popular belief, pursuing a creative career does not doom you to the life of a starving artist. “Speaking entirely from a graphic design industry perspective, this is simply not the case,” James says. “Creative degrees really can help open doors to jobs and also provide a network and platform to be successful financially throughout your career.”

Is there hope for creative degrees?

In some ways, it’s ironic that creative higher education is struggling this much in a country so recognised for arts and culture . The UK is the third largest exporter of creative services in the world, has a creative sector that contributes around £124 billion to the economy, and its universities consistently rank in the top 10 for arts and humanities degrees.

“There are a lot of resources here – lots more museums, creative events, networking opportunities, competitions,” says Neha when reflecting on why she moved across continents for her degree. “The reason I chose to come to the UK to pursue this was the higher appreciation for design, and the arts in general.” Let’s hope that doesn’t fade away.