MFA in Screenwriting

Why BU’s MFA in Screenwriting Is Among the Best Schools for Screenwriting

• 4 semesters; 2 cities—build the skills, experience, and community to launch a career in TV and film. Start with coursework, writing, and workshops in Boston, then spend the fourth semester interning in Los Angeles with established writers.
• Create with industry-savvy writers—your new mentors are veteran creatives who earned their stripes writing for film and TV. BU COM’s screenwriting faculty share feedback on 7+ scripts and share networks to help get you hired.
• Join successful alumni—one of the best schools for screenwriting (Variety, TheWrap, Hollywood Reporter), BU COM has graduates in roles at Netflix, Gersh, Hot Sauce Productions, Barnstorm VFX, Central Casting, Sri and Co., Busch Entertainment Company, and more.

What Can You Do with an MFA in Screenwriting?

An MFA in Screenwriting opens the door to a wide range of creative careers. Write for film, television, streaming platforms, and digital media. Teach university-level courses, or use your storytelling skills to create podcasts. With a strong foundation from one of the best colleges for screenwriting and an impressive portfolio, you’ll be prepared not just to break into the industry—but to shape it.

Employers of MFA in Screenwriting Alumni

• Netflix
• Gersh
• Net Ease Games
• Hot Sauce Productions
• Barnstorm VFX
• Central Casting
• Sri and Co.
• Busch Entertainment Company
• Ubisoft Entertainment
• Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards

Jobs of MFA in Screenwriting Alumni

With an MFA from one of the best schools for screenwriting, BU COM alumni go on to secure exciting roles in film and television. 

Recent roles held by our alumni include:

• Creative Roles: Screenwriter, Showrunner, Script Supervisor, Story Editor, Producer
• Industry Positions: Talent Relations Coordinator, Development Executive, Copywriter, Writer/Editor, Story Analyst

Take a Page from BU COM Alumni

When you enroll in the MFA in Screenwriting at BU COM, you join an incredible community of inspiring and driven creatives. All of these incredible talents got their start here, in one of the best screenwriting programs in the region.

• After a short film by Tianyu Du (COM’24) called Bob won the coveted 2023 Directors Guild of America Student Award, she expressed appreciation for her professors for giving her both instruction and support. Read More
• Rob Turbovsky (COM’08), a writer and co-executive producer on the hit Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, honed his comedic chops at BU, doing stand-up at the Comedy Studio in Somerville. Read More
• Nesta Huda (COM’22) wrote, directed, and produced a 14-minute film centering on mental health called Taboo, which first screened in March 2023. For Huda, “Media is such a huge agent of change.” Read More

Comparing Programs

• MS in Television: Choose the MS in Television if your goal is to become an industry executive. Prepare to create and sell ideas to networks and streaming.
• MFA in Film and Television Studies: Choose the MFA in film studies if you want to develop a critical eye for film, television, podcasts, and online media—and understand their cultural impact.  
• MFA in Screenwriting: Pick this MFA in Screenwriting if you are committed to getting your pieces into the world. One of the best screenwriting programs, BU COM requires a minimum of seven scripts and includes work experiences in Los Angeles.

How to Get a Job in Screenwriting

The film and television industry is powered by connections. In addition to sharpening your skills, you’ll build a network of professionals at industry-leading companies in the MFA in Screenwriting from BU COM. This helps you land a writing gig you can be excited about.

Curriculum Overview

Our Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting offers the best of both worlds: a learning environment on the east coast and a working-world experience on the west coast.

Over four semesters in two cities, you’ll build the skills, experience and community to launch a career into the television and film industry. Start with three semesters in Boston and become part of a close-knit community who wants to grow together. COM keeps things intimate and nurturing by design, so you’ll collaborate and learn from peers as well as faculty.

Then, spend your fourth semester in Los Angeles, learning through an industry internship and gaining valuable experience from established writers and guest presenters while networking with our Los Angeles-based alumni. All students take a rewrite class to revise and polish a script started in Boston. More information about the Los Angeles semester (cost, curriculum, and housing) is on the Study Abroad website.

Students will write a minimum of seven scripts for:

• Two feature-length screenplays
• Two short screenplays
• An existing hour-long TV drama
• An existing half-hour TV comedy
• An original TV pilot and series bible

Courses cover writing for television (including Writing the Pilot, Writing the Sitcom, and Writing the Episodic Drama, among them) as well as for film (Writing the Short Film, Script into Film, three feature screenwriting workshops).

Try Your Hand at Different Types of Writing for Film and TV

Courses in the MFA in screenwriting program cover: 

• Writing for television: Writing the Pilot, Writing the Sitcom, Writing the Episodic Drama, and more
• Writing for film: Writing the Short Film, Script into Film, three feature screenwriting workshops, and more

Choose an MFA in Screenwriting with Real Experience

The BU COM program focuses on helping you develop your voice while building a robust network and portfolio. This deep writing experience helps you take on LA in your last semester.

The LA Internship Semester

When we say we give you real-world experience, we mean it. In your fourth semester, you’ll head to the center of the industry, Los Angeles, to complete your industry internship. Gain valuable experience from established writers and guest presenters while networking with our Los Angeles–based alumni.

See LA Internship

Create an Impressive Portfolio

As a student in the MFA in screenwriting, you’ll write a minimum of seven scripts for:

• Two feature-length screenplays
• Two short screenplays
• An existing hour-long TV drama
• An existing half-hour TV comedy
• An original TV pilot and series bible

Film Series and Archives

As a student in the MFA in screenwriting, you’ll benefit from Cinemathèque, BU COM’s series of screenings and conversations. Student scholars can engage in interesting and relevant conversations and also enjoy full access to BU’s Krasker film and video resource center with 16mm prints and rarities at the Mugar Memorial Library on campus. 

Explore Krasker

Build Teaching Experience with a Grad Assistantship

Gain teaching experience while also earning a paycheck through a graduate assistant position. After teaching their own section of an undergraduate screenwriting course, students in the MFA in screenwriting have gone on to adjunct and full-time teaching positions.

Your Screenwriting Success Starts with Award-Winning Mentors

Our faculty make us one of the best screenwriting programs. Benefit from the mentorship of industry-savvy professionals who’ve written for film and television shows on networks like FOX, Disney Channel, and the WB—and consulted for companies like New Line Cinema, MTM Enterprises, and the Fred Silverman Company. After three semesters on Boston’s campus, get inspired by BU COM’s network of Los Angeles alumni.

Meet the Screenwriting MFA Faculty

Students don’t just want to entertain—they want to write and make films with social purpose … and the faculty here care deeply. We spend hours outside of class, mentoring students on sets, in post, and on the page.

Debbie Danielpour, Assistant Professor and Director, Cinematheque; published fiction writer and 20+ year veteran in the classroom, whose seventh motion picture screenplay is currently in development

Studying Screenwriting in Boston and LA

Earning your master’s in screenwriting in Boston and LA is the perfect place to start your career.

Boston:

• One of the world’s most livable cities, Boston is known as America’s college town and home to a diverse community.
• A top-10 US media market, with major outlets like the Boston Globe, WBUR, GBH, and five commercial TV newsrooms, students have access to engage with and learn from industry professionals.

Los Angeles:

• BU COM’s LA program is one of the reasons this MFA is among the best screenwriting programs.
• With access to top studios, working creatives, and live productions, LA offers an immersive experience. Students have completed internships at entertainment companies throughout LA, from Netflix to Universal Studios and more.