The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Screenwriting program consists of a minimum of 60 credits completed over four consecutive semesters (fall/spring; fall/spring).
Learning outcomes
Through intensive workshop environments and professional industry experiences, graduates of the Screenwriting program will be able to:
- Master Narrative Architecture: Deliver compelling narrative story structures through a seamless blend of characterization, conflict, and theme.
- Command Cinematic Storytelling: Demonstrate an advanced, industry-ready understanding of visual and structural storytelling for the screen.
- Provide Elite Script Analysis: Develop advanced analytical skills in order to provide constructive, professional feedback on written content across both cinematic and television platforms.
Program structure
MFA candidates complete a rigorous, fourfold curriculum designed to ensure mastery of both craft and industry contexts:
- Art & Execution: Deep practice in the core mechanics of screenwriting.
- Production Fundamentals: Learning the practical, real-world foundations of dramatic production.
- Context & History: Understanding diverse models of filmmaking, genre structures, and global film history.
- Storytelling Tradition: Comprehending the timeless role of the storyteller and the function of mythology in the dramatic tradition.
Screenwriting Curriculum
FIRST SEMESTER (Charles River Campus) | 16 Credits
Exclusive to Graduate Screenwriting students (required in 1st year). An introduction to the relationship between the written script and the image on screen. Through in-depth analysis, we will study screenplays, films and the mind of the screenwriter in order to decipher the process of developing story from character, plot and theme. Students will be required to write expository papers and present their own analysis of a chosen film.
Exclusively for screenwriting graduate students, an introduction to principles of drama, screenplay structure, characterization, screenplay description and dialogue through lecture and discussion of produced screenplays. Students begin with exercises and then write outlines/treatments in preparation for completing a first act (approximately 30 pages) and full treatment of an original feature screenplay. Student work will be discussed in workshop format.
This class explores the creation of a solid situation comedy script. This is done through readings, screenings, writing exercises and writing your own sitcom spec. There is also a good deal of group work and even a "staff" writing gig for all to participate in. Your story begins with an idea to pitch for a current sitcom series. Embedded in the idea is a comedic premise that will drive the episode. From there we move into writing beat sheets, network outlines, and then scripted pages. The goal is a structurally sound thirty-minute episode. A lot of the humor doesn't show up initially and rewriting beyond the class is greatly encouraged for those who wish to pursue a career on a writing staff, and potentially use their spec as a calling card for the industry.
Writing the Social Purpose Short is an intensive writing workshop class that focuses on mastering the short form narrative screenplay. This class gives particular attention to crafting narratives that are socially engaged, meaningful, and speak to the pressing issues of the day. Students will explore screenplay structure, watch a cross-section of global shorts, and write and revise FIVE (5) short screenplays, ranging from 10-20 pages. Students will write at a pace of roughly one script per two weeks. Each student will choose two shorts to hone and polish. Final projects will be eligible for production next semester.
SECOND SEMESTER (Charles River Campus) | 16 Credits
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMFT310) - Deals with the process and techniques of writing a dramatic series for commercial network and cable television. Students will select a current prime-time drama, develop A, B, and (possibly) C stories for an episode, and complete a Writer's Draft and polished First Draft, suitable for a Writer Portfolio. Lectures will include the life of a working television writer, one-hour story, structure, genres, and character development. We will view and analyze TV series from the past and present, and focus on proper drama script format, character development and voice.
This course starts with the basics of genre theory, then identifies American genre conventions using the course's "study" films. Study films will be discussed in terms of the genre's conventions: theme, structure, characters, setting, subject matter, visual motifs or recurring icons, and tone/mood. Each student is then required to write a treatment and 10-15 pages of a feature script in a genre unfamiliar to him/her. Students' creative work will be workshopped.
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMFT711) - Students compose a feature-length film and a set of revisions based upon the film outline created in COM FT 711. Further examples of dramatic structure are analyzed from the library of world cinema.
Elective: 500-level or above.
THIRD SEMESTER (Charles River Campus) | 16 Credits
Advanced screenwriting for 2nd year Graduate Screenwriting Students. Based upon lectured material, the feedback received during workshops, and one-on- one consults with the professor, students will write and revise a full feature-length screenplay. Students will be expected to have a firm grasp on narrative structure, character development, and cinematic storytelling. The material covered in the first year of the graduate screenwriting program will be applied to this intense workshop atmosphere.
A detailed and exhaustive analysis of selected screenplays through which we will focus on the cultivation of critical skills leading to a sharpened perception, and a heightened awareness of how a screenplay can be vastly improved. Utilizing these analytical skills, students will provide in-depth analysis for participating production companies who are in need of pre- production revisions. Each student will examine the chosen scripts, write coverage, write a more in-depth report for some of the production companies and meet with representatives from each project. Using the model of our workshops, the class will conduct story meetings with writers, directors and producers involved in each project. Students will be expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner through both their written reports and their verbal consultations. In addition, students will look at how source material, such as short films, stage plays and/or books can be adapted for the screen. Each student will then design a pitch based upon chosen source material and do pitch presentations.
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMFT713) - More than half of Oscar nominated films are literary adaptations. This course analyses the current commercial and artistic reasons behind the surge in adaptations, touches upon adaptation theory, and studies novels and short stories that have been adapted for film. Students present papers on film adaptations and begin the adaptation of a short story.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMFT512 OR COMFT522) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMFT512 OR COMFT522) - Prereq FT 512 or FT 522. "Writing the TV Drama (or dramedy) Pilot," explores the creation and development of your very own "one-hour" Television Series Pilot. Each student will pitch a concept, write a treatment, outline and pilot script. Also, you'll create a "leave behind" document, which will consist of an overview of your series, complete with character descriptions, future episode ideas and much more. We will closely examine the ingredients of a pilot script through lectures, script analyses of successful pilots, written assignments and group workshops.
OR
4 credits.
Prerequisites FT 522 or FT512. Got a funny idea for a show? Let’s see if it has legs. In “Writing the Comedy Pilot,” students will develop an original concept for their own half-hour, TV comedy series. This includes pitching their idea, writing a beat sheet, an outline and the pilot script. We will also create a “leave behind” pitching document that will include an overview of your series, character bios, loglines for future episodes and much more. We’ll screen pilot episodes, read produced pilot scripts and see why some worked and some didn’t. Then we’ll do some other things.
FOURTH SEMESTER (Los Angeles Internship Semester) | 12 Credits Minimum
- COM FT 585E HW: Careers in Hollywood (4 credits) – Navigating representation, pitches, the business of the entertainment industry, and professional networking.
- COM FT 587E HW: The Rewrite (4 credits) – An advanced masterclass dedicated entirely to polishing your Boston-originated material into market-ready scripts.
- COM FT 953/954E HW: Los Angeles Internship (4 credits) – A minimum of 20 hours per week of on the job professional experience in media industries: TV stations, film and video production studios, networks, streaming, advertising agencies, digital media companies, and related corporations.
- Optional graduate elective (500 level or above)
Academic Policies & Regulations
In addition to the University Bulletin, master’s students should refer to the College of Communication Graduate Handbook for a comprehensive guide to policies, academic regulations, and student resources.