Storytelling, mastered. Screenwriting
A well-rounded screenwriter is a more effective screenwriter. That’s why a well-rounded curriculum lies at the heart of Boston University’s two-year graduate screenwriting program.
Stretch yourself creatively as you hone your writing skills. Write for different mediums and genres. Develop original ideas, adaptations, write episodes of existing television shows, and create one of your own. Learn the business side of screenwriting. Blend theory with practical understanding.
Recent graduates speak about their master's work in screenwriting at COM
The basics.
At the end of four semesters, you’ll leave with a strong, diverse portfolio and one of the few Screenwriting MFAs offered by a university today. You may even choose to go on to our Fifth Semester in Los Angeles program (more about that later). Our MFA program prepares you to place, sell, and produce your work for film and television.
Since the MFA is a terminal degree, our students can gain teaching experience while also earning a paycheck through a graduate assistant position, typically in their second year of the program. By teaching their own section of our undergraduate screenwriting course, our MFA students have gone on to adjunct and full-time teaching positions.
Small program, big talent.
The graduate Screenwriting program is selective, small, intimate, and nurturing. There are only a handful of students, and our students grow together as a cohort here in Boston. The writing classes are small, providing every student with the necessary class time to workshop their scripts on a regular basis. This not only has a profound impact on the feedback students receive, but it has also proven to create friendships that follow many of our alums into their careers. Student/teacher ratios are extraordinarily small; the learning experience is personal—often one on one—with a faculty of accomplished screenwriters.
Writers write.
That’s our motto. It’s also our modus operandi. In your two years here, you will write a minimum of seven scripts: two feature length films, two short scripts, an episode of an existing dramatic series, an episode of an existing sitcom, and an original TV pilot script.
With the explosion of the television industry, you’ll choose from courses such as Writing the Pilot, Writing the Sitcom, and Writing Episodic Drama, among others. These courses position our students for TV internships through an optional fifth semester in BU L.A.’s “Writer in Hollywood” program.
The foundation of our program is writing for film. Courses in Writing the Narrative Short Film, four feature screenwriting workshops, Fiction to Film Adaptation, and Genre Study for Screenwriters have prepared our students to become award-winning writers.
In addition, students will learn to participate in story meetings with producers and write coverage for projects in various stages of development.
BU goes Hollywood.
Now, about that Semester in LA program. It’s a single semester that includes our Writer in Hollywood program, exclusive to Screenwriting MFA students, and provides internship opportunities in both television and film.
You gain valuable experience in the film business and work with established writers. In addition, you take a Rewrite class where you revise a story you wrote while in Boston. Guest speakers share their experiences and answer your questions. If you’re interested in a career in Hollywood, it’s the perfect introduction.
A sneak peek into the acting, writing, and production opportunities offered by the BU in LA internship program.
- Focused class study combined with internships in both film and television
- Industry professionals coaching students on a regular basis
- One-on-one professional review and critiques
- Showcasing writers and their work through meetings, mailings and/or “pitch” opportunities
