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 and adaptations, write episodes of existing television shows, and create one of your own. Learn the business side of screenwriting. Blend theory with practical understanding.

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. 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. Through 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 – first, through three semesters of rigorous writing training in Boston, then while in the classroom as well as interning in their fourth semester in Los Angeles. 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. BU’s award-winning faculty provide mentoring, lead script workshops, and facilitate in-depth feedback. The learning experience is personal—often one on one—with a faculty of accomplished screenwriters. Students also meet innovative film and television professionals through our Cinematheque screening series, where they share their work, discuss their careers, and address students’ questions.

Writers write.

Cinematheque

BU Cinematheque Gives Students a Glimpse into FX’s “The Americans”

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 hour-long television show, 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 the Episodic Drama, among others. These courses position our students for TV internships through the fourth semester in BU L.A.’s “Writer in Hollywood” program.

The foundation of our program is writing for film. Courses in Writing the Short Film, three feature screenwriting workshops, Script into Film, and various genre writing courses 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.

One Degree. Two Coasts.

Explore Boston, “America’s College Town” and a major East Coast media and cultural center, and Los Angeles, the epicenter of the entertainment industry. Both cities are thriving global hubs and major media markets, providing a great introduction to the skill development and business that frequently lead to a graduate’s first job.

During your fourth semester, you gain valuable experience in the film business in Los Angeles, work with established writers, and network with our Los Angeles-based alumni. In addition, you take a Rewrite class where you revise a script you wrote while in Boston. Guest speakers share their experiences and answer your questions.

Bring your passion and your talent.

We’ll help you apply it. Screenwriting experience is not necessary to apply. What matters most is the ability and desire to tell stories and tell them well.