MFA in Writing for the Stage & Screen

Highlights of Course of Study

• Only six graduate students are enrolled each year.
• Students learn in intensive workshops with accomplished industry writers.
• The majority of instruction is provided in one-on-one settings and in small groups.
• Students are trained in production fundamentals in both film and theater.
• Students spend two weeks in London during the first spring semester, working intensively with a British playwright and experiencing British theater.
• Students workshop their original material with actors, directors, and designers from the School of Theater.
• Student plays are produced as part of the regular season of the School of Theater.
• Students write, direct and edit a short film and serve as producer, cinematographer, and production designer on other short films.
• Students are given the opportunity to compete for the presentation of original work before industry professionals at the American College Theater Festival.
• Students are provided with industry mentors upon graduation.
• Students graduate with a portfolio of creative work that includes short and long-form plays, short and feature-length screenplays, and two full-length polished works (plays and/or screenplays) ready for submission to the film and theater industries.

Description of Curriculum

The curriculum in the first two semesters (fall and spring) is based on the philosophy that a successful writer's creative work is informed by, and benefits from, production knowledge and experience. During these semesters students engage in intensive film and theater production training while also taking coursework and workshops in screen and playwriting. Additionally, students are required to write, direct and screen a short film in the first semester, and write and stage a short play in the second semester.

During the second semester, students engage in a two-week intensive in London, working with a British playwright and experiencing British theater.

In the third semester (summer) students commit entirely to writing, taking courses in screenplay craft, story conceptualization, and adaptation of a novel for both stage and screen. During this semester students create and pitch more than 20 original ideas for screenplays, and complete a full-length play and a feature-length screenplay that are adaptations of a novel. The purpose of this semester is to provide students with the skills and techniques necessary to successfully craft scripts and plays in a manner that represents professional-quality work.

In the fourth semester (fall) students work in daily intensive workshops with an industry writer who shepherds their original idea from concept to a completed stage play format. The goal of this semester is for each student to create a quality stage play that is ready for submission to the industry. Additionally, students take courses in dramaturgy and dramatic literature and theory.

In the fifth semester (spring) students work in daily intensive workshops with a screenwriting professional from the industry who shepherds an original idea from concept to completed work. The goal of this semester is for each student to create a screenplay that is ready for submission to the industry. Additionally, students will develop the craft of fiction writing through a workshop in the Creative Writing Department.

In the sixth and final semester (summer) students work with a professional writer in a one-on-one setting to write a final revision of one of the two works created in the fourth and fifth semesters. Additionally, students take coursework that prepares them for business practices associated with professional writing, including areas of intellectual property, agents and managers, development, distribution and exhibition.

Information on the cost of attendance can be found here: Cost of Graduate Programs

Throughout the course of study, students engage in various seminars, conferences, and visits from industry professionals in the fields of film, theater, and creative writing.

Course Listings by Semester

First Semester - 15 Hours (Fall)

• FIL5155L Screenwriting I
• FIL5209L Introduction to Production Design
• FIL5256L Sound Workshop
• FIL5257L Film Editing
• FIL5265L Directing I / Directing Actors
• FIL5278L Camera & Lighting
• FIL5705L Production Management
• FIL5930 ProSeminar in Motion Picture, Television & Recording Arts

Second Semester - 12 Hours (Spring)

• THE5084 Theater Problems: Playwriting
• TPA5931 Selected Topics in Stage Design: Production Design
• TPP5651 Advanced Play Analysis
• TPP5383 Problems in Directing

Third Semester - 6 Hours (Summer)

• FIL5156L Screenwriting II
• THE5317 Selected Topics: Adaptations

Fourth Semester - 12 Hours (Fall)

• THE5486 Graduate Dramaturgy
• THE5084 Theater Problems: Playwriting
• TPA5080 One Act/10 Minute Play Production
• THE5317 Selected Topics in Dramatic Literature and Theory

Fifth Semester - 12 Hours (Spring)

• FIL5615 Workshop in Area of Specialization
• CRW5130 Fiction Workshop

Sixth Semester - 6 Hours (Summer)

• FIL5931 Special Topics: Industry Practices
• FIL5975 Graduate Qualifying Project

OR

• THE5480 Graduate Creative Thesis

PROGRAM PARTICIPATION COMMITMENTS

Individuals admitted to and enrolling in the program are responsible for the following commitments:

1. An orientation session that begins prior to the Fall semester of first enrollment (dates will be provided to admitted students);
2. Purchase and maintenance of a laptop computer;
3. Purchase of software package: Final Draft, current version, and Microsoft Office, current version;
4. Cost of transportation to London, food and expenses during the second semester. (Program cost for housing, instruction and health insurance are included in the tuition and fees for that semester.)