SDSU’s low-residency MFA in Screenwriting program helps students become stronger writers and empowers them to take a more active role throughout the entire production process — from first draft to final product. Created in collaboration with the San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television, and Film, SDSU’s new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Screenwriting program is a low-residency graduate program that will help you develop and elevate your craft as a script writer and share your visions in fields that thrive on visual storytelling. This two-year hybrid program is the first of its kind in the CSU system in this format and one of the few in the nation from a major, accredited university.
We’re excited to announce that applications for Fall '21 are now open! If you're interested in applying, please complete your application to Cal State Apply here.
Try Our Screenwriting Program This Spring
Register for Two Screenwriting Courses - Open to All, No Admission Required
SDSU’s low-residency MFA in Screenwriting program helps students become stronger writers and empowers them to take a more active role throughout the entire production process — from first draft to final product.
About the program
It begins with a story you need to tell.
You have a unique vision to share on the media screen. You want to excite, enthrall, move, and perhaps transform the audience with your captivating characters, vivid dialogue, and riveting twists and reversals of plot. You strive to communicate that experience on the page of the script you write.
But do you know what form your story should take? Which platform should you use to communicate your vision? Will your story best thrive on the stage, or as a television series, or in a gaming experience?
What if you had the opportunity to learn how your story moves through the film production process? Knowing that process first-hand influences the way you weave your stories, and how you craft your vision on the page.
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Course FormatCreated in collaboration with the San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television, and Film, SDSU’s new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Screenwriting program is a low-residency graduate program that will help you develop and elevate your craft as a script writer and share your visions in fields that thrive on visual storytelling. This two-year hybrid program is the first of its kind in the CSU system in this format and one of the few in the nation from a major, accredited university.
Through workshop classes, you’ll work with your cohort and instructors, professionals in the field, to hone your writing skills and creative instincts to engage and excite audiences across the many forms of performance arts. You’ll also learn the basics of production, which will help you produce screenplays and written materials that are more readily adaptable to a variety of digital media formats, including film, television, and the web. You’ll develop your craft and vision in television, film (short and feature-length), stage, webisodes, gaming, and more. Upon completion, you’ll be better prepared to create stories designed for the next new media.
Try Our Screenwriting Program This Spring
If you’re interested in screenwriting, but you’re unsure if you’re ready to commit to a two-year master’s degree program, we’re opening two courses for early registration this spring. Both courses are fully online and open to everyone, no admission to the MFA program required.
The Writers’ Room: Creating a TV Series
TFM 610: Seminar in Writing for TV and Film
Dates: Jan. 17-March 13, 2021
Instructor: J. Michael Straczynski
Starting from zero, students in this eight-week intensive course will take part in the creation of a theoretical TV series from concept to the development of characters, situations and stories, culminating in teams being selected to write the first three scripts of the series. (This is strictly an academic exercise, not the creation of an actual series.) The instructor, J. Michael Straczynski, has written nearly 400 hours of television and has created the series “Babylon 5” and its spinoff “Crusade,” as well as the series “Jeremiah” and “Sense8.”
Big Bucks: The One-Location Script – Horror – Drama – Thriller
TFM 0530: Selected Topics in Genre Studies for Television and Film
Dates: March 14-May 8
Instructor: Jennifer van Sijll
One-location scripts in any genre have long been recognized as the ‘sweet spot’ many Hollywood producers seek for their low cost and potential for high returns. In this class, you’ll study four one-location scripts, each of a different genre, to help prepare you for writing your own original script. You’ll explore different genre conventions and expectations, and learn how to connect with your audience on a deeper level. You'll exit the class with a logline, character bios, outline, and the first ten pages of your 'One-Location' script.
These courses are open to anyone who’s considering a career in screenwriting. Please click on the course name to register.
Program is perfect for
This graduate-level screenwriting program is designed for twenty-first century storytellers who want to bring their ideas to life. The curriculum is applicable to those who currently work in media production, as well as those who are interested in launching a career as a professional screenwriter.
As screenwriters are being asked to take on more active roles in the production process, this program will also empower you to be effective on set and in post-production by helping you master the basics of the production process. These skills are necessary in today’s environment, as writer/producers are required to manage more than the words on the page.
The program is low-residency, which means that the majority of your courses will be 100% online. This makes the program ideal for working professionals who don’t have the time or the resources to participate in a full-time graduate program on a college campus.
What you can learn
SDSU’s Master’s degree in Screenwriting program examines current industry trends and delivers a by-the-minute curriculum that’s invaluable to those interested in a career in the increasingly competitive, highly diverse world of media production.
Students will study screenwriting, television writing, playwriting, and film production as geared toward the writer. The MFA in Screenwriting program not only captures current trends of television writers with playwriting backgrounds, it empowers writers to be effective on set and in post-production, teaching them the basics of the production process.
You’ll develop an advanced ability to write complex, gripping narratives for film, television, theater, and other media. You’ll learn how to create characters that are original, relatable, and compelling, and you’ll learn how to use those characters to drive your stories. You’ll also strengthen your screenwriting skills with comprehensive examinations of film theory, film history, and critical theory as it pertains to storytelling.
This two-year degree program utilizes a blended instructional model in which courses are in an online format, and intensive face-to-face sessions during a six-week summer residency in San Diego.
During the six-week summer residency, you’ll develop close relationships with your classmates and your instructors as you get invaluable hands-on experience working with production and post-production equipment, including cameras, lighting, soundboards, and in-studio editing software.
Upon successful completion of this program, you’ll be able to:
- Create original screenplays, teleplays, and scripts for new media.
- Use camera, sound, lighting, and post-production equipment in order to shoot, edit, and self-produce a short film or webisode.
- Effectively communicate your ideas in written and verbal form, then utilize production skills to sell your creative products in the television and film marketplace, move them forward in the film festival circuit, or through online distribution.
- Effectively articulate literary analysis that applies the concepts of film criticism, film theory, and dramaturgy to help develop, write, and rewrite your own scripts and those of your peers.
The curriculum is delivered in a two-year, cohort-based format that will help you foster meaningful relationships with your classmates throughout the program. Courses focus on writing, production, and the business of media production. In the final portion of the program, you’ll have the opportunity to choose between two culminating experiences: a Master’s thesis and a public performance of one of your projects, or a capstone project paired with a performance.
Outcomes
Labor Analysis
Writers/Authors - Nationwide
Job Postings
In 2019
131,200
Projected Growth
Over 10 years
-2%
Salary Range
Average
$33,660-$122,450
Source: BLS & Burning Glass Technologies, 2020
In 2019, there were more than 130,000 writers and authors employed across the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these writers develop content for various types of media, including advertisements, blogs, books, magazines, and movie, play, and television scripts. In the past 12 months, there were more than 2,559 job postings nationwide seeking poets, lyricists and creative writers; in that same time period, there were nearly 26,000 job postings for copywriters.
Nationally, writers and authors make a median annual salary of $63,200. For writers and authors who work in performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries, the median annual salary was $70,990.
Writers Guild of America, West (WAGW)
The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) published their Annual Financial Report in July of 2020. More than 6,300 writers reported employment in all work areas in 2019. Total earnings reported for dues purposes for those members rose 3.1% to $1.68 billion in 2019. This growth is attributed to the industry-wide increase in original production for streaming services.
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Why Choose SDSU?
Diversity
SDSU is committed to serving a richly diverse population of students from all backgrounds. More than 54% of all SDSU undergraduates are students of color who come from many different backgrounds, which means that every classroom is a unique collection of personal and professional experiences. In fact, Forbes ranked SDSU in the top 30 universities nationwide for ethnic diversity. We’re also a proud Hispanic-serving institution, with more than 25% of our student population coming from Hispanic backgrounds.
Expert Faculty
Our faculty are industry veterans and active professionals with the real-world experience, credentials, and connections that will help you build the skills you need to succeed in today’s screenwriting industry. Faculty members include television screenwriters, executive producers, and directors of prime-time television series, films, and Tony Award-winning Broadway productions.
Practical Experience
In addition to online lessons, you’ll have the opportunity to visit San Diego State University’s beautiful campus for six weeks during the summer between the first and second year of the program. You’ll get invaluable hands-on experience working with equipment in a studio and on a soundstage.
Accessibility
Other than the six-week summer intensive, the entirety of the program is 100% online, making it ideal for busy working students who want to earn a master’s degree without putting their professional commitments on hold.