Master of Fine Arts Screenwriting
Learn your craft from award-winning screenwriting faculty who not only have decades of experience as professional film and TV writers in Hollywood, but are also as passionate about storytelling as you are.
Find your voice in a unique, multicultural university setting as you write short and feature-length screenplays, original TV pilots and episodes, and web series.
Make your mark producing your own content at the one of the largest studio facilities in North America, then open the door to a career in Hollywood through the School of Cinematic Arts' renowned L.A. Quarter program.
click to showDegree Requirements
Concentrations
Screenwriting Comedy
Screenwriting Comedy
Writers train at The Second City and the School of Cinematic Arts to hone their comedic identity by creating a vetted writing portfolio and producing a web series or short film.
Standard Concentration
The Master of Fine Arts is a highly selective two-year program designed to cultivate the writer's voice through a demanding curriculum focused on the craft of screenwriting that culminates in a comprehensive film and television portfolio of original work. Available electives in writing for video games, adaptation, web series, and sketch comedy allow students to diversify their portfolio in an area of interest. Additionally, writers are educated on the business side of the entertainment industry and are guided through the process of moving from student to professional writer.
All of the MFA Screenwriting courses are offered in the evenings to allow working professionals to be able to attend graduate school full-time while still maintaining their current careers. The curriculum is designed to be completed in twenty-one months, but it can also be done at a slower pace for those who are interested in participating part-time. MFA students have opportunities to defray the cost of earning their degrees, through employment within the school itself, Graduate Assistantships that offer course credit and a stipend.
Displaying Winter 2022-2023 Course Availability
Curriculum Requirements
No Introductory course may be substituted for any other course at any level.
Students who wish to complete this degree on a part-time basis should contact the program coordinator or advisor to create a customized three or four year course plan.
First Year
- Fall Quarter
- Winter Quarter
- Spring Quarter
Second Year
- Fall Quarter
- Winter Quarter
- Spring Quarter
*See information about Optional Los Angeles quarter below.
Optional Los Angeles Quarter
Students may apply to participate in the Los Angeles Quarter Program for the spring of their second year; they will spend twelve weeks in Hollywood doing industry internships, living with their fellow DePaul classmates, and having twice-weekly classes on an industry lot where they will have intimate question and answer sessions with industry professionals in all aspects of the film, TV, and videogame world. If selected to participate in the LA program, MFA Screenwriting students would take SCWR 441 Industry and Pitching Seminar (Formerly DC 505) and DC 499 in Los Angeles.
MFA Thesis
Students in the MFA in Screenwriting program must complete a MFA Thesis project which consists of either a feature length screenplay or an original television pilot plus a "show bible" and outlines for six future episodes. We expect the thesis projects to be at a level of quality that would warrant representation by literary agents and managers. Satisfactory completion of the MFA Thesis project is determined by the MFA Advisor Committee (see below).
Student's MFA Advisor Committee
In the spring quarter of their first year, all MFA candidates will be assigned two thesis committee members plus their thesis instructor; these three faculty members will be the MFA Advisor Committee. The MFA Advisor Committee will offer suggestions and feedback on the student's work and help guide the student during the thesis phase of the program. They will ultimately judge the final thesis project as pass or fail.
MFA Thesis Timeline: Year One
Students will enroll in SCWR 550 Writing for TV Thesis Development or SCWR 500 Writing for Film Thesis Development (Formerly DC 498), in which they will begin to develop their thesis project. This course will conclude with students pitching their stories to their individual MFA Advisor Committee for feedback.
MFA Thesis Timeline: Year Two
The first draft of the thesis project must be submitted to the Advisor Committee on the last day of final exams for the fall quarter. Writers will get notes from their committee at the start of the winter quarter. The final draft of the thesis script will be sent to the committee on the last day of final exams for the winter quarter. The committees will meet during the spring quarter to evaluate thesis projects. Thesis chairs will notify each student as to whether they received "distinction," a "pass," or a "rewrite" decision. If a student passes, they must then complete their coursework in order to graduate. If a student does not pass, the writer must resubmit his or her thesis by an assigned due date determined by the thesis instructor. The re-defense will take place no later than Friday of week 10 of the spring quarter. If the student passes, he or she can move on to graduation assuming all courses are complete. If the student has a second non-pass, he or she must enroll in SCWR 701 Thesis Continuation (a zero credit hour and zero cost class) to remain enrolled for the summer session after completion of the year two coursework. The rewritten script is due by the last day of final exams for Summer I. The defense will take place before the end of the Summer II session. If the student passes, he or she may apply for the next round of graduation. If the student does not pass, he or she may elect to speak with the advising office about applying his or her course credit hours to an M.S. in Cinema Production degree.
Degree Requirements
Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:
- Complete a minimum of 68 graduate credit hours in the designated degree program.
- Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
- Earn a grade of C- or better in all graduate courses of the designated degree program.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Satisfactorily complete the MFA thesis as determined by the student's MFA Advisor Committee.
- Students cannot count credit earned towards a previously awarded master's or MFA degree toward the completion of this MFA program.
For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.
