Master of Arts (MA) in Screenwriting
Introduction
- Want your creative prose to live on the silver screen?
- Think your ideas would better as a film than as a novel?
- Prefer a golden statuette to being on the top of the New York Times bestseller list?
The M.A. program in Screenwriting at Warnborough is the cutting edge of screenplay study. Completely online, it is based initially on Aristotle’s theory of mimesis. Despite its ancient roots, the program meets all the needs of a postmodern writer in search of new writing paradigms for a changing world.
This rigorous program entails eighteen months of study: ten months of modular work and eight months of thesis composition. Each module lasts four weeks or one month. Since modules are sequential and build upon each other, students may only work on one module at a time. Students who require additional
time for thesis composition may petition the College for additional terms.
Key Info
Duration:
4 terms (16 months) minimum ^
Credits:
120 ECTS credits
Fees:
€85 per credit. €10,200 in total.
Start:
Monthly
Prerequisites:
Undergraduate degree in the same or related discipline
Warnborough College's Master of Arts in Screenwriting program is aimed at the serious screenwriter. Candidates on the program will put techniques that they have learnt to good use and create a winning screenplay. For a more general program, check out our MA in Creative Writing.
For a Master of Arts (MA) degree, students must successfully complete a total of 120 credits. All requirements must be satisfied, unless students are granted exemptions.
By Instruction (Modular):
Students are required to complete 8 core modules and a thesis manuscript or multi-genre portfolio of their work of approximately 100 pages.
Program Structure
8 Core Modules (64 credits) + Thesis (56 credits) = MA (120 ECTS credits)
This rigorous program entails sixteen months of study: eight months of modular work and eight months of thesis composition. Each module lasts four weeks or one month. Since modules are sequential and build upon each other, students may only work on one module at a time. Students who require additional time for thesis composition may petition the College for additional terms.
Students can work with their mentors to combine modules into customised programs, suited to their interests and capabilities. The descriptions will give you a sense of areas in which to proceed, at the graduate level, and professionally. Exemptions may be awarded based on prior courses taken, professional experience, writing and research samples, and their art portfolios.
General thesis requirements are as follows:
For Poetry: The composition of a book of poems: 70 to 100 pages in length.
For Fiction: The composition of a novella, 100 pages in length, or a collection of short stories of approximately the same length. (Specialisations include science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, or mainstream literary fiction.)
For Playwriting: The composition of a play, 100 pages in length.
For Creative Nonfiction: A series of essays, 100 pages in length.
Program Modules
All individual modules are 8 credits each, except where stated otherwise.
Core Modules (8 credits each)
WR500 Mimesis of Texts I
WR501 Mimesis of Texts II
WR517 Outline and Story Lab I
WR518 Outline and Story Lab II
WR528 Genre Studies
WR543 Character Lab
WR557 Diegesis and Narration
WR586 Mythopoesis for Screenwriters
WR589 It's in the Cards
The program is conducted via distance learning. Students work independently, with the guidance of an allocated mentor. Cohort-based learning is conducted via the Online Moodle. Occasionally, there are optional summer workshops.
Program Director Robert Reece is a screenwriter who has written projects for Warner Bros, Paramount, Disney, Universal and 20th Century Fox.
He worked on some of Disney's most recent animated family favorites including the Annie-nominated Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning and Cinderella: A Twist In Time. He also wrote the screenplay for the independent film A Fare To Remember seen on Lifetime TV. Most recently, he wrote the screenplay Chilly Willy for Universal Studios as well as working for international studios like The Animation Lab in Jerusalem and Marza Animation Planet in Tokyo.
Robert is also an exhibiting interdisciplinary artist, whose paintings and photography are in private and commercial collections around the world.
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* Fees:
Fees refer to tuition only. It does not include ancillary expenses such as required materials (see above), textbooks, internet connections, postage, telephone calls, insurance and printing. More…
^ Duration:
Depending upon exemptions, performance and the workload, it may take more or less time. Accreditation for Prior Learning or Experience (APEL) can reduce time and fees.
