Skip navigation
A girl with her laptop at Regent, a university that offers an MA in Screenwriting degree program.

M.A. in Screenwriting

Script Your Success Story With Regent’s Screenwriting Degree Program

Creating powerful, redemptive stories excites you. You want your stories to come alive on screen. Our Master of Arts in Screenwriting can increase your writing skills and help you advance in your career as a commercial-level writer. You can learn from award-winning industry professionals how to write for short films, feature films and TV. You can master your own visual storytelling style while learning the history of narrative from fable through our contemporary media.

On Campus, Online
37
January 13, 2025
Download PDF

Increase Your Earning Potential

Advance in leadership roles with higher salary opportunities.

Be Mentored by Masters of the Craft

Learn the art and craft of screenwriting from industry experts in the M.A. in Screenwriting degree program.

Sharpen Your Skill Set

Conceptualize all aspects of a film, television or video project.

Display Your Skill THROUGH THE SCREENWRITING DEGREE PROGRAM

Enjoy participating in a directed project that can enhance your portfolio.

Align Yourself With Excellence

Regent is ranked among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report, 2022. Presented from a Christian worldview, the in-demand screenwriting degree is supported by award-winning faculty in Virginia Beach.

Please complete the Request Information form on this page to learn more about this program.

On completing the M.A. in Screenwriting degree, you can: 

  • Analyze all the elements that go into a satisfying and socially redemptive story. 
  • Write for a range of genres, from feature and short films to television programs and plays. 
  • Develop structural and narrative components for situation comedies and hourlong dramas. 
  • Learn how to present your portfolio and market your work.  

Career Opportunities

  • Film/TV Scriptwriter
  • Playwright
  • Executive Producer
  • Copywriter
  • Editor
Featured Courses
CTV 509American Cinema 13
Examines the history of American Cinema from the silent era to the end of the studio period, with an eye toward artistic, technological, and historical developments, as well as to the cultural and political contexts that shape them.
CTV 510World Cinema 13
The essential classics of world cinema. European cinema will be analyzed within historical, social, and aesthetic contexts.
CTV 606Christian Artist: Mission & Vision3
The beautiful as applied to cinema. An ethics and theology of entertainment. The spiritual challenges of the visual storyteller’s vocation. Understanding the challenges of creating narratives intentionally from a Christian worldview.
SSW 512Writing the Short Film3
Examination of the special circumstance of the short film script (less than 45 minutes running time). Students learn the narrative conventions of this format and write two film scripts through multiple drafts.
SSW 513Elements of Visual Storytelling3
A breakdown of Aristotle’s Poetics as applied to cinema. Includes a history of narrative from the fable through post-modern storytelling, and an exhaustive analysis of all the elements that go into a satisfying and socially redemptive story. Geared toward the production of complete, worthy, and commercial feature film projects.
SSW 516Character Development3
The elements of a cathartic protagonist according to Aristotle. Understanding character vs. characterization and the villain vs. the antagonist. Ethical considerations of the anti-hero. Students will produce several extensive character profiles.
SSW 612Feature Film Scriptwriting3
Builds upon the skills of SSW 513. Skills course that guides from the idea through treatment and step-outline to a finished first draft and the marketing of both the script and the writer. Special consideration given to format, story narration and dialogue polishing.
SSW 630Screenwriting as Vocation3
Personal preparation for life as a visual story writer. Includes creation of a personal credo and productivity profile. Discovering the writer’s voice. Understanding the demands of beauty and the specific spiritual and ethical challenges of an entertainment industry career.

2024-25 Semester Check-In Deadlines

All students are expected to check-in for the semester two weeks before the session start date. Students should apply, be accepted, enroll in their first courses, and confirm a plan to pay for their courses prior to this date.

SessionSemester Check-InSession Start Date
Session AFriday, August 9Monday, August 19
Session MFriday, September 6Monday, September 16
Session BFriday, October 11Monday, October 21
Session CWednesday, January 8Monday, January 13
Session TFriday, January 31Monday, February 10
Session DFriday, March 7Monday, March 17
Session EFriday, May 2Monday, May 12
Session FFriday, June 13Monday, June 23

Admissions Requirements

Step 1: Apply to Regent University

Submit your application using the Regent University Online Application.

Note: If you are unable to complete our application due to a disability, please contact our Admissions Office at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu and an admissions representative will provide reasonable accommodations to assist you in completing the application.

Step 2: Submit Your Unofficial Transcripts

Submit your unofficial transcripts to regent.edu/items.

Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email requesting authorization for Regent University to obtain your official transcripts from your U.S. degree-granting institution. International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES, AACRAO or NAFSA approved agency.

Step 3: Submit Your Government-Issued ID

To ensure academic integrity, Regent University requires a copy of a government-issued ID. Please submit a scanned copy or photograph of it to regent.edu/items.


Please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu should you have any further questions about the application process.

Note: All items submitted as part of the application process become the property of Regent University and cannot be returned.

PART-TIME STUDENTS

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production (MFA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (MFA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA)$9206$5,520
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)$9503$2,850
Doctor of Strategic Communication (DSC)$9503$2,850

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production (MFA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (MFA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA)$9209$8,280
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)$9506$5,700
Doctor of Strategic Communication (DSC)$9506$5,700

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$850 (Fall & Spring)
$700 (Summer)
University Services Fee (Online Students)$700

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

Part-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production (MFA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (MFA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA)$9206$5,520
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)$9503$2,850
Doctor of Strategic Communication (DSC)$9503$2,850

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production (MFA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (MFA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA)$9209$8,280
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)$9506$5,700
Doctor of Strategic Communication (DSC)$9506$5,700

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$850 (Fall & Spring)
$700 (Summer)
University Services Fee (Online Students)$700

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

*Rates are subject to change at any time.

“I’m so excited to officially be an alumna of Regent University with my Master of Arts in Journalism.”
Nicole Gamboni, M.A. in Journalism, 2019 Financial Services Professional, MassMutual Commonwealth
“I chose Regent because of its Christian principles, as I wanted to learn how to integrate my faith with telling stories; also because of its amazing film program and facilities. Yes, my expectations were definitely met.”
Michelle Bello, M.A., 2011 Cinema Arts/Television, Directing
“God provided Regent University as a place of revitalization, equipping and waiting upon the Lord. I'm very grateful to the faculty and staff who gave of themselves to make Regent such an amazing place to learn.”
Shinn-Rong Chung, MFA, 2010
“Regent University has a reputation of developing Christian leaders. I am so grateful to be growing toward that end.”
Caleb Kinchlow, M.A. in Communication - Digital Media, 2012 Senior Videographer/Editor/Digital Content Producer, CBN; TV host; Author
“Regent professors caused me to learn to think critically in a way I had never done. [They] forced me to think well, and at the root of writing well is thinking well.”
Charles Martin, Ph.D., 2000 New York Times Best-Selling Author