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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 will increase your writing skills and help you advance in your career as a commercial-level writer. You will learn from award-winning industry professionals how to write for short films, feature films and TV. You’ll master your own visual storytelling style while learning the history of narrative from fable through our contemporary media.

On Campus, Online
37
May 8, 2023
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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 will 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
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.
The essential classics of world cinema. European cinema will be analyzed within historical, social, and aesthetic contexts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

2022-23 Semester Check-In Deadlines

All new 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 12Monday, August 22
Session MFriday, September 9Monday, September 19
Session BFriday, October 14Monday, October 24
Session CWednesday, January 4Monday, January 9
Session TFriday, January 27Monday, February 6
Session DFriday, March 3Monday, March 13
Session EFriday, April 28Monday, May 8
Session FFriday, June 9Monday, June 19

Admissions Requirements

Step 1: Apply to Regent University

Step 2: Complete Your Admissions Questionnaire

  • After you submit your application, you will receive a link to complete the required admissions questionnaire.

Step 3: Submit Your Unofficial College Transcripts

  • Email your unofficial college transcripts to apply@regent.edu using the subject line: Unofficial Transcripts.
  • Upon conditional acceptance, Regent University will attempt to obtain your official transcripts from your U.S. degree-granting institution.
  • International transcripts must be evaluated by an NACES-approved company.

Step 4: Submit Your Government-Issued ID

  • Email a photo of your government-issued ID to apply@regent.edu using the subject line: Government ID.
  • Please note that 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 Screenwriting (MFA)$6706$4,020
Master of Fine Arts in Television & Video Production (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 Screenwriting (MFA)$6709$6,030
Master of Fine Arts in Television & Video Production (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)$800
University Services Fee (Online Students)$650

Part-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$6506$3,900
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (MFA)$6506$3,900
Master of Fine Arts in Television & Video Production (MFA)$6506$3,900
Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA)$8956$5,370
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)$9253$2,775
Doctor of Strategic Communication (DSC)$9253$2,775

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Master of Arts (MA)$6509$5,850
Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (MFA)$6509$5,850
Master of Fine Arts in Television & Video Production (MFA)$6509$5,850
Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA)$8959$8,055
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)$9256$5,550
Doctor of Strategic Communication (DSC)$9256$5,550

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$800
University Services Fee (Online Students)$650

*Rates are subject to change at any time.

Estimated Cost of Attendance: View the estimated cost of attendance to see an example of the total cost of tuition and fees.

“We were taught practical skills for the workplace in Regent's classroom. Now I can see how they work in a professional environment.”

Ryan Clemens, MFA, 2010 Acting

“It’s been a long road of late nights and long mornings, but I made it.”

Paola Albarran, Ph.D. in Communication, 2020 News Anchor, Telemundo Amarillo; College Teacher, West Texas A&M University

“When I came to Regent, it was really out of a place of what I call vocational desperation. I had a degree in theology, but a strong sense of calling toward film. Regent helped me sort out my future and set me on a path I never dreamed of before. Now, I'm a teacher and a filmmaker. ”

Joshua Overbay, MFA, 2010 Filmmaker

“Regent has been very supportive. They do what it can to help get good work noticed and out there.”

Beecher Reuning, MFA, 2015