Screenwriting MA

Year of entry: 2025

Course length: 12 months Full-Time

About the course

The only course of its kind offered by an elite Russell Group university, MA Screenwriting is a small, highly selective course. This intensive one-year MA will develop the writer's voice, embed professional practice and enhance graduate employability across UK and global film and television industries.

MA Screenwriting is industry and vocationally focused throughout, developing creative, entrepreneurial, collaborative and professional skills. It is taught by professional screenwriters and experienced educators Tim Price and Jonathan Hourigan. The course also includes either an internship at a production company or a professional mentor during the second semester.

Course units include:

Industry and Feature film
Story and the Journey of Change
The Calling Card Script and Television
Genre and Theme

These are example course units based on 2024/25 options and are subject to change each year

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Study on an intensive year-long course with a combination of workshops, seminars and one-to-one teaching.

Gain hands-on experience and networking opportunities with an internship at a production company or with a professional screenwriting mentor.

Work with industry experts to develop your screenwriting and hone the skills you need to succeed in film and television production.

Where will your degree take you?

This course is designed to prepare graduates to work in the UK and global film and television industries. Some will work as professional screenwriters, while others may take up related roles in development or production.

You can read profiles of some of our recent graduates to find out where they ended up working after completing the course - including two graduates who now work on Hollyoaks - on our student spotlights page.

David Rattigan

MA Screenwriting | Signed to Curtis Brown

"For the longest time I've wanted to pursue a career in writing, but before discovering the MA, I wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. I feel I know a remarkable amount now about the business, how it operates and where I will hopefully fit into it."

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Katie Lythgow

MA Screenwriting | Writer at Hollyoaks

“If you want a career in TV/film and don’t know where to start, I would recommend the MA for the insight it gives into the industry. It’s not a typical academic course – it's very vocational and is focused on preparing you for a job."

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Jonathan Hourigan

Programme Director MA Screenwriting

Jonathan Hourigan is a screenwriter, script consultant and educator. He joined the Centre for New Writing in September 2022 as Programme Director for MA Screenwriting, after four years as Course Leader for MA Screenwriting and Head of Screenwriting at London Film School.

Jonathan is a graduate of the National Film and Television School. He worked as assistant to Robert Bresson on the latter's Cannes prize-winning final film, L'ARGENT and is co-chair of the conference, NOTES ON BRESSON. Recent writing credits include BRING THEM DOWN and AT THE DOOR OF THE HOUSE WHO WILL COME KNOCKING. He plays Head of Script in Joanna Hogg's critically acclaimed SOUVENIIR I and II.