Program Overview
You've Checked the Boxes, Now Chase the Dream!
With the convenience of on-line learning you can earn your MA in Screenwriting at Lipscomb University. Learn from those working in the industry of film and television to strengthen your craft of writing for the screen or television industry. Receive personal feedback from professors on your story ideas, screenplays and pitch decks. Engage with faculty and fellow peers in critical thinking about how film and television intersect with popular culture, society and the globe.
Prior to entry, it is expected that students have acquired the basic knowledge and skills needed to write, evaluate and engage in critical thought at the graduate level. Proficiency in the English language, basic writing skills such as spelling and grammar is a must.
How it Works
After meeting with the Graduate Program Director, YOU will have a customized plan of study that allows for artistic exploration while developing the technical proficiency to undertake your thesis project: a feature screenplay or television pilot along with a pitch package to release to the world! It’s all an exciting and fulfilling investment in your future.
Note that the Program of Study, decided between the student and the program director, will be followed as closely as possible over the duration of the student’s program. Some flexibility will be given to students if the courses are not available in the time table the student needs or if areas of interest change as the student experiences new aspects of content creation.
Admissions Requirements
Application Deadline for Fall 2023: July 1, 2023
Due to high demand enrollment is limited.
All Applicants Must Submit the Following:
- Application with $50 nonrefundable fee
- Official transcript(s) Undergraduate degrees with cumulative 3.0 GPA will receive priority consideration.
- Two letters of recommendation
- Résumé
Additional Screenwriting Requirements:
- Screenwriting Sample: The screenplay sample can be a short—up to 10 pages, or the first 10 pages of a feature screenplay.
- One Page Critique of Any Film or TV Show
The admission process also includes an interview which will be scheduled through the program director.
Courses
First Fall
Writers in Development
Writing Great Characters
Austin Screenwriting Conference (Travel Course)
First Spring
Story and Structure
Screenwriting I
Writing Great Dialogue
First Summer
Screenwriting II
The Adaptation I
Second Fall
Writing for TV I
Austin Screenwriting Conference (Travel Course)
The Adaptation II
Second Spring
Writing for TV II
The Writer's Life
Maymester - Low Residential (Two Weeks in Nashville or Los Angeles)
Writer's Room Intensive or Screenwriting III
Tuition & Aid
- Tuition: $999.00* per credit hour; students can audit for no credit at a rate of 50 percent of regular tuition
- Books and Fees: Not included in tuition
- Application Fee: $50
*Note: The graduate tuition rates may increase annually, effective each summer semester.
Incidentals
The tuition cost does not include program fees or equipment purchasing fees. While most of the gear will be provided for first year students on a loan/check out basis, it is required that students buy a MacBook Pro loaded with filmmaking software. You can choose to buy one through the university in your first semester in the program.
Also note that each student is responsible for costs of their own productions.
