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Film and Creative Media - Screenwriting (MA) (Online)

Program Overview

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

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

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 & 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.

Types of Aid

Networking

Both our deeply connected faculty and our experiential learning opportunities offer myriad ways for you to form relationships with leaders in the industry. These connections will serve and support you throughout your career.

Nashville, TN

A big city. An even bigger opportunity. We consider Nashville, Tennessee, an extension of our classroom, and as a leading city in many industries, that means you’ll gain experience and insight you won’t find anywhere else.

Small Class Sizes

You’ll have opportunities to engage in meaningful discussion, receive one-on-one faculty mentorship and ask difficult questions in our small class sizes. Plus, you’ll feel supported in a tight-knit learning community.

Our Faculty

  • Steve Taylor

    Steve Taylor

    Assistant Professor

    Steve Taylor is a filmmaker, writer, producer and recording artist who earned his "Renaissance Man" stripes (Prism Magazine) from a body of work that's garnered him multiple Grammy, Billboard, Telly,...

    Meet Steve Taylor
  • Melissa Forte headshot

    Melissa Forte

    Associate Professor and Chair, Cinematic Arts

    After six years of industry work with the Walt Disney World company in Orlando, Fla., Melissa Forte returned to Ohio University to complete an M.A. in Media Studies and an...

    Meet Melissa Forte
  • Mike Nawrocki headshot

    Mike Nawrocki

    Visiting Professor

    As co-creator of "VeggieTales," co-founder of Big Idea Entertainment and the voice of the beloved Larry the Cucumber, Mike Nawrocki has been part of the pulse of the "VeggieTales" brand,...

    Meet Mike Nawrocki
  • Brinn Daniels headshot

    Brinn Daniels

    Assistant Professor

    Brinn Daniels comes to Lipscomb by way of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and USC's graduate film program. She has been freelancing as a director, cinematographer and editor for...

    Meet Brinn Daniels
  • Jake Morgan headshot

    Jake Morgan

    Marketing Videography Producer

    Meet Jake Morgan
  • Lori Fischer

    Lori Fischer

    Adjunct Faculty

    Lori Fischer (MFA, NYU Dramatic Writing Department) is an Independent Vision Award Nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting for her feature film Chasing Taste. Chasing Taste was also the Feature Comedy Award...

    Meet Lori Fischer
  • Larry Brown headshot

    Larry Brown

    Professor

    Larry Brown earned his Ph.D. in Dramatic Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and began teaching at Lipscomb in 1989. He directed the theater program for 19 years. Now he...

    Meet Larry Brown

Career Paths

Film and Video Editors and Camera Operators

Film and video editors and camera operators manipulate moving images that entertain or inform an audience.

Producers and Directors

Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.

Actors

Actors express ideas and portray characters in theater, film, television, and other performing arts media. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.