40 Master's degrees in Creative Writing in California, United States

The Screenwriting degree at California State University Fullerton will prepare you to break into the entertainment industry. In the first year alone, you'll write one feature film, one spec TV sitcom, and one spec hour-long TV drama.

Since the late 1960s, California State University Long Beach has promoted the value and significance of Creative Writing as part of its educational mission. Building on a thriving undergraduate programme, CSULB welcomed its first class of MFA students in Creative Writing in 1995.

The Screenwriting program at California State University Northridge is for students who seek a rigorous, professionally oriented education in writing for film and television.

The Creative Writing MFA program offered at San Francisco State University is regarded as the terminal degree in the field.

The Dramatic Writing degree offered at University of Southern California provides students with the foundation to not only build a fruitful career, but to further discover and develop their own authentic voice.  

The Writing for Screen & Television MFA program offered at University of Southern California is a two-year degree program which concentrates on training screenwriters to work in the entertainment industry and beyond.

The 2-year M.F.A. in Screenwriting at Chapman University is an intensive programme designed to encourage the development of your unique storytelling voice through the exploration of the intricacies of story structure and character development.

The Writing for the Screen program of Loyola Marymount University uses long-form storytelling as a basis for preparing students for a career in screenwriting.

The M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing Studies at San Diego State University is a comprehensive postgraduate programme delivered via a public study mode. It focuses on advanced literacy and the power of communication in a knowledge-driven society. Students develop critical thinking skills through rigorous academic research.

The MFA in Creative Writing at Chapman University encourages students to write boldly, read thoughtfully, and live vibrantly.

The Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts programme at the University of California, Riverside is a two-year, full-time Master of Fine Arts. This intensive degree focuses on fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screenwriting, and playwriting, providing students with world-renowned faculty and excellent funding.

At Screenwriting from Pepperdine University we take a values-centered approach to education and work to strengthen student lives in purpose, service, and leadership. 

The Creative Writing programme at San Diego State University offers a public study mode for students pursuing this advanced degree. This curriculum focuses on aesthetic diversity and manuscript dialogue, providing a dedicated environment for writers to refine their craft under the guidance of published, award-winning faculty.

The Screenwriting MFA at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a professional two-year, full-time programme. It focuses on developing vivid characters and compelling narratives for film and television. Students benefit from a world-class faculty and a curriculum designed to foster independent creative voices.

The Mount Saint Mary's University MFA in Creative Writing Program is a 36-unit interdisciplinary course of study that culminates in a terminal degree that qualifies the holder to teach at the college level.

The California State University San Marcos Literature and Writing Studies Department offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree.

The Master of Arts in English and Writing Studies at California State University San Bernardino is designed for students interested in pursuing advanced studies in the related fields of applied linguistics and teaching English as a second language, literature, composition and rhetoric, as well as English pedagogy and public and professional writing.

The Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA at the University of California, Riverside is a flexible two-year programme designed for aspiring writers. This part-time course combines asynchronous online learning with five intensive ten-day residencies in California, allowing students to balance creative growth with professional lives.

Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Arts and Writing from California Institute of Integral Studies is designed to help launch or expand your professional career as an artist and maker. Using the coursework as a guide, students have the opportunity to develop strategic tools and materials necessary to meet their professional goals.

In the New York Film Academy Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA) in Screenwriting degree program, students master cinematic storytelling concepts and techniques.