Overview

The Department of Cinema and Television Arts prepares highly skilled and motivated individuals for careers in the entertainment industry and for careers as artist-teachers in college and university film and television departments. Only applicants who demonstrate an exceptional level of talent, creativity and commitment to personal intellectual development will be admitted into the Screenwriting program at California State University Northridge.

The highest academic and artistic standards, as well as professional decorum, will be expected throughout the course of study. Forty-two units of graduate work are required, including the writing of motion picture screenplays and narrative television scripts; directing for TV; and a culminating experience writing a feature-film screenplay as the M.F.A. thesis for this terminal degree.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate:

Advanced writing proficiency appropriate for entry into competitive professional screenwriting and teleplay-writing careers.

Critical thinking, research and analytical skills appropriate for accomplishing professional and personal goals.

The practical communication and technical skills required for entry into a competitive professional field.

Insight into and objective understanding of screen story structures when analyzing scripts or outlines, and the ability to offer positive, ethical solutions for story problems.

Understanding of the issues of cultural inclusiveness and diversity in creative work, along with a basic understanding of creative ownership law.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Writing Screenplay Comedy

Theory and History of Cinema and Electronic Media

Contemporary Film Analysis

Screenplay Scene Writing

Seminar in Screenwriting

Writing Episodic Television

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-26 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-31 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-01-20 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-10-31 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

105

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TOEFL^® IBT

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PTE Academic

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

42 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Los Angeles, United States

Disciplines

Creative Writing View 385 other Masters in Creative Writing in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

105

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, and an original screenplay or original teleplay work sample in English, in standard American film format or TV industry format.

The work sample can be a complete script of between 20 and 120 pages, or the first 25- to 35-page section of an original feature-length screenplay. A complete stage play script of similar length also is acceptable.

With international applicant work samples, American professional script formatting is preferred, but the professional formats of other nations will be considered. Free American standard screenplay formatting programs are available at various sites online.

Applicants whose native language is not English must pass the state TOEFL exam with a score of 80 or higher.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

9464 USD / year

≈ 9464 USD / year
Out-of-State

9464 USD / year

≈ 9464 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

9464 USD / year

≈ 9464 USD / year

Additional Details

If you are not a resident of California, add $420 per unit.

Living costs

Los Angeles

United States

1520 - 2570 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

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Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Screenwriting.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Student Learning Outcomes

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Additional Details

Living costs

Los Angeles

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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