Program Overview

MFA Screenwriting Program

The Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting is a highly selective two-year program designed to cultivate the writer's voice through a demanding curriculum focused on the craft of screenwriting. The program culminates in a comprehensive film and television portfolio of original work.

Program Description

The MFA Screenwriting program is offered by the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University. The program is designed to help students develop their screenwriting craft and authorial voice, while generating a strong portfolio of television and feature scripts across the industry's most successful genres.

Concentrations

The program offers two concentrations: Standard and Comedy.

Standard Concentration

The Standard Concentration is designed to help students develop their screenwriting craft and authorial voice, while generating a strong portfolio of television and feature scripts across the industry's most successful genres.

Comedy Concentration

The Comedy Concentration is offered in collaboration with The Second City. This concentration is designed to help students hone their comedic identity by creating a vetted writing portfolio and producing a web series or short film.

Curriculum Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 68 graduate credit hours. The curriculum is designed to be completed in twenty-one months, but it can also be done at a slower pace for those who are interested in participating part-time.

• First Year:
  • Fall Quarter:
    • SCWR 400 - Foundations of Screenwriting
    • SCWR 425 - Genre Storytelling (Standard Concentration)
    • SCWR 470 - Creating From Abundance (Comedy Concentration)
  • Winter Quarter:
    • SCWR 401 - Writing the Feature I
    • SCWR 404 - Inclusive Screenwriting (Standard Concentration)
    • SCWR 451 - Developing the Television Series
  • Spring Quarter:
    • SCWR 402 - Writing the Feature II
    • SCWR 452 - Writing the Half-Hour Series (Standard Concentration)
    • SCWR 500 - Writing for Film Thesis Development
• Second Year:
  • Fall Quarter:
    • SCWR 403 - Rewriting the Feature
    • SCWR 407 - Screen Adaptation (Standard Concentration)
    • SCWR 471 - Creating Comedic Characters (Comedy Concentration)
  • Winter Quarter:
    • SCWR 405 - Advanced Writing on Assignment
    • SCWR 442 - Studio Development
    • SCWR 472 - Improvisational Scene Construction (Comedy Concentration)
  • Spring Quarter:
    • SCWR 441 - Industry and Pitching Seminar
    • FILM 499 - Internships in Media and Design

MFA Thesis

Students in the MFA in Screenwriting program must complete a MFA Thesis project, which consists of either a feature-length screenplay or an original television pilot, plus a "show bible" and outlines for six future episodes.

Degree Requirements

To graduate, students must:

• Complete a minimum of 68 graduate credit hours
• Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program
• Earn a grade of C- or better in all graduate courses
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Satisfactorily complete the MFA thesis as determined by the student's MFA Advisor Committee

Optional Los Angeles Quarter

Students may apply to participate in the Los Angeles Quarter Program for the spring of their second year. This program allows students to spend twelve weeks in Hollywood doing industry internships, living with their fellow DePaul classmates, and having twice-weekly classes on an industry lot.