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  • Screenwriting (MA / Postgraduate Certificate)
  • 2012/2013 entry
  • Contact us
  • Assessment

    • Assessment is 100 per cent coursework.

  • Attendance
      • Two evenings a week part-time.
      • October–October.
  • Duration
      • One–two years part-time.
  • Entry requirements
      • A good degree in any related subject; other qualifications will be considered.
      • If English is not your first language, an IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent is required.
      • Applications are encouraged from those with or without prior screenwriting experience.

      Find out about our international entry requirements

  • Fees and funding
    • Fees (2012/13)

    • Screenwriting MA

      • Part-time (home/EU students): £2975 pa
      • Part-time (overseas students): £5750 pa

      Screenwriting Postgraduate Certificate

      • Part-time (home/EU students): £1975 pa
      • Part-time (overseas students): £3825 pa
  • Location
      • Central London.
  • Teaching

    • Teaching is in small groups and one-to-one tutorials, with writing practice at the heart of the course.

Screenwriting (MA / Postgraduate Certificate) - 2012/2013 entry


  • Overview

    • This programme offers the opportunity to develop practical screenwriting skills and techniques and to apply them to writing briefs, together with the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of communicating ideas in script form. 

      One distinctive feature is a fast-track core module, which will enable graduates in other fields to gain detailed knowledge of screenwriting conventions, an understanding of common formats, and the ability to analyse a brief and evaluate one’s own writing within a commercial context. Armed with the core skills of the fast-track course, a subsequent module in the first year will develop your skills in writing a draft script in either film or television formats.

      In the second year, you take: two core modules, History and Theory of Screenwriting and Scriptwriting in Different Genres; options of a pathway on developing a feature film script, a television series or script editing; and a Final Project/Portfolio.

      Find out more about studying at Birkbeck and our film and media study courses.

  • Why study this course at Birkbeck?
      • Attain a high standard of screenwriting practice and a thorough understanding of how narrative works on screen.
      • Graduates in other fields can achieve professional standards of practice and understanding of the industry.
  • Course structure

    • MA

      Take the following compulsory core modules:

      • Fast-Track to Script Structure
      • Writing a Draft Script
      • History and Theory of Screenwriting
      • Scriptwriting in Different Genres
      • Final Project/Portfolio.

      And one/two of the following options:

      • Developing a Feature Film Script
      • Developing a TV Series
      • Script Writing in Different Genres
      • Script Editing
      • Script Reading and Development.

      Postgraduate Certificate

      Take the following core modules:

      • Fast-Track to Script Structure
      • Writing a Draft Script.
  • Study resources
  • Further study opportunities
  • Careers information

    • Our graduates may aspire to make their living as writers or may want to develop good writing practice in their current field. They may develop careers in the creative industries, evaluating the writing of others, script editing, and collaborating with readers, directors, producers and/or co-writers working on writers’ material.

  • Apply now