LMU SFTV's Screenwriting B.A. and Minor

LMU SFTV’s pre-professional Screenwriting B.A. program (and minor) prepares undergraduates to seek high-level writing roles in the industry. Undergraduates experiment with screenwriting for feature films, short films, and mobile screens. In courses of 10-12 students, undergraduates broaden their understanding of the myriad of ethical and social issues that impact screenwriting and the industry.

Screenwriting B.A. students also earn coveted internships and attend workshops and panels with noteworthy industry figures, such as Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Sideways), Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential), and Robin Swicord (The Jane Austen Book Club, Memoirs of a Geisha).

The typical Screenwriting B.A. student takes five courses per semester (15 credit hours) across four years of full-time study. Years 1-2 focus on the basic aesthetic and technical aspects of film in the U.S. and worldwide, while years 3-4 focus on rewriting and adapting screenplays. Filmmakers leave with a mastery of narrative structure, tone, and navigating the front-to-end process of translating script to screen. Take a look at the year-over-year breakdown.

Screenwriting B.A.​


Year 1 ​


Fall
  • PROD 101 - Introduction to Screen Production (3 semester hours)
  • FTVS 1010 - Art of Cinema (4 semester hours)
  • FFYS 1000 - First Year Seminar (3-4 semester)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Spring
  • SCWR 120 - Storytelling for the Screen (3 semester hours)
  • RHET 1000 - Rhetorical Arts (3-4 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Year 2​


Fall Semester
  • FTVS 2117 - World Cinema 2, 1955-1990 (4 semester hours), or any FTVS 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level class (4 semester hours).
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Spring Semester
  • SCWR 220 - Beginning Screenwriting (3 semester hours) (must earn B or better; may be taken in the fall semester of the sophomore year)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Year 3​


Fall Semester
  • SCWR 320 - Intermediate Screenwriting (3 semester hours)
  • FTVS Upper Division Elective (3 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Spring Semester
  • SCWR 321 - Rewriting the Feature (3 semester hours)
  • Select between:
    • SCWR 325 - Writing the TV Situation Comedy (3 semester hours) (may be taken concurrently with SCWR 320)
      OR
    • SCWR 426 - Writing One-Hour Episodic TV (3 semester hours)Select between:
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Year 4​


Fall Semester
  • SCWR 329 - Directing for Screenwriters (3 semester hours) (may also be taken in the Spring of the senior year)
  • SCWR 420 - Senior Writing Project (3 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Spring Semester
  • SCWR 421 - Rewriting the Senior Writing Project (3 semester hours)
  • SCWR 428 - Adaptation: Source to Screen (3 semester hours)
  • University Core (3-4 semester hours)
  • Elective (3-4 semester hours)
Total: 15-16 semester hours

Screenwriting minor​


Semesters 1-2​

  • Select between:
    • FTVS 1010 - Art of the Cinema (4 semester hours)
      OR
    • FTVS 1020 - Art of Screen Media (4 semester hours)
  • SCWR 220 - Beginning Screenwriting (3 semester hours)
  • SCWR 320 - Intermediate Screenwriting (3 semester hours)
  • SCWR 321 - Rewriting the Feature (3 semester hours)
  • Two elective courses (6 semester hours) chosen from:
    • SCWR 325 - Writing the TV Situation Comedy (3 semester hours)
    • SCWR 326 - Writing One-Hour Episodic TV (3 semester hours)
    • SCWR 428 - Adaptation: One Medium to Another (3 semester hours)
    • Other 300- and 400-level courses by permission of Chairperson

How to apply​


A limited number of seats are available every semester to LMU SFTV undergraduates. To apply for the Screenwriting minor, LMU SFTV students must take three prerequisite courses:

  • SCWR 120 Storytelling for the Screen (3 semester hours), completed with a grade of A- or better.
  • FTVS 1010 Art of Cinema (4 semester hours), completed with a grade of A- or better, OR FTVS 1020 Art of Screen Media (4 semester hours), completed with a grade of A- or better.
  • SCWR 220 Beginning Screenwriting (3 semester hours), completed with a grade of A- or better.

To be considered, undergraduates must also supply creative samples and two evaluations from former faculty. Applications are available through SFTV Advising in March and October of each year.