The Aberystwyth MA in Scriptwriting
Aberystwyth University’s MA in Scriptwriting is a highly vocational and industry-focussed course of study which actively seeks to prepare you for work as a scriptwriter for screen and broadcast. You will gain the skills, knowledge and experience needed to enter the industry with confidence as well as finding the artistic stimulation to develop your own voice as a writer.
This MA course is designed to give you a complete experience of the creative and practical processes of this specialist writing discipline. Upon completion of the degree, you will have created a portfolio of work to a professional standard, from initial concept to finished draft, and thereby be prepared for professional practice. Your course tutors possess a diverse range of professional experience from many quarters of the British Media industry and, based in the fabulously well-equipped Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, you will find all the support, encouragement and expertise you need to emerge as a unique and highly competent scriptwriter.
This course is wholly practical and focussed on preparing you for success within a highly competitive creative industry. Aberystwyth’s Masters in Scriptwriting will provide you with a suitable foundation of theory and practice that can inform your further pursuit of Scriptwriting in a professional context. The modules will push you to: become fluent in narrative structure across a variety of media, including film, television and radio and the web; conduct independent, in-depth research into a chosen genre; and create a portfolio of work, including scripts and related material, that you can use as a calling card within the industry.
By completing this MA, you will gain a systematic knowledge of theories and techniques deployed by professional Scriptwriters and you will graduate confident in your readiness for engagement with the fast-moving demands of a range of entertainment, art and broadcast industries.
The minimum entry requirement for the MA in Scriptwriting is at least a BA Honours degree (2:1), but we will consider applicants with other experience which gives an equivalent basis for entry. Prospective Masters students should ensure that they have arranged with referees for their references to be available as required.
Overview
The MA in Scriptwriting begins with a foundational study of the interrelation between narrative structure and character. As the course progresses, you will study a wide range of core and optional modules before deciding upon a genre and medium in which you wish to specialise. You will then conduct a project of research into the conventions of that genre. This will culminate in the creation of your professional portfolio in which you will deploy the wide range of skills and techniques you will have learned throughout the course. This portfolio will double as the material for your final assessment and as an invaluable tool in beginning your work as a professional scriptwriter.
The modules you will study are designed to balance the dual learning needs of the scriptwriter: you will be tutored in both the creative and practical aspects of work in the industry. You will study creative scriptwriting, looking at competing rationales of story structure, character and plot, as well as receiving relevant guidance in writing within the constraints placed upon the writer by industry people and processes.
You will engage with and internalise the theory of your craft so that it becomes inherent in your work. You will be constantly aware of the ways in which scriptwriting represents a variety of different processes, peoples, objects and other social phenomena. You will master the skills by which the scriptwriter mediates between realities and presents new realities in fresh contexts. You will also study issues highly relevant to our global and local engagement with society: you will consider the representation of localities and how marginalisation, exclusion and difference are expressed in contemporary scriptwriting.
The MA in Scriptwriting is run by the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, one of the largest and most significant departments of its kind. The course is a full-time programme, taught over one year, and is divided into two parts over three semesters. In part one, you will establish a breadth of necessary skills in a number of core modules whilst directing your own study by choosing specialist modules, worth a total of 120 credits. In part two, you will deploy your learning in the creation of an individual portfolio of work worth an additional 60 credits. This portfolio is a substantial piece of industry-standard material that will enable you to begin your work as a scriptwriter.
Module topics include the exploration of structure, genre and formats; television programme analysis; and writing broadcast radio play scripts.
Fact File
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Duration: |
One year full-time. The academic year is divided into three semesters, but this course is administered in two parts: Part One runs from October to May; Part Two runs from June to September.
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Contact Time: |
Approximately 10-14 hours a week in the first two semesters. During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
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Assessment: |
The taught part of the course (Part 1) is delivered and assessed through lectures, tutorials and essay projects. Successful completion of your portfolio (Part 2) leads to the award of an MA.
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Entry Requirements: |
BA honours degree (2:1) in a related subject at undergraduate level and accompanying references. We will consider applicants with other experience which gives an equivalent basis for entry
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English Language Requirements: |
If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test.
Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency: IELTS or TOEFL. The required IELTS minimum proficiency level is 6.5. For TOEFL, the minimum scores are as follows: 580 for the paper-based test; 237 for the computer-based test (with an essay rating of 5.0); and a score of 93 for the internet-based test. More information on IELTS can be found here and, for TOEFL, here.
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Course Fees: |
For details of fees, please view this page. [Link: http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/funding-fees/eu-taught/tuitonfees/
There are a number of Aberystwyth Scholarships and International Excellence Scholarships (AIES) to help fund the studies of students who meet specific criteria. In addition, accommodation is guaranteed to all international students.
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At a Glance
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Part One: Core Modules
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Part One: Option Modules Candidates must choose one of the following:
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Part Two |
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Structure, Genre And Formats
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Research Practices: Methods And Methodologies Of Audience And Reception Research
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Writing Portfolio
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Writing Broadcast Radio Play Scripts
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Audience And Reception Research Practices
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Genres And Formats: Individual Research
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Film And Representation
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Click on any module code to find out: what the module covers; how it’s taught and delivered; how it’s assessed.
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Career Development
This degree will suit you:
- If you wish to engage in the advanced study of scriptwriting;
- If you desire a single course which combines both the academic theory and industry practises of scriptwriting;
- If you aim to prepare for a career in scriptwriting for screen and broadcast media;
- If you wish to sharpen your academic rigour and develop a cache of marketable skills.
Industry Specialist
Every element within the Aberystwyth Master’s in Scriptwriting programme enhances your employability because this MA is directly vocational. Upon graduation, not only will you possess industry-applicable experience of the substance, structure, style and principles of scriptwriting, you will also be equipped with a professional-standard portfolio with which you can begin pitching for work in your writing career. The value of this cannot be over-estimated: many MA graduates emerge with an excellent qualification and a dissertation to display upon a prominent shelf. You will possess a superb Masters qualification and – significantly – a portfolio full of highly contemporary and innovative work that you may present to employers in pitching for work.
From the beginning, your training will include the development of your practice of personal, peer and public criticism. By delving into the deepest motivations behind human engagement with character and narrative, you will understand more about yourself, your profession and your audience. This intensely personal and widely applicable course of study will make you fully aware of the power of harnessing narrative in the human experience. This, the most essential skill that a scriptwriter can obtain, is central to the industry’s business function and therefore central to this MA course.
In addition to the class tutorials and modular lectures, the department runs an irregular series of master classes which offer a chance to meet and learn from a variety of active industry professionals. Although this is a non-assessed module, the master class series offers a significant opportunity for you ask insider questions and interrogate the professionals about the realities of scriptwriting life.
Broadened Employability
Alongside the development of your subject-specific knowledge and hands-on experience, an especially noteworthy strength of this course is the emphasis on personal development. As an emerging scriptwriter and academic, your strengthened research and critical faculties will make you a strong candidate for any post where ideas and topics need research, analysis, discussion, expansion and classification.
You will also have generated a cache of skills and abilities that are widely applicable and will suit a variety of generic employment contexts, should you choose not to pursue a writing career within the relevant media industries. For example, the module entitled Research Practices will expect you to examine and develop the range of methods typically used by researchers (observation, interview, focus group, questionnaire, reception sampling) and kinds of analysis used (focusing on methods of analysis of forms of audience talk) and to present your findings in a manner suitable for critical evaluation.
The pattern of creativity, research, analysis and discussion you will undertake in this course creates highly marketable skills which will, upon graduation, stand you in excellent stead for entry into employment. The organisational skills you will learn on this course will help you direct and therefore make the most of your creativity, bringing a balance of skills that prospective employers will find attractive. Employers also look for accuracy, thoroughness, an eye for detail and the ability to find and prove connections across broad subject matter, and you certainly will have proven yourself, simply by graduating from this prestigious MA course.
Contacts and How to Apply
The Programme Leader for this course is Terry Bailey tfb@aber.ac.uk
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Aberystwyth University
Parry-Williams Building
Aberystwyth
SY23 3AJ
Fax: (01970) 622831
Email: tfts@aber.ac.uk
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Other important information: University Accommodation
About Aberystwyth (external site)