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Stephens College · Conservatory for the Performing Arts

Master of Fine Arts in TV & Screenwriting

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in TV & ScreenwritingPartial fundingEditorial selection: Best Online MFA Screenwriting ProgramsEditorial selection: Top Screenwriting Schools

Overview

A two-year, 48-credit low-residency MFA in TV and screenwriting. Each semester opens with a 10-day workshop in Hollywood; other courses are taken online with working-writer mentors, and the second year includes a thesis project.

Official program name
Master of Fine Arts in TV & Screenwriting
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts in TV & ScreenwritingMaster's · Master of Fine Arts
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location
Columbia, MO
Delivery
HybridA regular mix of online and in-person study.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Required attendance
Low-residencyShort mandatory residencies combined with remote study. Not fully online.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Study intensity
Not published
Duration
Two years
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Required credits
48 credit hours
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start
Fall
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Film and television
The program covers both film and television.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Fields of study

FieldClassificationEvidence
ScreenwritingDedicated degreeThe degree itself is in this field.Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Why this degree is listed

MFA in television and screenwriting.

Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list verified film degrees only — no certificates, workshops or generic degrees with a few film electives. Eligibility rules

Online study and attendance

Coursework delivery, campus visits, production work and equipment are recorded separately. Online filmmaking usually means producing work where you live.
Campus residencies
10-day workshop in Hollywood at the start of each semester (August and January).
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Coursework delivery
Other courses are online with WGA-member mentors.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Curriculum, pathways and faculty

Thesis, film or capstone

Thesis screenplayThesis project: a television pilot, web series, limited series pilot, pair of short films, academic thesis, or an approved custom project.

Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Residency requirements

  • Four 10-day residency workshops (3 credits each) held at the start of each semester.
    Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Published areas of study

  • Year one: a TV spec script in fall, a pilot in spring, and a full screenplay over the year; year two: a second screenplay and the thesis.
    Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
  • A three-part History of Screenwriting sequence.
    Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

  • Rosanne Welch — MFA Program Executive Director, screenwriting
  • Lisa Bao — MFA Faculty Mentor, screenwriting
  • Thomas Dean Donnelly — MFA Faculty Mentor, screenwriting
  • Rashaan Dozier-Escalante — MFA Faculty Mentor, screenwriting

As listed on the program's official page on October 12, 2026. Listing does not mean a faculty member is teaching or supervising new students in a given year.

Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Production costs and equipment

Production and equipment costs are separate from tuition. Tuition does not include cameras, crew, actors, locations, software or thesis-film budgets unless the school says so.

Equipment and facility access

Equipment access: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Published production and equipment costs

Production and equipment costs: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

We never estimate a total cost when key expenses are unpublished. Compare production costs

Admissions

Each submission item is shown exactly as the school states it. Anything not listed is not verified — never “not required”.

Portfolio and submission materials

MaterialStatusInstructions as published
Screenplay sampleRequiredScreenplay, web series, original television pilot or stage play, minimum 20 pages (two documents totaling 20 pages allowed); nonfiction not accepted.Length: at least 20 pagesSource: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other requirements

Minimum GPA
RequiredCumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement of purpose
Required1-2 pages, typed and double spaced.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required2 letters — Two required (three suggested), professional or academic.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV
RequiredCurrent resume.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee
Required$50 — $50 application fee.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredOfficial transcripts sent directly from the institution.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

Test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate competitiveness. Build an application checklist

Deadlines

Dates are shown with the year and intake the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

  • Application deadline

    Rolling admission · for Fall

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Rolling

  • Funding / scholarship priority

    March 31 (accepted and deposited, for Jan Marino Scholarship eligibility) · for Fall

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its applicant category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other. Production costs are listed separately above.

Tuition: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Funding

Some scholarships, assistantships or awards exist for some students; full funding is not stated. “Fully funded” never means every personal or production expense is covered. How we classify funding

Partial funding

International students
International students pay no extra tuition fees.
Source: stephens.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Named scholarships, assistantships and production grants

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.
  1. stephens.edu/academics/mfa-admissions-aid/ — Official funding / aid page, verified October 12, 2026
  2. stephens.edu/academics/mfa-curriculum/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  3. stephens.edu/conservatory-for-the-performing-arts/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  4. stephens.edu/program/master-of-fine-arts-in-tv-screenwriting/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026

Something out of date? Suggest an update · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Similar programs

Same degree level and field. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Loyola Marymount University

MFA in Writing and Producing for Television

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Writing and Producing for Television
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Screenwriting (dedicated degree) · Producing (broader film degree)
Duration: Three years
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $1,814 per credit · All students — Graduate tuition per semester hour, School of Film and Television · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 15, 2026 · Fall 2026 (as printed)
View programSelected in: Top Screenwriting Schools
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Chapman University

Screenwriting (MFA)

MFAMFA in Screenwriting
Location: Orange, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Screenwriting (dedicated degree)
Duration: Two years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $28,018 per semester · All students · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 15, 2026 · Fall 2027
View programSelected in: Top Screenwriting Schools

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