Screenwriting

SCREENWRITING

Applications are now available for the 2026-2027 program.

The Professional Program in Screenwriting is UCLA's only graduate-level non-degree screenwriting program that has oversight by the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television.

Learn from renowned UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television Professional Programs faculty and receive:

  • A world-class screenwriting education in three quarters
  • An intimate classroom environment with a maximum of 10 students per workshop
  • Guidance from initial story concept through navigating the industry

Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a certificate from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television.

Students will choose either the online option or the on campus version of the program during the application process. There is no difference between the online and on campus versions of the program, other than the classrooms themselves. (Brick and mortar for on campus students. Zoom rooms for online students.) In fact, all of the students, whether studying online or on campus, meet online on Monday nights together for our Monday Night Q&A series. The only in-person event we encourage everyone to attend on campus each year is our certificate ceremony. Many online students fly in specifically for the event, while others watch the event online. Otherwise, the experience is exactly the same.

Apply Now

Deadline Dates

ON CAMPUS  (International Students) June 15, 2026

ON CAMPUS  (US Students) August 10, 2026

ONLINE (US and International students) August 10, 2026

TUITION: $6750

Classes

The Professional Program in Screenwriting takes place over three academic quarters. Students view a weekly LECTURE SERIES, attend a weekly live zoom Q&A SERIES with all other students in the program, then attend a screenwriting WORKSHOP each week with their small writing cohort.

2026-2027 Schedule

The Lecture Series

The Recorded Lecture Series - is taught by UCLA instructors and covers every aspect of the process from initial concept though rewrite. This series can be watched at the student's leisure each week.

The Live Q&A -  Students will attend a live Q&A session on Zoom with one of our lecture series instructors on Monday nights at 7pm Pacific Time to ask any questions they may have after viewing the recorded lecture. Guest speakers from the film industry will visit the Live Q&A to discuss the state of the business and how to approach it as a new writer.

Class and lecture guests have included Meg LeFauve (Captain Marvel, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur), Billy Ray (Richard Jewel, Terminator: Dark Fate, Overlord, The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips, Gemini Man), Damon Lindeloff (Watchmen, The Leftovers, Lost), Sacha Gervasi (The Terminal, My Dinner with Herve, Anvil), Steven Canals (Writer/Co-Creator Pose), Marissa Matteo (Writer/Producer Bull), Justin Hillian (Writer/EPThe Chi, Snowfall), Felischa Marye (Writer/Producer Bigger, 13 Reasons Why), Craig Borten (The Dallas Buyers Club), Joe Manganiello (Zach Snyder’s Justice League, True Blood), Ed Solomon (Men in Black, Bill and Ted), Michael Colleary (Face/Off), Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl), Paul Haggis (Crash, Quantum of Solace, Walker), Dan Futterman (Capote), Scott Kosar (The Machinist, The Haunting of Hill House, The Crazies, The Amityville Horror), Tom O’Connor (Writer/EP The Courier, The Hitman’s Bodyguard,), Joan Wai (Director of Nicholl Fellowhips in Screenwriting), Jeanne Mau (Senior VP, Viacom CBS Global Inclusion), Liz Kelly (Disney, Manager of Creative Talent and Inclusion), Barbara Curry (The Boy Next Door, Interrogation), Nicole Riegel (Holler), Keith Sharon (Showtime, Finding Steve McQueen), Maggie Malone (Frozen II, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Moana, Zootopia, Big Hero 6), Kranti Kanade (CRD), and many agents and managers.

The Workshop

The three-hour screenwriting workshop is limited to no more than ten students per class, and focuses on roundtable readings and an analysis of each student's work.

In Fall Quarter, students are introduced to the concepts of story and structure. They develop their stories in the weekly workshop and begin writing an original feature-length screenplay.

In Winter Quarter, students complete their first screenplay.

In Spring Quarter, students are assigned to a new workshop instructor and they are guided through the creation and completion of a second original feature-length screenplay.

Students who successfully finish the program receive a certificate of completion from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Date & Time

The workshop takes place on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights (depending on student schedules), from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Pacific Time for on campus students or 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Pacific Time for online students.

Apply Online

Applications are now available for the 2026-2027 Professional Program in Screenwriting.

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Contact

102 E. Melnitz Hall, Box 951622
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1622
310.825.6124
professionalprograms@tft.ucla.edu