Master in MFA in Screenwriting

Applications for the Aug 2027 intake close on Dec 1, 2026, and tuition fees are 78,151 USD per year.

The Screenwriting discipline is one of six MFA tracks at the AFI Conservatory. Fellows spend two years writing six full-length works: three feature screenplays, an original television pilot, and two television specs for current series.

First-year coursework is centered on a weekly small-group workshop with a faculty mentor, in which each Fellow completes a full-length feature screenplay and a second draft, alongside a yearlong story-development practicum and a spec script for an existing television series.

In the second year, Fellows develop a thesis portfolio of two full-length written works — either two feature screenplays or one feature plus a television pilot — through a workshop of continual peer and faculty critique, and take part in a table read of thesis pages performed by professional actors. Fellows revise a thesis screenplay a final time over the summer term with a new mentor, and the program concludes with a Screenwriting Showcase attended by industry guests.