MA Screenwriting | Part-time
- Entry year:
- 2025/26
- Start date:
- September
- Study mode:
- Part-time
- Course duration:
- 2 years
- Campus:
- Mount Pleasant
About this course
This MA in Screenwriting from LJMU invites you to explore your creative potential, by giving you the creative space to develop as a writer.
- Next intake is September 2026
- Develop your own original voice to create challenging and innovative TV and feature film ideas
- Learn key industry-skills within a professional writers’ room environment
- Produce a substantial screenwriting portfolio to industry standard
- Be taught by highly experienced professionals who have collaborated with such scriptwriters as Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) and Peter Morgan (The Crown) amongst others. Read more about Richard Monks on IMDB
- Benefit from Liverpool’s reputation as a world-leading hub for TV and film production.
- Experience masterclasses from top visiting industry professionals
- Forge links with award-winning production companies
With the focus on current professional practice within the TV & Film industry, as well as learning scriptwriting theory, this course will encourage you to develop an original voice, pursue challenging and innovative methods of storytelling, engage in research and development, and view your work in the context of the marketplace. Sessions include lectures, screenings, practical exercises, workshops, specialist visiting lectures and masterclasses.
The course emphasises the development of practical screenwriting skills and the production of a portfolio of work, developed to the highest professional standards. You will gain an understanding of professional practice, pitching and marketing screenplays and learn to critically analyse films and screen texts.
Paula's story
Katy's story
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Professional accreditation
The Liverpool Screen School is a BAFTA albert Education Partner and proud to be working with albert to arm students with the sustainability knowledge they’ll need when joining the screen industries. BAFTA albert is the leading screen industry organisation for environmental sustainability.
Your Learning Experience
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
This Masters is a part-time degree which is designed specifically around creating a programme of study ideally suited to people in work or with other responsibilities. The two year programme duration gives students the time and space to concentrate on improving their writing skills, giving more time for reflection, editing, group critique and hearing from practising writers.
Teaching methods
Teaching staff on this course are practicing award-winning writers with years of experience in the industry. You will participate in small seminar groups, where your tutor contact time will be maximised and you will receive more opportunities to discuss ideas and techniques with fellow classmates.
Read more about programme leader, Richard Monks in IMDB
Applied learning
You will receive continual feedback from peers and tutors, helping you to improve as a writer while developing your critical skills when looking at synopses and scripts.
During your studies you will hear from current practising screenwriters, editors and producers.
Previous guest speakers have included:
- Commissioning Editor - Drama CBBC Independents
- VP Drama - Fox Networks Group
- Shane Meadows (This is England)
- Head of Development LA Productions
- Andrea Gibb (Writer - Elizabeth is Missing)
- Phil Collinson (Producer - Dr Who, Gentleman Jack, Coronation Street)
- Stewart Harcourt (Poirot, Maigret, Churchill's Secret)
- Torfinnur Jacobson (Creator/Writer - Trom BBC4)
We've also held Masterclasses from the likes of:
- Shane Meadows
- Paddy Considine
- Tony Schumacher
- Mike Leigh
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Knowledge and understanding are assessed through coursework (creative and analytical), in written, oral and electronic form. The effectiveness with which you organise your time has a direct bearing on the quality of your work and this is, therefore, indirectly assessed in every exercise.
Other assessment methods used on the programme include: workshops, creative pitches and presentations, critical commentaries and screenwriting tasks.
Where you will study
The School is based in the Redmonds Building, in the heart of the bustling Mount Pleasant Campus and Liverpool's growing Knowledge Quarter. Redmonds is shared by two Schools within the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies Liverpool Screen School and the School of Law - and Liverpool Business School, making for a rich blend of student learning experiences. The building is home to high quality lecture theatres and seminar rooms, broadcast studios, news rooms, media production suites, social spaces and a cafe. It is only a short walk from LJMU's Aldham Robarts Library, which contains all the resources you will require for your studies.
Course tutors
Richard Monks
Programme Leader
It is a wonderful opportunity to help new writers to establish their own voice and to share ideas and thoughts that may enrich their stories. Working with writers as they write their feature films and create their own TV shows is a real pleasure and it's always a fantastic experience watching them grow and develop.
It is a wonderful opportunity to help new writers to establish their own voice and to share ideas and thoughts that may enrich their stories. Working with writers as they write their feature films and create their own TV shows is a real pleasure and it's always a fantastic experience watching them grow and develop.
Dr Richard Monks is an award-winning writer and director with over 25 years experience in the film and television industry. He studied Film Direction and Scriptwriting at the Royal College of Art and has written award-winning drama for television and radio. He has worked with the likes of Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Maxine Peake (Funny Cow), James Norton (Happy Valley) and many others. His television work includes In the Cold Light of Day, Mysterious Murders (co-written with Julian Fellowes) as well as episodes of Casualty, Heartbeat, Doctors and Dangerfield. His radio work includes Hearing Sense, which won a Sony Award, One Church, which won an IVCA award for best radio drama, and a number of critically acclaimed series, including Donor Trail, Shattered and Belgrano. He was one of the core writers on Radio 4's landmark WW1 drama serial, Home Front. He also worked with Danny Brocklehurst (Shameless) on Radio 4s popular detective series, Stone, starring Hugo Speer.
Career paths
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
Alumni from this course have enjoyed success as writers, directors and producers.
Our dazzling list of alumni includes:
Joe McNally graduated from the MA in 2022, and recently won the Channel 4/Bonafide Films Northern Writers Award for his screenplay for
Adam Bennett-Lea, who since graduating has been a part of Royal Exchange Theatre's Young Writers programme. He has had several scratch comedy productions staged regionally, and co-created the comic-book series Queer Tales
Gail Young, who's play Bouncing Back & Cheshire Cats was recently performed at Royal Court, Liverpool & Theatr Clwyd (National Theatre of Wales)
Laurence Wilson, recently adapted George Orwell's Animal Farm for the Young Everyman Players at the Everyman & Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. His recent audio work can be listened to on Soundcloud
Other alumni have since seen success writing for ITV soap, Emmerdale, participating in the Liverpool Royal Court Stage Write new writing programme, having film selected by BAFTA Shorts 2019 competition and becoming a script editor for Hurricane Films. Companies graduates have gone to work for include:
- Filmnation Entertainment
- Hurricane Films
- The Forge
- LA Productions
- Channel 4
- NBC Universal
- Spotify
- Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre
- Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse
- Theatr Clwyd
"Undertaking the Screenwriting MA was a fantastic way to further my understanding of what is expected from a writer in the television and film industry. Under the tutelage of really professional and knowledgeable course leaders, we were helped to understand the expectations and realities of the business, whilst still being allowed the creative freedom to hone our craft and produce work to an industry standard. While nobody needs a qualification in order to write, my experience of the course was a really positive and rewarding one. I wouldn’t think twice in recommending it to people."
Joe McNally, Graduate
Tuition fees and funding
- Part-time per credit:
- £49.85
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
Financial Support
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
How to apply
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
Due to the competitive nature of this programme, applications are considered in stages. As the programme recruits biennially the next intake is September 2026.
1. Applicants should complete the online application form and include in the personal statement section reasons why they wish to study this programme.
2. Attach a 15 page sample script
3. Attach a synopsis (maximum 500 words)
4. Attach a CV
5. Provide a reference which should concentrate on the following areas: Attendance, punctuality, participation, ability to meet deadline, response to feedback and communication skills
Stage 2 Interviews for short-listed applications submitted prior to the February deadline will be interviewed late February. Short-listed applications submitted after the February deadline will be interviewed in May. Short-listed applicants will be advised on interview dates as soon as possible. Applicants will be invited to a face to face interview, however if this is not possible applicants will be invited to attend a Microsoft Teams interview.
Applications received after the May application deadline may not be considered if the programme is full.
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