MFA vs. BFA: Which Screenwriting Degree is Right for You?

When I was going to college in 2006, I didn’t even know you could be a film major. I was at the University of Delaware for sports medicine for a month, couldn’t memorize all the bones, and then transferred to Penn State, where I took five different English classes and one “Intro to Film” that changed my life.

It’s where I learned my passion for movies and extreme nerdiness could lead to a screenwriting career in film and TV. And I really haven’t looked back. This career as a screenwriter has its ups and downs, but it’s the one I chose, and I still love it.

Now, you don’t have to go to film school at all to make it to Hollywood, but let’s say you want to. Should you pursue your BFA or MFA in screenwriting?

Today, we’re going to answer that question.

Let’s dive in.

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Screenwriting MFA vs. BFA 

This is an easy question to answer. If you want to be a screenwriter and you also want to go to film school, a simple BFA would be very useful to you.

Inside a BFA program, you should learn screenplay structure, how to write short films, and how to write feature films and TV shows.

Obviously, you can learn all that via the hyperlinks I put in this article, but you also get a sense of community in college as well as the ability to learn to work with others.

Your BFA really doesn’t matter. In Hollywood, if you can write, you’ll get a job. People just want to see finished scripts. They really don’t care about degrees.

But you may meet people in your alumni network that can help pass your great scripts along the way. If you sell one, you’ll probably get into the WGA, get reps, and begin your career.

Again, your career has nothing to do with the BFA, but it was a step in the right direction of Hollywood.

So, why get an MFA in Screenwriting?

I got my BFA in film and TV from Penn State, but I chose to keep studying and get my MFA in screenwriting at Boston University. The reason I did that was that PSU, while an awesome place to learn the basics, didn’t have any feature writing classes when I went there.

I didn’t feel like I was ready to move to Los Angeles without that basis, so I decided to keep studying film. I was excited to dedicate two years of my life just to writing.

My screenwriting MFA friends introduced me to new movies, new shows, new walks of life, and completely changed my perspective. They’re the people I still hand scripts to when they’re done, and they’re also who I trust when I have writer’s block and need a jump start.

The other great thing besides peers is all the professors.

If you’re at a good screenwriting school, the professors will have the experience and wisdom of being there before. I know my professors at Boston University were very generous with their time and past knowledge.

Not only were their notes great, but they advised me pitching, living in Los Angeles, handling tough bosses, and how to talk to actors and directors.

Another thing getting a degree in screenwriting at the right screenwriting school opened up for me were internships in Los Angeles. When I moved out here in 2012 I interned at Scott Free and for the TV show, Mad Men. I wouldn’t have had those internships without attending a school that had successful alumni.

I was able to make connections and get a job right after graduation. That job helped me stay financially stable as I wrote on the side, and allowed me to meet amazing friends.

Getting a screenwriting MFA gave me a ton of opportunities.

See, with an MFA, you can teach at most major universities, because it’s a terminal degree, meaning the highest you can achieve in Fine Arts.

Right now, I am teaching two college courses, and it’s great to be able to earn money on the side.

Again, this hasn’t helped my career, but having my MFA opened me up to these gigs I would have never had under any other circumstances.

How Do I Choose Between BFA and MFA in Screenwriting?

Look, the first thing I’ll tell you is that I have crippling student loan debt from getting my MFA. While my state school was cheap, BU was like $55,000 a year and I took loans I thought would be easier to pay off. Knowledge of that debt would absolutely have stopped me from going to get my MFA if I could do it all over.

Right now, there is so much free information on screenwriting online, that I would suggest educating yourself for free, and getting a college degree in something that could lead to a wonderful side career, if screenwriting doesn’t work out.

If that sounds like sobering advice, good!

It’s very, very hard to make enough money to survive in Hollywood.

But since I have my MFA, I’m able to pursue teaching on the side, and able to keep writing screenplays to try to make the hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to bail myself out.

If you’re rich or get a full ride, pick the education track that you think opens you up to the most work later or gets you ready to move to LA.

Because, eventually, you probably have to live in Los Angeles at least for a little while to network and make contacts that will help you on your journey.

I agree with David Lynch in the video, the more time you spend writing, the better. an MFA will give you more time to write, where a BFA will just give you the introduction.

At the end of the day, all that matters is that you learn how to write a screenplay and that you can put those skills to use in the real world.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.