MA Scriptwriting

• Scriptwriting Principles: Develop the knowledge and skills both theoretical and practical to craft compelling and distinct narratives. You will progress your work through workshops and seminars shaping your creative voice and vision. You'll develop short films, for collaborative production in the second semester supported by storytelling principles. You'll also develop critical and constructive approaches to feedback in order to advance your own work and the work of your peers.

• Storytelling: This unit aims to examine concepts of storytelling across audio visual formats, cultures and production industries. You’ll engage with practice research methodologies to critically engage with a diverse range of narrative forms and approaches.

• Story Development: This unit focuses on the scriptwriting development process, in terms of the writer’s role and the skills required for supporting and taking part in creative collaboration. You'll choose a substantial scripted project to craft and shape into a range of industry development documents. These documents will then form the basis of your Media Production Master's Project.
• Approaches to Industry: An introduction to key skills and knowledge you'll need for employment in the media industries. An opportunity to develop your ambitions and strategies for entering the creative industries wherever you choose. 
• Media Production Masters Project: This unit allows you to utilise the scriptwriting skills, knowledge and professional competence you’ve gained on this course to produce either a major scriptwriting project of your choice that is original and emerges from a development process, or you can produce a practice-based research artefact supported by a written analysis, or an individually or collaboratively written thesis.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university’s taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready.

The admissions team will look at your online application including your qualifications, personal statement and any work experience. Please make sure your application stands out from the crowd and leaves us in no doubt that you want to study at Bournemouth University.

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%
• Nigeria:  Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:2
• Thailand:  Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
• Vietnam:  Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing, speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

Sam Drake BA (Hons) Television Production student worked with RedBalloon on the Body Parts Exhibition, London.

"I joined RedBalloon in the summer of 2019 and was able to get involved with the Body Parts Exhibition, London. RedBalloon had created a documentary looking at the reality of living life as a Paralympian, to be showcased in London. I was a runner at the exhibition and got some hands-on experience liaising with clients and conducting interviews with some of the artists. Executive Producer, Stephanie Farmer, was aware I wanted to pursue the career of a Television Producer and gave me the opportunity to get involved with the filming of the event, discussing narrative points with me. Once back from London, I worked in the RedBalloon office editing suite to create a cut of the exhibition film. This was a challenging task, working under the guidance of Stephanie and the client to ensure the film accurately showcased the event.

"My time at RedBalloon was both enjoyable and challenging. I felt like I was getting involved in the production thoroughly, as opposed to being used to do menial tasks. I enjoyed the production of the Body Parts event in London as I got to try a selection of roles and work alongside talented professionals.

"RedBalloon has equipped me with invaluable practical skills and experience I can apply to future productions. Having an award-winning production agency enhances my CV, showing potential employers a strong work ethic with a reputable company. RedBalloon allows students to work with a professional production company to experience what working in the industry will be like. It is a great feature of the Media and Communications faculty at Bournemouth University, equipping students with skills beyond graduation."

Dimitra Margaritidou MA Sound Design for Film and Television student worked with RedBalloon as a sound designer.

"I worked in RedBalloon as a sound designer in two different projects. The first one was an animation with a battle scene taking place in a medieval castle. The second one was an augmented reality project in a tin mine with a focus on ambient sounds. My main role was to help source sound FX, record some additional Foley sounds, edit them and work with the professional RedBalloon editor to lay down the final mix.

"Working with RedBalloon was a great experience. I enjoyed being part of a professional team and developing my skills at sound design. Also, combining studying with a work placement helped me develop my time management skills. Furthermore, working in collaborative projects with students from other departments is a good way of having new contacts for future projects.

"While working for RedBalloon I developed my professional and communication skills as I was part of a professional project. Moreover, apart from the skills that I acquired, my CV is more enhanced.

"I believe that having RedBalloon in the faculty is very beneficial as it provides students with an insight of how the media industry works before they graduate. Also, it gives them the chance to actively participate in the field and get hands-on experience with working conditions.

"I would highly advise other students to look for opportunities offered by RedBalloon as they can gain relevant experience on their filed of interest whilst studying, work under a professional environment and enhance their CV at their same time."

Jemma Wood BA (Hons) Television Production had the opportunity to work as a mentor on the Breda University of Applied Science project (BUAS) as part of RedBalloon Productions.

"The BUAS project involved mentoring a group of 40 Dutch students from the University of Breda, completing one of their university units in BU’s live television studio. My role was to facilitate the students in any way I could as most of them hadn't been in a studio environment before. I supported them to source contributors and locations, assisted with paperwork in order to film field segments, helped them to buy props and advised in the studio.

"I really enjoy working for RedBalloon, it’s a great way to be able to get some really valuable experience and meet some amazing people at the entry level I am currently at. I enjoy being able to share my passion with other like-minded individuals. Throughout the project, I found taking a step back most challenging and letting the students learn from their mistakes. It was great after to help them understand why they made that mistake and how to prevent doing it again. It is also great making contacts with students from other countries, I have many of them on LinkedIn so we can stay in touch for the future." 

Jemma has also worked for RedBalloon as a Producer, creating a charity promo film for children who have survived brain tumour.

"RedBalloon is a great thing to have in the faculty, often in this industry getting work experience is very difficult as you have to have experience to be able to get experience. RedBalloon gave me the chance I needed to get some real experience and enhance my CV to help me stand out from the crowd. It's an amazing thing to get involved with at university, it could be the first ‘real‘ (production) experience you get which can lead onto further opportunities."

• Film 
• TV 
• Games 
• Theatre 
• Media 
• Production

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances.
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• ​Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• ​Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• ​Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding information can be found on our website.
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study. 
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

We offer a range of scholarships to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit our funding pages for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

Phil Mathews is a BAFTA nominated screenwriter who has written for film and television and has taught screenwriting for twenty years.  His research interests are in narrative theory, the character arc and the romance genre. Phil began his career in special effects make-up working on everything from Saving Private Ryan to Judge Dredd, then directed pop promos before moving into screenwriting.

Lydia is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Asia where she gained her MFA in Dramatic Writing whilst working as a script reader for FilmNation Entertainment. As a script editor she has worked on several award-wining shorts, helping many writer-directors break their stories and craft their ideas into tight, compelling narratives.
She is currently pursuing a PhD by practice in screenwriting with her research initially funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Her thesis, “God, ghosts, and grief: magical realism and emotional excess in contemporary television drama”, takes a poetical approach to the study of a writer’s process in character creation.
She has taught at Royal Holloway, University of London and the University of Hertfordshire and has spoken at the Screenwriters Research Network, the Association of Adaptation Studies and Surrey New Writers Festival. She is deputy editor at the Journal of Screenwriting, a field-leading journal in screenwriting research.
Lydia is a working screenwriter with several television projects at various stages of development in both the UK & the US.  

Resh is a Lecturer in Screenwriting at Bournemouth University’s Faculty of Media and Communication, has a PG Cert in Education Practice, is a Fellow of the HEA (Higher Education Academy) and is an active, full-voting member of B.A.F.T.A.  His practice-based doctoral research focuses on storytelling, industry practices and ethics in relation to storytelling to children, and other research includes application of industry story/script development practices within Higher Education via the internationally recognised and highly successful ‘Deep Dive’ initiative.  Career highlights: BBC (Education Dept.), Channel Four Television (Programme Commissioning, helping oversee the development and production of over 30 programmes a year, and responsible for the department’s drama development slate), UK Film Council (freelance Script-Editor) and LEGO (International Head of Development for LEGO’s Character & Story division charged with the development and implementation of original stories and characters for use with play-materials, international marketing campaigns and multi-media activities, helping win numerous international awards).