Screenwriting: Feature Film and Continuing Series MA

When you join MA Screenwriting at Leeds Beckett, you’ll be part of a vibrant film‑school community — not isolated in literary theory. From day one you work on actual writing projects, generate ideas, and build a professional‑standard writing portfolio under the guidance of practising screenwriters.

Here’s how your experiential learning will unfold at Leeds Beckett:

• Writing projects for film & TV — building a professional portfolio: Throughout the course you’ll write scripts (feature film, series, etc.), as well as exercises and assignments designed to help you discover and refine your voice as a screenwriter. The aim is to graduate with a portfolio of original, screen‑ready work.Workshops, seminars, tutorials — learning from industry‑active professionals: The course is taught by practising screenwriters; you’ll get feedback from tutors with real industry experience, and benefit from guest talks and tutorials reflecting current industry standards and expectations. Collaboration and peer feedback within a film‑school environment: Because the Screenwriting MA is based in Northern Film School and runs alongside other filmmaking courses (fiction, documentary, cinematography, etc.), you’ll have opportunities to collaborate with students making films — which helps you see how writing works in context of real production. 

• Industry‑orientation: pitching, professional context & self‑promotion training: A module called “Writing for an Industry Context” helps you think beyond writing — how to present yourself as a freelance writer, how to engage with professional contexts, and even involves contributing to organising a conference event — giving you a taste of the business side of screenwriting. 

• Understanding industry‑relevant scriptwriting for various media & formats: The course doesn’t limit you to a single medium: you’ll study screenwriting for film and continuing series — so you learn to write for both features and episodic television, adapting your style accordingly. 

• Strong foundation in theory + context + practical craft: Through lectures, seminars, screenings, writing exercises and self‑directed work you’ll gain a good grounding in key concepts of screenwriting — story structure, genre conventions, media context, and how to situate your creative voice in the industry world.

Completing the MA Screenwriting at Leeds Beckett will set you up with a polished writing portfolio, industry‑aware skills, and confidence to pitch scripts — enabling you to step into roles such as screenwriter, script editor, or story developer in film, TV or streaming. Over time, you could build a career as a professional writer, joining writers’ rooms, working freelance or developing your own projects.

Possible early-career roles include:

• Screenwriter (film, TV, streaming series)

• Script reader or development reader

• Script editor / story‑editor

• Freelance writer for independent or commissioned productions

What Leeds Beckett offers — and why it helps you build a career

• Hands‑on, industry‑focused training: The course is taught by practising screenwriters and is based in the university’s Northern Film School, meaning you’re learning directly from people working in the industry — which keeps the training relevant and practical. 

• Professional‑level facilities & collaboration environment: You’ll work alongside film production courses — giving opportunities to collaborate, test your writing against real filmmaking, and understand how writing fits into the broader production context. 

• Support for building a strong portfolio and voice: Over the 18‑month course you will produce scripts and projects across media (film, TV, continuing series), helping you create a body of work that you can show to agents, producers or collaborators. 

• Access to industry networks & potential employers: The programme has links with industry organisations and companies — from independent film/TV producers to broadcasters and development hubs (e.g. those connected via Northern Film School) — offering guest lectures, feedback and networking opportunities with people from real production and development environments. 

• Training in professional practice including self‑promotion: There’s a dedicated module (“Writing for an Industry Context”) that helps you learn how to position yourself as a freelance writer or professional — a useful skill if you aim to work independently or submit scripts to production companies. 

Further Academic or Career Progression:
After finishing this MA, you could:

• Start working immediately as a writer / script‑editor / freelance screenwriter, leveraging your portfolio and networks.

• Build up experience and aim for bigger projects — joining writers’ rooms for film, TV series, streaming platforms — or developing your own projects.

• Combine screenwriting with production or creative-directing — some graduates may shift into roles like showrunner, development producer or creative lead, especially if they have a broader interest.

• If you want to deepen your knowledge or shift to a more academic or analytical role — consider additional postgraduate study (e.g. an MRes/PhD in screenwriting, film studies, media studies, film theory) to explore research, teaching or critical writing about media