Screenwriting BA (Hons)

Blend your love of film with your passion for writing on our BA (Hons) Screenwriting degree course.

You'll write scripts, see your work produced on screen, study screenplays and hone your writing skills with industry-experienced lecturers and mentors. You'll explore theories and genres of film and writing through history, study how they might evolve in the future, and experience the craft of filmmaking both as critic and creator.

Through close integration with our film production degrees, you'll discover how screenwriting interconnects to other specialisms within filmmaking, preparing you to write short stories, create scripts and produce screenplays with industry-wide insight.

You'll have the chance to learn practical production skills (such as camera work and editing) that'll enrich your ability to tell stories through film and enable you to produce your own screenplays from start to finish. Collaborating with drama and performance students, you’ll see your scripts brought to life on screen.

Once you graduate, you'll have skills that will set you on the path for a career in the creative sector, particularly the film industry as a screenwriter, script editor, researcher, producer or showrunner. Other career paths include journalism, marketing, public relations and teaching.

The UK film and TV industries are thriving - production hubs have formed across the country in locations including Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff and Birmingham, and a record-breaking £5.6 billion has been invested in new content for the big and small screens since 2020 (British Film Institute). 

As well as preparing you for opportunities as a new screenwriter [soaps and children’s TV are both great starting areas for new writers], this degree will make you an excellent candidate for other related roles in this flourishing industry.

You'll have the critical awareness, creative ability and project management skills to go after graduate roles in script editing, researching, development production and showrunning, or to work in other creative media besides film, television and the stage, such as video games and graphic novels.

You can also continue your studies to postgraduate level or take further teacher training to work in education.

Graduate areas

Areas graduates from our creative industries courses have worked in include:

• film and television
• radio and theatre
• advertising and marketing
• arts and events management
• local and community broadcasting
• teaching
• stand-up comedy
• travel industry

Graduate roles

Roles graduates from our creative industries courses have gone onto include:

• script editor
• screenwriter
• novelist
• poet
• playwright
• teacher
• copywriter
• journalist
• theatre manager
• editorial assistant

Ongoing career support – up to 5 years after you graduate

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Careers and Employability Service to help you find your perfect role.

Supporting your creative career

Our dedicated Careers and Employability team have extensive recruitment experience across a multitude of areas including the creative sector.

They can provide you with supporting and advice, including:

• Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
• Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
• Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
• Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route
• Researching placement opportunities and applying for creative opportunities 

The team will continue to support you throughout your placement year and beyond, providing you with help for up to 5 years after your graduate.