Writing for Film & Television

Jeff Ryder
jryder@uarts.edu
Director
215-717-6562

Writing for Film and Television is an undergraduate program dedicated to the art of dramatic writing for film and television. The dramatic script serves as the creative blueprint for the collaborative creation in film and television. The curriculum for the program aims to educate and prepare students for the professional world in this unique genre of writing.

A four-year sequence of studio writing courses act as the cornerstone of the curriculum. Starting with Dramatic Structure in the first year, students create their own written work in an intensive workshop environment. In the second year, screenwriting is introduced, along with script analysis. In the third and fourth years, students will be writing full-length scripts for film. Adaptation from fiction and nonfiction sources complements students’ original written work. To appreciate the art form, as well as the collaborative spirit of film and television, there are courses in video production, as well as survey courses in the history of film and television. A strong liberal arts experience in drama, literature, and history gives students the breadth of knowledge required of the professional writer. Internships in the senior year will provide students with an exposure to a professional work setting.

In addition to the major, students may take several minors designed to complement their major. Students in Writing for Film and Television are particularly interested in the minors in narrative video, documentary video, game design, and strategic advertising.

Minimum Grade Requirements

Students who receive a grade a ‘C’ in any major writing course or a ‘C-’ in any other required major course must repeat the course. The degree requirement for that student will be increased by the number of credits that must be repeated.

Students who receive a ‘C’ in a major writing course or ‘C-’ in a major required course are required to schedule an appointment with the director of the program during the first week of classes of the semester immediately following the semester in which the ‘C’ or ‘C-’ or lower grade was received. After advising with the director, students must adjust their schedule accordingly during the Drop/Add period.

Students who receive an excessive number of ‘C’ or ‘C-’ or lower grades in required major courses who are unable to achieve minimum grades in major coursework are advised to speak with the director and consider transferring to another major.