Key information
Duration: 1 year full time or 2 years part time
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
UK fees*: £11,600
International/EU fees**: £26,100
The course
Writing for Theatre, Screen & Radio (MA)
Our MA in Writing for Screen, Stage and Radio is unique opportunity at postgraduate level to gain a broad, solid training in dramatic writing across stage, screen and radio. This course is ideal for you if you’re an aspiring industry creative who is looking to build a portfolio and embark on a creative writing career. We’re living in a world where global creative industries are keen for new ideas, stories, experiences and voices, making this the perfect opportunity for you to share yours.
Through studying the course, you’ll be equipped to work in a range of dramatic writing forms across theatre, television, film and radio. This will prepare you for a portfolio career which is typical for the contemporary writer, and will give you a broad range of skills and experiences. You’ll have access to the unparalleled cultural resources and opportunities available in London, one of the world’s great cultural cities, as well as the superb stage, screen and sound production resources of our Egham campus, and have the chance to work with Royal Holloway’s internationally acclaimed creative writers.
- Learn the skills of taking an initial idea and developing it into a finished script.
- Work in a range of dramatic forms – screen, stage and sound – understanding through study and experience their differences and continuities.
- Gain a broad understanding of all these dramatic forms, but be able to specialise in particular forms as the course progresses.
- Acquire extensive experience working with acclaimed professional writers, respond to professional briefs plus receive high-quality professional feedback on your work.
- Be immersed in a vibrant postgraduate creative community.
Course structure
Core Modules
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This is a cross-genre taught module, looking at fundamentals of structure, action, dialogue & subtext, character, use of time/space, scene structure, etc., which you’ll discuss analytically and explore creatively inside and outside class. The course will range across film, television, radio and theatre and you’ll have opportunities to be playful and creative in all of these forms. You will be invited to explore the fundamentals of story that unite this different forms and to explore the differences of emphasis required by different media. You will try developing the same idea in different forms to feel the pull of each form/media. Where possible you will be invited to explore new work in London and on broadcast media and get opportunities to talk to the writers to be in small-group dialogue about their creative processes and decisions. You will build up a portfolio of different creative exercises that could include pitch documents, scenes, treatments, character biographies, structural plans, and more
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This module offers the opportunity to test your learning, share your subject knowledge, and explore in detail a topic that interests you by conducting research and/or by developing concepts and projects in the context of the creative industries. As the culmination of your masters degree, you will work under the guidance of a supervisor to produce and submit either a dissertation of between 13000-15000 words, or else an equivalent practice-as-research or professional project.
Optional Modules
There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.
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This is an industry-focused module that aims to prepare you to work in theatre, giving you experience of working in a number of different styles and modes. On on this module you’ll gain experience and understanding of the specific demands of theatre writing in its handling of story, character, action, structure, dialogue, and more. There will be a particular focus on live theatrical storytelling. Also on this module you’ll be studying in London which is one of the great producers of new plays and playwrights in the world. The module will, therefore, place a particular emphasis on contemporary British playwriting. You’ll be invited to understand some of the basics of story structure as it is generally understood in theatre and to find ways to use, adapt and play with these structures and traditions in order to tell new kinds of stories in new ways. You’ll be supported in developing your own concerns and voice, expressing your own ideas and experience, exercising your own creativity and imagination. You’ll emerge from this with two projects at advanced stages of development. As such this module prepares you both to take playwriting further in the Dissertation (and potentially to further postgraduate study) and also for the wider theatre world.
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This is an industry-focused module that aims to prepare you to work in the TV and film industries, working on feature films, drama serials, comedies, and more. On this module you’ll gain experience and understanding of the specific demands of screenwriting in their handling of story, character, action, structure, dialogue, and more. There will be a particular focus on visual storytelling. You’ll be invited to understand some of the basics of story structure as it is generally understood in film and tv and to find ways to use, adapt and play with these structures in order to tell new kinds of stories in new ways. You’ll be supported in developing your own concerns and voice, expressing your own ideas and experience, exercising your own creativity and imagination. You’ll emerge from this with two projects at advanced stages of development. As such this module prepares you both to take screenwriting further in the Dissertation (and potentially to further postgraduate study) and also for the TV and film industries.
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This is an industry-focused module that aims to prepare you to work in radio drama, giving you experience of working in a number of different styles and modes. On this module you will gain experience and understanding of the specific demands of radio drama in its handling of story, character, action, structure, dialogue, and more. There will be a particular focus on telling a story through sound alone. You’ll be invited to adapt some of the principles of story structure as it is widely understood and to find ways to use, adapt and play with these structures and traditions in order to tell new kinds of audio stories in new ways. You’ll be supported in developing your own concerns and voice, expressing your own ideas and experience, exercising your own creativity and imagination. You’ll not only write but also get some experience of acting, recording, and editing a professional-standard radio drama. You’ll emerge from this with two projects at advanced stages of development. As such this module prepares you both to take playwriting further in the Dissertation (and potentially to further postgraduate study) and also for the wider theatre world.
Teaching & assessment
The MA Writing for Theatre, Screen and Radio is taught through five modules, ensuring a breadth of knowledge and creative experience but allowing you to specialise as the course goes on. The modules are taught by staff from the Departments of both Drama and Media Arts. Typically, modules are taught through weekly workshop-seminars in which script concepts are developed through critical and creative exploration. If you do a dissertation – in which you’ll develop a full-length original piece of creative work – you’ll be taught through one-to-one supervision by an experienced professional writer. You’ll be expected to read widely, take in theatre and radio plays, films and tv shows, and will usually be set creative tasks between classes. Assessment is mostly through creative coursework, although you will also be asked to write analytically about your own and others’ work.
Entry requirements
2:2
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2:2 in any subject We will consider applicants with equivalent professional experience. Applicants will be asked to provide 4-5 pages of a script they have written, in any dramatic form.
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
All teaching at Royal Holloway (apart from some language courses) is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start.
The scores we require
- IELTS: 6.5 overall. Writing 7.0. No other subscore lower than 5.5.
- Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 69. No other subscore lower than 51.
- Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
Country-specific requirements
For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see here.
Your future career
This course aims to equip you with understanding and experience in a range of creative writing forms for stage, screen and radio, preparing you for a ‘portfolio career’ across an exciting range of creative industries. Through the course you will develop and write a portfolio of creative pieces, including a substantial original piece of work, a ‘calling card’ ready for your chosen creative sector.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £11,600
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £26,100
Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2025/26. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.
Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase all postgraduate tuition fees annually. Be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. The annual increase for continuing students who start their degree in 2025/26 will be 5%. For further information, see the fees and funding , and terms and conditions.
** This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2025/26. Find out more
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2025/26 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
