A number of colleges and universities offer screenwriting programs. These degree programs have a variety of names. For example, New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts offers a certificate in dramatic writing, whereas the University of Southern California offers a program called Writing for Screen and TV Video. Despite their different names, the goal of these programs is to teach students to learn to develop stories and learn the basic concepts in screenwriting, such as learning about creating dialogue, adapting stories to different mediums and developing plots.
Another useful degree for screenwriting is a bachelor of arts degree in literature. Not only are these degree programs more common than degree programs in screenwriting, but they also focus on the two most valuable activities for becoming a good screewnwriter, according to Gervich: reading a wide variety of stories and writing. Literature majors are also usually encourages to take a number of other courses as part of their programs, such as courses in the humanities and in fine arts, which can also contribute to their life experiences and to the wealth of knowledge that is important for a screenwriter.
Students might be best served by choosing the major that most interests them. According to Gervich, being well versed in another subject is often valuable for a writer because it provides material for scripts. For example, psychology majors learn a lot about human motivation and history majors learn about historical periods and events. This knowledge can help with character development and with writing scripts set in other eras. Even majors that seem completely unrelated to screenwriting, such as chemistry or engineering, can play key roles in a script one day. If you still wish to learn the technical details of screenwriting, you can always attend a master's degree program in screenwriting later on.
No matter which major you choose, you should focus on getting the most out of college and learning about life, according to Gervich. One of the key benefits of college to future screenwriters is the opportunity to explore new beliefs and experiences and to meet new people. Colleges offer chances to learn about an overwhelming variety of topics and well as provides social activities and new experiences that would be more difficult to find on the outside. These experiences provide material for scripts that you can use for decades after graduation.