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Communication & Media
Duration
2 years
Level
Postgraduate
Outlook
Growing
This MA at IADT's National Film School focuses on developing your skills as a professional screenwriter for film, television, and emerging digital platforms. You study narrative structure, character development, dialogue, and genre conventions, with particular attention to long-form series writing and feature-length scripts. Workshop sessions are central to your week: you pitch ideas, receive peer and industry feedback, and draft successive script versions under deadline pressure. Guest lectures from working writers, producers, and Screen Ireland development executives bring real industry practice into the classroom. By graduation you are expected to have a polished feature script or series bible ready for professional submission, giving you a tangible portfolio piece for the industry.
Entry to this NFQ Level 9 programme typically requires an Honours Bachelor degree (NFQ Level 8) in film, creative writing, journalism, drama, or a related discipline, usually at 2.2 or above. Applicants from other backgrounds may be considered if they can demonstrate significant creative writing or screen production experience. A writing sample — typically a short script or prose fiction piece — and a personal statement are almost always required alongside your academic transcript. Mature applicants (23 or over) with substantial industry experience in production, broadcasting, or storytelling are actively encouraged to apply and assessed on portfolio merit. International applicants must demonstrate English-language proficiency, and EU applicants from non-English-speaking countries may be asked to provide an IELTS or equivalent score.
Demand for original Irish screen content has grown significantly, driven by increased commissioning from both domestic broadcasters and international streamers producing in Ireland. However, the screenwriting profession is highly competitive and most graduates initially combine freelance writing with script editing, teaching, or related roles to build a sustainable income. Screen Ireland development schemes, writer rooms, and short film commissions provide important early-career stepping stones. Graduates with strong series writing skills are particularly well positioned as long-form drama continues to be the dominant format for global streaming platforms.
AI scriptwriting tools such as large language models are already used in some development contexts to generate outlines, explore plot alternatives, and accelerate first-draft work, raising questions about authorship and originality that this programme engages with critically. For professional screenwriters, AI is most likely to affect early development tasks — brainstorming, coverage notes, and format checking — rather than the high-level creative and emotional craft that commissioners value. Understanding how to work alongside these tools, and how to articulate the distinctive human voice in your writing, is increasingly part of professional literacy in the field. Screen Ireland and broadcasters are still formulating policies on AI-generated content, so the regulatory landscape will continue to evolve during your career.
Providers and indicative points are curated with AI support. Always double-check with the institution itself.
How to apply
Postgraduate MA programmes in Screenwriting in Ireland are applied for directly through each institution's postgraduate admissions portal, not through the CAO. Applicants typically require an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (film, media, English, drama or equivalent) and are usually asked to submit a portfolio of creative writing or a screenwriting sample alongside their application.
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