Many film schools offer bachelor's and master's degrees in screenwriting. These programs give students a broad education in film structure, film theory, screenplay structure, directing actors, film analysis and the production aspect of filmmaking. Screenwriting programs also enable students to take specialized classes such as television writing, which provides training in the form and content of TV writing and typically requires students to write a 30-minute comedy or a one-hour drama during the semester. This kind of experience is beneficial when students graduate and work their way up the ladder of a TV show to eventually become staff writers.
Top film schools, such as the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, offer bachelor's and master's degrees in film production. These programs focus on the directing side of television and feature films, but provide invaluable training in script analysis, casting and scene blocking. Many film production students write and direct their own short films or create short TV programs, which is advantageous in a future TV writer career because in television, the writer is the most powerful person on the set and must know how to produce shows.
Internships can be equally if not more important to earning a TV writer position than a formal degree. That's because the television industry, like much of Hollywood, is a business that relies on networking and developing contacts. Many TV staff writers and executive producers worked their way up from answering phone calls and making photocopies of scripts. Internships provide direct, real-world contact with the people who put together television shows, and expose you to all aspects of a show's production, from script meetings to live recordings.
Writing fellowships exist to recruit fresh voices into the TV landscape. Applicants are selected based on the quality of their sample scripts and personal recommendations. Most fellowship programs require that a candidate be at least 18 years of age, but very few, if any, require that you possess a college degree. Selected candidates are mentored by network executives and given free access to existing half-hour and one-hour dramas currently in production. Many fellowships also offer stipends as well as meetings with top producers and creators of television series airing on the network.