2025 Best Playwriting & Screenwriting Schools in California
8
Colleges in California
326
Playwriting and Screenwriting Degrees Awarded
A degree in
playwriting & screenwriting is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #521 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for playwriting & screenwriting students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 326 degrees in playwriting & screenwriting to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Playwriting & Screenwriting School
Your choice of playwriting & screenwriting school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for playwriting & screenwriting schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Playwriting & Screenwriting Rankings by Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Playwriting & Screenwriting Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Playwriting & Screenwriting in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the playwriting and screenwriting degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top California Schools in Playwriting and Screenwriting
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
53
Playwriting and Screenwriting Degrees Awarded
University of Southern California is a great choice for students interested in a degree in playwriting & screenwriting. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 53 playwriting & screenwriting students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in playwriting & screenwriting from University of Southern California
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
71
Playwriting and Screenwriting Degrees Awarded
Chapman University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in playwriting & screenwriting. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were roughly 71 playwriting & screenwriting students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in playwriting & screenwriting from Chapman University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
89
Playwriting and Screenwriting Degrees Awarded
Loyola Marymount University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in playwriting & screenwriting. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #222 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.
There were roughly 89 playwriting & screenwriting students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in playwriting & screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
Academy of Art University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in playwriting & screenwriting. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco. This university ranks 47th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 17 playwriting & screenwriting students who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in playwriting & screenwriting from Academy of Art University
Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Fullerton. This university ranks 41st out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 13 playwriting & screenwriting students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in playwriting & screenwriting from California State University - Fullerton
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