Stephens College launches new graduate degree programs

Stephens College is launching two new graduate degree programs: a Master of Physician Assistant and Master of Fine Arts in Television and Screenwriting.

The Physician Assistant master’s degree is offered in collaboration with local and regional healthcare facilities. The Television and Screenwriting master’s degree offers a low-residency program with 10 days of interactive on-site classes each semester at the Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles.

“We have been working for more than a year with outstanding professionals in both health sciences and television and screenwriting to ensure these programs are cutting edge and highly attuned to current market demands,” said Stephens President Dianne Lynch. “We’re committed to investing in facilities, partnerships and faculty to ensure that both programs are the best in their markets right from the start.”

The Master in Physician Assistant program will be designed to prepare physician assistants to work in primary care settings, to embrace the rapidly changing healthcare environment and to become adept at the use of interactive technologies to provide high quality healthcare in rural communities.

“Physician assistants are in high demand,” said Richard Oliver, former dean of the School of Health Professions at the University of Missouri, who is serving as a consultant in the sciences and for the program. “Stephens’ location in a city with a strong healthcare infrastructure, the college’s low faculty-to-student ratio and its historic commitment to the sciences make Stephens an ideal campus for this program.”

The Stephens College M.F.A. in writing will focus exclusively on writing for television and film. Online courses and mentoring will be supplemented by 10 days each semester in Los Angeles, where students will engage in workshops with working television and screenwriters, visit studios, connect with agents and managers and learn the business of Hollywood from executives and producers.

It’s a first-of-its-kind program aimed to boost the number of women working in the film industry.

“While the program is open to men, the lens is focused on women,” said Ken LaZebnik, an accomplished scriptwriter and founding director of the program. “We want to give women writers the inspiration and skills they need to successfully compete for screenwriting jobs in film, television and online media.”