Thomas Musca

Thomas Musca is a Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Miami, serving as head of the MFA screenwriting track since 2010. With a four-decade career spanning film production, screenwriting, and education, he bridges academic instruction with industry practice.

His educational background includes:

• Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Rutgers University
• MFA from UCLA
• Moseley Fellow for Creative Writing at Pomona College

Musca specializes in Film Production, Screenwriting, Film Directing, and Film Studies, with notable works including the Oscar-nominated Stand and Deliver (preserved in the National Film Registry), Tortilla Soup (Imagen Award winner), and recent projects like Aguadilla (starring Lou Diamond Phillips) and Dying to Direct (2023 Miami Film Festival premiere).

His accolades include:

• Oscar nomination and six Independent Spirit Awards for Stand and Deliver
• Imagen Award for Tortilla Soup
• Best U.S. feature at NY Latino Film Festival (Amaraica)
• University of Miami's Robert and Christine Staub Faculty Excellence Award (2014)

Musca actively mentors students through collaborations on film projects with UM graduates, while conducting MPAA workshops globally and lecturing at institutions including NYU, USC, and AFI. His educational impact extends across four continents through screenwriting workshops and industry engagement.