School of Creative Technology

From generative media to intelligent environments, students discover the expanding role of AI across industries and creative disciplines. Students analyze real-world examples and trends to build a broad, cross-sector understanding of what AI can do— and imagine what comes next.

This interdisciplinary course dives into how cognitive biases and past experiences limit creativity—and how to move beyond them. Students explore psychological research, practice divergent thinking, and apply hands-on techniques to recognize blind spots, overcome mental rigidity, and generate bold, original ideas across disciplines.

Students explore how to harness computing power for creativity, expression, and interactive design as they experiment with code, systems, and tools that bring intelligent behaviors to life.

From early mechanical devices to today’s intelligent systems, students explore the breakthroughs, patterns, and paradigm shifts that have shaped computing—building the historical and conceptual fluency to engage with tomorrow’s technologies.

In this high-velocity studio—where collaboration meets invention—students co-design AI-powered prototypes that tackle real-world challenges, spark dialogue, and push creative limits.

In this milestone course, students design autonomous agents that perceive, decide, and act—creating AI systems that feel intentional, responsive, and alive. From virtual assistants to expressive characters, each prototype explores how intelligence can be both deeply technical and profoundly human.

Students design intelligent systems that prioritize human judgment, creativity, and care—while cultivating an ethical design perspective grounded in responsibility, impact, and intention.

Students learn to think like systems designers, mapping interactions, behaviors, and feedback loops to understand how AI shapes—and is shaped by—complex, evolving environments. From products to services to built environments, they explore how intelligent systems respond to human and contextual input across diverse applications.

In this interdisciplinary studio, students act as embedded AI specialists, collaborating across disciplines to amplify SCAD’s collective genius. They apply AI thinking to enhance narrative, environment, or system design—building immersive, responsive experiences across the domains of story, space, and simulation.

In this high-tempo studio, students take on a new design sprint each week—exploring fresh tools, techniques, and applications as they emerge. With every challenge, students strengthen their creative agility, technical range, and ethical judgment in a field that evolves by the minute.

Through a series of intense sprints, students pressure-test new approaches, confront edge cases, and stretch their own assumptions. Students synthesize their discoveries into a focused direction that sets the stage for a high-impact capstone project.

With guidance from faculty and industry mentors, students refine, test, and launch ambitious work that fuses creative vision and technical mastery. They emerge not just with a portfolio, but with proof of what’s possible, claiming their space in the AI design landscape.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

This course serves as a precursor to SCAD's upcoming BDES in Applied AI degree program, bridging the gap between traditional design practice and AI-enhanced creative workflows. Students will progress from Adobe Firefly through ComfyUI to enterprise-level NVIDIA DGX Spark systems, developing both technical competency and creative application skills through hands-on, project-based learning.

This course begins to investigate visual and audio communication involving user actions, strategic design, and the illusion of motion. Through individual approach and expression in traditional media, students are encouraged to experiment with the juxtaposition and sequence of design elements and imagery and to develop a sense of artist-audience construct and consequence.

Through hands-on experience, students are introduced to critical aspects of the game industry from non-digital games to indie games to the latest video games. Roles and responsibilities within the game development team are discussed and practiced through in-class exercises, and genres are critically introduced, discussed, and explored. Key individuals, companies, and associations are also explored, and controversies are examined. The course culminates in a group project.

This course provides the foundation for visualizing and understanding the essential vocabularies, principles, and concepts of design, color, and visual literacy as applied to interactive digital work.

Students develop the core principles of programming interactivity through object-oriented programming techniques using visual scripting tools and hand-coded scripting languages. Experiential learning enables students to develop applications and projects that include complex interactive websites, experimental interactive work, and online games.

Students explore and develop digital content creation techniques and aesthetic skills required to model, texture and generate accurate materials for 3D game assets. Through the use of standard 3D software, students learn methods and procedures to create industry-standard digital content efficiently and accurately. Students create game-ready content in 3-D, utilizing real-world observations and the use of original and existing concept art.

Students explore, apply, and discuss the core principles of game design, including the game space, game mechanics, the game player, and the design decisions that create the game state. Through in-class game play and game design exercises, students examine the design process needed to build today’s games. Through the exploration of player agency, immersion, structures of goals, challenges, pacing, encounters, quests, puzzles, conflicts, and rewards, students learn the rules of play and apply those principles to in-class game design projects.

Students develop an understanding of 3D, the principles of modeling and video game aesthetics while exploring the creation of 3D models specifically designed for integration into a game engine. Aesthetics, construction, communication, sculptural skills, and quality of work are emphasized.

Real-time rendering technology allows game artist and level designers to create immersive game environments that respond to the player’s action within the game space. Students in this course are prepared for high-level careers in the video game industry by creating event-driven environments and learning to work with the multiple toolsets existing in contemporary game engines required to produce functional game level.

This course focuses on understanding and applying the core principles of designing and developing interactive games and applications. Students are introduced to industry-standard authoring techniques and technologies for delivery on the Web and as stand-alone applications. Designing and implementing interactivity is the focus of the course.

Students examine the core principles and methodologies used throughout the interactive design industry for creating screen-based dynamic media—websites, information installations, mobile applications, etc. Specifically, students address the interactive design process used to create dynamic media based on how a user may want or need to use products or systems.

Animation provides a sense of immersion while giving players feedback about the state of the game. Students learn to create animation assets for both 2D and 3D games. Topics covered range from basic key frame animation and creating player character cycles to importing each student’s animation into an existing game engine.

In this course, students learn programming techniques and skills utilizing programming languages in common use by game developers and interactive designers. Students gain basic understanding of computer science concepts, awareness of different types of computer languages, and use of a program-development environment, as well as an understanding of control structures, data structures, program logic, and problem-solving and object-oriented programming methodologies.

3D concept artists create complex organic models to populate the imagined worlds of video games, 3D animations, and visual effects. In this course, students cultivate digital sculpting skills as they produce realistic character and creature sculpts with aesthetic appeal, mood, and texture using 2D and 3D editing, painting, and sculpting technologies.

As the visual quality and expectations of digital games increase, so does the need for higher quality art content as well as cohesive and consistent art direction. By focusing on issues such as next generation digital content creation, art direction methodologies, visual complexity, and modularity, students design and create visually effective and highly detailed runtime environments utilizing next generation workflows and pipelines.

This course focuses on the categorization of information into a coherent structure, the interactive design process, and the delivery and designing of visual interfaces. Students are expected to develop a conceptual framework for real-world applications that can easily be understood and quickly accessed, exploring issues from the industry, art, and society.

From linear narratives to massive multiplayer online games, game designers translate story visions into fully-realized and interactive entertainment experiences. In this course, students explore narrative structures as well as player expectations and responses through collaborative development of an interactive, industry-ready game design.

From amorphous creatures to warrior princesses, character artists drive the visual and emotional quality of games. In this course, students produce 3D character and creature models for integration into production applications and complex workflows for optimization. Students learn to incorporate 2D texturing and rendering, re-topology, UV and high-resolution digital sculpting applications to create organic models.

Students explore the ways in which nontraditional input devices create interactive user experiences. In addition to the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual concerns of this art form, students assess the work of a range of artists. Students develop concepts, experiments, and prototypes for self-contained interactive objects in immersive environments.

Students expand their knowledge of interactive design and game development as they step into the role of game UX researcher. Exploring the highly relevant field of game user experience, students combine research and design principles to build and optimize playable experiences. Through the development of functional prototypes and high-fidelity interfaces, students showcase their interactive and visual design skills.

This course builds on the core principles of game design and delves into the many systems and mechanics that make up the practice of applied game design. Through in-class exercises and design projects, students develop many of the active systems and mechanics utilized in contemporary game design and use a variety of acknowledged industry methods of documentation to present and formalize their designs.

Key concepts of Web design are presented through a series of technical and design workshops. Students are introduced to the latest authoring and animation tools and learn how to apply their knowledge of the software to create dynamic and responsive Web designs.

From the depths of the ocean to the surface of the moon, game designers explore advanced concepts of material and texture to create believable worlds with visually faithful digital surface simulations. In this course, students learn to replicate the physical properties of surfaces and use cinematic techniques to portray complex material interactions and progression for inclusions in digital game environments.

Students design and develop games, websites, and interactive media through a series of technical and design workshops. The course explores intermediate and advanced technical and conceptual aspects of design and development for group-based games and interactive projects.

In this course, students write scripts for a current game engine in order to alter its existing functionality as well as create new interactive elements. Ultimately, students learn to create what the industry calls an engine modification (MOD).

Real-time materials and environmental effects development constitute one of the largest growing areas in game development for artists. As graphics hardware and game engine technology improve, the demand rises for skilled artists who can take advantage of these tools to add cinematic and visual interest to the digital game experience. Using industry-standard methodologies, students employ professional techniques and practices to create complex materials, particle and environmental effects for games using a real-time game engine.

This course introduces students to entrepreneurship relating specifically to technology and digital game industries. Students learn by researching and conducting case studies about successful and failed start-up companies. The final project culminates in simulating the technology start-up process – conducting marketing and competitive research, creating financial projections, writing an executive summary, and creating and pitching investor and client presentations.

With a focus on integrating imagery, websites, video, and various elements into an interactive portfolio, this course addresses concepts, cross-platform developments, and issues concerning aesthetics, interface design, and use of media. Students collect relevant material and produce a digital portfolio, packaging for portfolio, résumé, cover letter, business card, and flatbook portfolio.

Students apply their skills to creating a workable interactive project or video game in a simulated professional environment. Topics include content creation within a limited resource environment. The course emphasizes production-oriented goals in order to provide students with a professional skill set and a body of fine art.

Students master advanced program design methodologies, object-oriented design, and programming techniques using C++. By developing reusable and modular code, students learn to build complex applications.

From dense woodlands and majestic cities to gnarly trees and ornate thrones, compelling 3D game environments and props create mood and atmosphere to shape the player experience in subtle but impactful ways. In this course, students acquire advanced modeling, sculpting, and texturing techniques as they produce highly detailed game environments and props. With a focus on real-time rendering, students integrate advanced techniques and assets in the production pipeline, advancing their professional prowess as 3D environment artists.

From the first pitch meeting to the execution of a playable game, art direction for character design involves integration of strong storytelling and advanced production planning. In this course, students learn advanced digital sculpting techniques to create 3-D sculpts consistent with the game’s creative vision and appropriately prepare sculpts for animation and rigging in the next phase of the production pipeline.

Students explore advanced methods and technologies to develop interactive designs and artwork utilizing physical input devices. Lectures, discussions, and hands-on projects expose students to the latest applications of interaction design, such as ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, and tangible computing. Students learn to work with a wide range of technologies, enabling them to create sophisticated interactive installations, alternative games, and touch-based interfaces.

Students work in a collaborative, simulated professional environment to address issues including content creation in a group dynamic, strategic planning, goal-oriented planning, and game theory and design. This course provides students with a significant amount of professional-quality material for portfolio inclusion.

This final phase of the student’s senior project focuses on the production and mastering of a senior interactive or game project, including final design, programming or scripting, focus testing, testing, and implementation. Students also create support materials, such as a product website, and work to integrate these into their portfolios.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

Game design is the art that brings together rules, players and game components in order to create an experience for the player. Through study and application, students learn the foundations of game design and the game design pipeline, sample the methods of great game designers, explore IP usage and design in emerging media, and apply this knowledge in a series of in-class exercises and individual designs, both proposed and executed.

Students explore a variety of tools and methods used by artists in the game industry, focusing on process and critique. Through an emphasis on presentation and language, students further refine their core skills needed to be a successful digital game artist.

In this course, students gain a solid understanding of game design documentation processes that are crucial for writers and designers of interactive work. Issues involving the game design sequence, fundamental game design techniques, taxonomy of documentation terms and communication through documentation to other departments are investigated, analyzed and critiqued. Students also explore a wide variety of game industry documentation types and needs.

Game engines are vital to the creation of video games and interactive experiences. Students gain experience working with a game engine and explore various art and design pipelines used by different disciplines within the game industry. Concentrating on the creation of virtual environments, key frames, and cinematic camera work, students learn to manage the step-by-step process of game engine production.

Gameplay scripting is an essential part of development and allows artist and designers to create interactive assets, events, and interfaces. In this course, students build expertise with an industry standard scripting language as they script gameplay elements and create small playable games.

Students experience an in-depth, hands-on examination and critique of the art of game design. Through a non-digital medium, students explore a variety of topics, ranging from history to design methodologies that strengthen their vocabulary in game analysis. Working through a range of game mechanics and design patterns, students explore different styles of games, culminating in a non-digital prototype.

The visual artistry found in modern game environments has risen to astounding heights. In this course, students employ industry workflows and methodologies to design and build real-time game environments. From creating block outs to developing modular asset kits, students produce professional, and well-crafted world in a game engine.

Students explore advanced concepts in materials and texturing as applied to game engines and graphics processing unit (GPU) rendering. Utilizing 3D painting methods, students develop digital surfaces with realistic representations of physical properties and environmental influences. Students use photography, light, and texture as reference for the creation of real-time renderings and image manipulation.

Level designers create immersive, dynamic, goal-driven gameplay experiences through the application of design techniques and practices, including pacing, rewards, and cinematics. Students script events and utilize existing gameplay kits and input systems to create playable levels. Students apply a variety of techniques to design engaging encounters for different game genres.

Dynamic and memorable characters drive engagement and elevate gameplay experiences. In this course, students explore character creation for real-time entertainment through research and ideation that begins with 2D visualization and culminates in a finished 3D project. Utilizing discussions, critiques, and design exercises, students focus on advanced digital sculpting techniques required to become a successful character artist in the field of game development.

Digital games are a collection of individual systems working in unison to create an interactive experience. Students investigate the role of system designers in the game industry, and acquire techniques on how to develop, communicate, and implement these systems. Through in-class exercises, demonstrations, and lectures, students learn to design, prototype, and simulate systems for games.

Through careful examination and analysis of influential works, across various forms of digital media, students learn to develop a visual language and define a cohesive artistic vision. With a focus on establishing an art pipeline and documentation, students define a visual style that can be communicated to a team and applied in a game production environment.

Students in this course learn to master real-time visual effects workflows and paradigms. Enhancing scripting skills for the creation of programmable FX for games, students explore and manipulate different types of particle systems. Using various genres for reference, from nature to fantasy and realistic to stylized, students design professional quality game FX.

Immersed in a simulated game production environment, students collaborate to design and construct an original game. Students utilize professional production pipelines and techniques as they navigate the complexities of time-management, project planning, and workload distribution for effective team productions.

Augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies push the boundaries of human perception and revolutionize industries, from gaming and themed entertainment to industrial design, advertising and architecture. In this course, students explore the evolution of immersive technology and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by its integration into the design process.

Virtual reality presents an entirely new digital playground that is changing the interactive and game design landscape. In this course, students use game engine applications to leverage the immersive, interactive opportunities of human movement, gaze and touch. Using industry-standard technology, students develop games and mobile apps with unique interactive content for augmented and virtual reality environments.

From intergalactic battles to simulated tornados, immersive environments amplify the visual experience and challenge human perception. In this course, students synthesize practical camerawork, real-time camera tracking and digital compositing skills to create realistic 3D virtual sets. Using the tools and techniques of immersive technology, students produce hyper-realistic scenes through the integration of live-action footage and virtual environments.

Immersive realities transform how audiences experience content and brands interact with consumers. In this course, students explore the complexities and opportunities presented by the integration of human factors into the design and programming of augmented and virtual reality experiences.

From media and entertainment design to the way consumers select and try on apparel, augmented and virtual reality technologies are rapidly evolving career opportunities in a wide range of industries. Students prepare for a career in in augmented and virtual reality through the development of a strategic framework and professional presentation materials.

In this course, students explore storytelling principles, user stories, and spatial interaction to evoke emotional connections, foster engagement, and create environments that blur the line between the digital and physical worlds. Students generate optimized digital art and spatial content to effectively convey narrative themes and elevate the overall immersive experience. Culminating in portfolio-quality, proof-of-concept projects using real-time 3D engines, students showcase their mastery of captivating immersive storytelling.

To position students for success in the rapidly evolving field of immersive media, students collaborate as a professional team to develop functional, real-time 3D immersive experiences. They devise formal plans and documentation, encompassing goal-setting, workload distribution, and adhering to deadlines throughout all project stages. Students produce high-quality concept art, style guides, and process books adhering to industry standards. Identifying and innovatively resolving design challenges within a simulated professional environment, they foster creativity, efficiency, and career-readiness through content creation for portfolio-quality immersive media projects.

In this course, students master the art of producing an industry-ready project that includes prototyping, programming, scripting, and design. Within this final phase of the senior project, students create a professional portfolio, self-promotional materials, and competition-ready work such as user experience videos, product websites, print-ready promotional assets, and process books.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

Students learn basic programming concepts that can be applied to the development of interactive applications. The course begins with a procedural approach, which leads to object-oriented programming techniques. Students apply computation-thinking and problem-solving techniques to design well-structured and commented code. Students also explore open-source programming resources and communities.

The investigation and application of appropriate research methodologies and theoretical frameworks is central to art and design. With a focus on the scientific method, students formulate research questions, deconstruct applied concepts, and validate hypothetical solutions to establish the foundation of a professional interactive and game design practice.

Every professional design and game studio expects exceptional communication skills from its talented designers. In this course, students learn how to effectively present their ideas and generate supportive content for pitch delivery. As part of future executive and leadership training, student designers learn to craft their delivery of formal presentations to achieve desired results. From gathering informational data to organizing visuals and infographics, students perfect the art and design of pitch delivery for a variety of formal and informal contexts, from client pitches to thesis presentations to professional conferences.

With an emphasis on scripting interactivity, students develop applications and projects that include games and interactive applications. This course explores implementation skills for digital applications centered on object-oriented programming techniques. Students use logic and problem solving to design sound coding structures that enhance interactive digital interfaces.

This course explores the creation of complex models and textures for use in video game development. Students are introduced to current theory, functional aesthetics and advanced techniques relevant to digital sculpture.

Digital sculpting has brought new depths to the world of game development, animation, visual effects, and action figure modelling. Utilizing the professional production pipeline for game creation, students focus on the step-by-step process of translating 2D concepts into 3D sculpts for the creation of realistic characters. Students enhance their technical and digital sculpting skills for the optimization of real-time animated productions.

As the culminating experience for interactive design and game development graduate students, the M.A. final project embodies the synthesis and skillful application of discipline knowledge and techniques covered throughout the program. Addressing individual professional goals, and reflecting technical mastery of chosen specialties, each student in this course completes an industry-level project from research to conceptualization to implementation.

Students focus on the integration of imagery, websites, video and various other elements into an interactive portfolio. Concepts, cross-platform developments and issues concerning aesthetics, interface design and use of media are addressed. Students collect relevant material and produce a CD/DVD/Web-based portfolio, packaging for portfolio, résumé, cover letter, business cards and flat book portfolio.

Every thesis starts with a well-constructed problem statement. In this course, students translate a well-defined personal vision and area of interest into a cohesive and focused thesis topic. Students investigate multiple approaches and methodologies for constructing their problem statement, and engage in critical review of relevant academic and professional perspectives to inform the direction of their thesis.

With a strong emphasis on critique and process, students begin to develop and prototype the visual component of their graduate thesis. Grounded in a strong thesis direction and supported by a solid theoretical framework, students initiate and document their production process.

Evidence-based design uses objective assessments to provide empirical justification that validates design questions and claims. Through iterative user testing and various validation methodologies, students provide supportive data for their thesis and other previously prototyped design projects. Conclusive visualized data are amalgamated to enhance understanding and strengthen professional documentation and presentations.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

As culmination of their graduate experience, students execute a thesis that demonstrates a mature, resolved body of work and advanced professional competence through mastery of the technical, creative, and aesthetic elements of the discipline. Students synthesize research from various sources with their own creative ideas, technical skills, aesthetic sensibility, and mastery of design principles to make an original contribution to the field of game art or interactive design.

Students from a variety of disciplines within the School of Creative Technology work as a team to research, conceptualize, and develop creative solutions for current design challenges. Specific projects vary from quarter to quarter. [This course may be taken up to three times for credit.]

From sprawling theme parks to intimate immersive experiences, the world of themed entertainment brings storytelling to life. Students in this course investigate the intricate process of developing and operating immersive experiences, from initial concept to guest interaction. Through hands-on projects and case studies, students gain insight into storytelling, design principles, and operational strategies that define successful themed environments.

Concept design sketches create a platform for abstract ideas to be realized, bringing themed experiences to life. In this course, students explore various techniques for creative ideation, visualization, and communication of concepts for immersive environments within theme parks, entertainment venues, and virtual experiences. By translating ideas into compelling visual narratives, students develop presentation skills to effectively communicate design concepts in a professional setting.

Essential in bringing imaginative concepts to tangible reality, 3D modeling is a fundamental skill in themed entertainment design. In this course, students master industry-standard 3D modeling software within the context of themed spaces. Students design immersive environments with compelling backstories and model guest interactions. This hands-on course equips students with the technical abilities and creative vision necessary for designing theme parks, attractions, and immersive experiences.

Storyboarding breathes life into themed experiences, from concept to finale. In this course, students explore the art of visual storytelling, crafting compelling narratives for theme parks, museums, concerts, and pop-ups. While developing storyboards that capture key iconic scenes and full experience walkthroughs, students focus on the crucial role of storyboarding in visualizing and communicating immersive experiences.

The conceptual design phase of any project is the most critical phase for establishing goals, design criteria, content and scope. In this course, students focus on conceptual design projects typical in a theme park and location-based experience event, concert, pop-up, retail or venue. Then develop multiple designs exploring the established goals, design criteria, content and scope. This process develops the student's ability to design multiple concept solutions.

Interactive encounters that incorporate digital and physical elements can significantly elevate guest experiences at theme parks, concerts, museums, and other venues. In this course, students design an interactive application connected to a physical, location-based experience to enhance guest interaction with the space and experience. Students explore various techniques for visualizing concepts to design guest journey maps and high-fidelity color renderings of their digital application, tied to a physical space.

Interactive spaces transform passive environments into dynamic, engaging experiences. In this course, students design components within immersive environments such as museums, discovery centers, and themed attractions. While applying principles of guest engagement, spatial design, and interactive storytelling, students create components in a complex design scheme and create comprehensive plans for spaces that captivate, educate, and inspire diverse audiences.

Stories have the power to transport audiences into new worlds. In this course, students dissect the elements that make narratives compelling and learn to craft their own through immersive storytelling, and backstories tied to themed locations including theme park attractions and location based experiences from museums, to pop-ups, retail and restaurants. While focusing on the development of written treatments and visual walkthroughs, students integrate adaptive narratives and character development to bring stories to life in themed environments.

Dimensional, environmental graphic design in theme parks plays a crucial role in shaping guest experiences, reinforcing the backstory of a theme park ride or attraction, and contributing to its success as a destination. Students in this course develop a full environmental graphics package to create an immersive environment for theme park guests. With an emphasis on a backstory, creative and visual communication, material selection, and color coordination, students design comprehensive graphics tailored to various elements within theme parks, including entrances, marquees, show graphics, wayfinding systems, and retail.

Set designs within immersive experiences enrich the narrative and enhance the entertainment value of theme parks and attractions. In this course, students design an immersive environment for a theme park, event, venue or location-based experience. With emphasis on backstory, creative concept exploration, and spatial design, students create comprehensive show set packages focusing on exterior and interior entrances, queue, pre-show, attraction vehicle and show scenes, finale, and exit retail.

Blending creativity with practical execution, students in this course explore the intricate process of integrating live entertainment elements like parades, floats, shows, live events, interactive guest experiences, character development, and costuming into themed experiences. Students produce story-driven work to synchronize narrative elements with the logistical demands of live performances.

From initial concept to grand opening, every stage of a theme park or location-based project presents unique challenges and opportunities. This course offers a comprehensive exploration of themed location based experiences, park attractions and venue project planning, exploring each phase of development including schematics, design, fabrication, installation, and vendor management. Students learn to coordinate multidisciplinary teams, manage budgets, and oversee the production process from concept to completion, ensuring immersive experiences that captivate audiences.

Designing an immersive environment for theme parks and other location-based experiences requires a meticulous approach to interior theming and prop integration. In this course, students craft a comprehensive interiors package centered around a brand, sponsor, or theme, emphasizing storyline, backstory, and scene-by-scene theming. Through detailed walkthroughs and design exercises, students transform spaces into captivating experiences.

Students travel to a themed entertainment epicenter, conducting in-depth research on the theme parks, resorts and attractions that draw in millions of visitors from around the globe. Key artists and designers share with students inside stories, technical expertise and advice for professional development. Students also meet with prominent entertainment design firms and present their portfolios for review.

Crafting architectural spaces that narrate and enhance themed experiences is a blend of art and science. In this course, students design cohesive backstories for theme park lands, focusing on façade design, queue line and preshow entry. Emphasizing the importance of sight lines and integrating graphics, lighting, elevations, slope, and interiors, students create architectural story spaces that are visually captivating and narratively compelling.

Effective theme park design requires a comprehensive approach to master planning and attraction development. In this course, students create detailed master plans for themed spaces, incorporating industry standards and criteria for layout, attraction spatial planning, and design. Through the study of spatial plan views and immersive walkthrough experiences, students develop and refine attraction concepts that enhance the overall theme park experience.

An innovative and engaging portfolio is essential to establishing a career within the themed entertainment industry. In this course, students focus on the development and refinement of a visually cohesive and engaging portfolio. Showcasing role-based skills in themed entertainment development and production, design & delivery, technology, and live entertainment, students create a professional and impactful portfolio to launch their careers.

In this course, students focus on the redesign or expansion of attractions, parks, or venues by overlaying new major sponsors or themes. Through the development of comprehensive site plans featuring multiple zones, each with various guest interactions, students create visual walk-throughs demonstrating various guest experiences. Students will focus on the initial stages of themed entertainment design, including discovery, concept development, journey mapping, and spatial planning.

Building on the projects developed in Studio I, students will focus on the final stages of themed entertainment design, including final designed components in each zone of their attraction, a polished end-to-end visual walkthrough of key moments in their attraction, and a final design package, including elevation drawings with callouts, models, and show writing treatments.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

Sketching and ideation are vital skills for bringing themed experiences to life. In this course, students explore various techniques for visualizing concepts of immersive environments within theme parks, entertainment venues, and virtual experiences. While translating ideas into compelling and full-color narratives, students create portfolio-quality concept designs and full-color renderings.

Interactive encounters that incorporate digital and physical elements can significantly elevate guest experiences at theme parks, concerts, museums, and other venues. In this course, students design an interactive application connected to a physical, location-based experience to enhance guest interaction with the space and experience. Students explore various techniques for visualizing concepts to design guest journey maps and high-fidelity color renderings of their digital application tied to a physical space, along with visualizing the physical space and walkthrough.

Students explore design projects that replicate key phases – conceptualization, design, building, management and delivery of themed entertainment enterprises and organizations. They research industry history, visit a working operational venue and study the design and operational criteria used at every phase of the project's life cycle.

Dimensional, environmental graphic design is pivotal within theme parks, profoundly impacting guest experiences, driving the narrative of park attractions, and optimizing its success as a destination. In this course, students generate an advanced environmental graphics package to create an immersive environment for theme park guests. With emphasis on a narrative, materials and color selection, elevation considerations, fabrication, and installation techniques, students design comprehensive graphics tailored to various elements within theme parks, including entrances, marquees, show graphics, wayfinding systems, and retail.

The conceptual design phase of any project is the most critical phase for establishing goals, design criteria, content and scope. In this course, students focus on conceptual design projects typical in the industry and develop multiple designs exploring the established goals, design criteria, content and scope. This process develops the student's ability to design multiple concept solutions.

Through both individual and team projects, students participate in all phases of design for "components" in a complex design scheme. These may include merchandise carts, restaurants, merchandise displays, attractions, hotels and any types of projects that require this level of design process.

Set designs within immersive experiences enrich the narrative and enhance the entertainment value of theme parks and attractions. In this course, students develop a full show set package to create a themed and immersive environment for a theme park, event, venue, or location-based experience. With emphasis on backstory, creative concepting, material and color selection, spatial design, and installation techniques, students design comprehensive show set packages tailored to various elements within a themed space.

Students focus on design projects typical of common projects in the industry. Students and professor choose assignments such as the repurposing or expanding of an existing attraction or facility, adding a new major sponsor or new merchandise expansion shop at the exit of an existing attraction, creating a new outdoor stage for live performance in an unused land area based on the needs, interests and composition of the class.

In this off-campus course, students experience the breadth of the entertainment design field, conducting site visits to theme parks, resorts and attractions, meeting the creatives responsible for their design and implementation. They research theme park history, the key companies that dominate the field and explore the future of the industry. Valuable contacts are made at prominent entertainment design firms, where students present their portfolios.

Students focus on large design projects typical of the industry. Projects may include such large-scale ventures as a new theme park attraction; a new hotel inside a theme park; a new water park attraction; a new transportation complex; a major resort expansion project with a show, interior design and exterior building facades; exhibit designs for a museum, aquarium or city tourism district; or similar projects. Students analyze the guest experience for both proposed and operating attractions, parks and resorts.

Students focus on multidisciplinary projects, working in teams on complex design projects such as an expansion to an existing theme park, a new hotel added to an existing resort complex, a new event for a "Las Vegas style" water feature sound and light spectacle or a large scale "EPCOT style" parade event. Student proposals for specific projects are intended to best utilize the skills of the teams and are adjusted to meet the needs of the class design experience and expertise.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

The themed entertainment design thesis for M.F.A. students is the culmination of the learning and growth by the student over the course of study. It concludes with a comprehensive design presentation, in conjunction with supporting written documentation and the demonstration of an understanding of the importance of the narrative in creating a successful guest experience.