Theatre and Entertainment Technology Bachelor's Degree

Picture this: You master the art of the backstage and land your dream job in the entertainment industry at a leading company, like Disney or Electronic Theatre Controls. You set the scene for a career in theatre and entertainment technology. 

At Michigan Tech, you can make this vision a reality with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre and Entertainment Technology. As part of your degree, you'll integrate studies in art and design with engineering technology or business to become a well-educated professional who blends solid technical expertise with innovation, artistry, and creativity.

If you have ever imagined yourself behind the scenes of a theatre or entertainment production—perfecting scenery, lighting, costumes, makeup, sound, and management—the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Michigan Tech is the place for you.

The Curtain Rises on Real-world Training

Your education will focus not only on traditional theatre, but also on event staging, museum displays, and themed retail and entertainment. Learn with the latest entertainment-dedicated programs in the computer lab. Spend one-on-one time with professors, advisors, and equipment. Develop your skills through high-tech training at performance venues such as the traditional proscenium theatre in Michigan Tech's Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and our beautiful and flexible black box space, the McArdle Theatre. Design and execute on-site events for unique historical locations as you work with private and public community partners.

Explore technical theatre with exciting projects and classes:

  • Research and design costume, lighting, or scenic design for mainstage productions.
  • Assist faculty members in workshop preparations, with the potential to work on faculty grants.
  • Take significant courses in design, technology, and possibly computing to learn to adapt your training to non-theatrical entertainment career fields.

What Will I Do After Graduation?

As a graduate of our theatre and entertainment technology program, you will be well-qualified for entry-level backstage positions in the entertainment industry. Start your career as an assistant designer or a crew member of a theatre house, theatrical touring company, a Las Vegas-style show, or a production at a theme park or on a cruise ship. Work in theatrical productions or at multimedia concerts, theme parks, elaborate corporate events, half-time extravaganzas at sporting events, and more. Or, spend a year in a post-graduate professional internship.

  • 5:1
    student-faculty ratio
  • 9
    minors to help you customize your degree
  • 24/7
    access to studios and equipment
  • 150+
    events at Tech to practice your technical theatre skills

Tomorrow Needs Technicians

As the demand for entertainment in the form of live performances, museum displays, and themed retail and entertainment expands, so does the need for talented technicians to create memorable experiences. Theatre and entertainment technologists create innovations that drive audience and user engagement. They enhance storytelling and optimize content delivery. A degree in technical theatre raises the curtain on a great career.

Be Career Ready

Career Advising

One-on-one advising keeps you moving forward. You'll consider summer internships, jobs, resume, and portfolio preparation—everything you need to line up the kind of work you want and build the career you desire.

Career Opportunities for Theatre and Entertainment Technology Majors

Your future career options with a degree in theatre and entertainment technology include:

  • Designer
  • Lighting Supervisor
  • Master Carpenter
  • Master Electrician
  • Production Manager 
  • Rigger
  • Scenic Artist
  • Shop Foreman
  • Venue Manager
  • Wardrobe Supervisor

Companies Hiring Michigan Tech Theatre and Entertainment Technology Majors

The growing list of companies that have hired Michigan Tech theatre and entertainment technology graduates includes:

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying theatre and entertainment technology at Michigan's flagship technological university.

Work on Fun Projects—Gain Valuable Experience

At Michigan Tech, students studying theatre and entertainment technology have opportunities to work in varied media, with opportunities outside traditional theatre. Have you ever seen museum or theme park dioramas? Sam Bulthuis '20 BS Theatre and Entertainment Technology helped design and install a display deep underground in the Quincy Mine, a historic copper mining site in Hancock, Michigan.

Full STEAM Ahead

Combine your love of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM) into a career that requires creative, artistic, and technical skills. In the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, we emphasize creativity, self-motivation, and concrete goals—attributes that, combined with academic performance, add up to success. Develop critical skills to continue as a lifelong learner who adapts to ever-evolving entertainment industry technology. Our programs and faculty engage students and enrich campus by involving scholars from diverse fields in ambitious and meaningful projects, exhibitions, and performances.

  • Access state-of-the-art facilities: Michigan Tech's Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts—the region's premier performing arts center—and the Walker Arts and Humanities Center are home to a traditional performance hall, flexible black box space, costume and scene shops, and a packed schedule of multimedia events. Work side-by-side with faculty on Michigan Tech productions and complete high-tech training in all aspects of the profession in well-equipped shops, labs, and performance venues—many with 24/7 access.
  • Get personalized attention: With a student-faculty ratio of 8:1, you can build valuable relationships with world-class professors. Our students can access personal quality educational time with faculty and staff, and more exploratory time in the studio (with industry-specific equipment and tools).
  • Build a career: Work one-on-one with your advisor to develop your career path—from student internships to post-graduation employment in the industry. Build your professional network and strengthen your presentation and interview skills at industry conferences and events. Build your portfolio as you prepare for a thrilling career in the arts and entertainment industry.
  • Get involved: Join the 250 member strong Huskies Pep Band or one of 12 other ensembles. Be part of any of our 30+ music performances, 6+ art exhibitions or events, and 5 theatre shows. Or join any number of professional organizations on campusWMTU; Audio Engineering Society; Mu Beta Psi (national music fraternity, non-music majors welcome); Sound Girls; Above The Bridge Records ; Sound and Lighting Service; and more.

Tomorrow Needs You

Supercharge your analytical skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow's high-tech business landscape.

College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts is a community of faculty, staff, and students committed to excellence and driven by our passion for education, outreach, research, and creativity across the social and natural sciences, humanities, and the arts. Uniquely situated in the heart of Michigan's R1 flagship technological university, we specialize in human-centered potential and discovery-based learning designed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Knowing that every student at Michigan Tech will pass through our doors, our college strives to be at the forefront of interdisciplinary collaborations that lead to breakthrough solutions.

Our students gain a profound understanding of social and cultural contexts through experiential learning and innovative research. We welcome you to be part of our caring, expansive college community, with 32 undergraduate and 24 graduate degrees to choose from.

The opportunities in Michigan Tech's College of Sciences and Arts are limitless. Transform into a civic leader ready to contribute to a sustainable future. Lead and participate in action-based experiences that are critical to the start of a fulfilling career. Job-shadow at a local hospital or veterinary clinic while preparing for a career in health. Design sound and lighting for a regional production. Conduct community forums on the implications of artificial intelligence. Work to purify vaccines. Study the impact of social media on society. Research the mysteries of space and galaxies beyond our universe. Explore transforming abandoned iron and copper mines into giant batteries. Understand freshwater ecosystem health. Document the nature of changes in cognitive function and motor behavior in aging and dementia.

At Michigan Tech, your academic growth is supported by a variety of learning centers, along with our Humanities Digital Media Zone and Writing Center. Model climate in the only cloud chamber of its kind. Take part in interdisciplinary health research in our state-of-the-art H-STEM Complex. Create amazing sights and sounds in our visual art, sound, and theatre performance spaces

Undergraduate Majors in Arts and Technology

Not sure which major is the right fit? No problem. Browse the entire list of College of Sciences and Arts majors. Or, give yourself time and declare the General Sciences and Arts major, which lets you decide when you arrive on campus. To learn more, speak to an academic advisor.

"I'm really thankful for the friends that I've made and the technical education that I've gotten here, along with the people skills."Laurel Schmidt, BS Theatre and Entertainment Technology
"This is the place that laid the foundation of my theatrical knowledge that I then took and expanded in the years following my graduation."Ally Southgate '22, BS Theatre and Entertainment Technology