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.

  • 7:1
    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.

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.

Tomorrow Needs You

Combine your creativity and curiosity to meet pressing societal challenges with innovative solutions. Graduate with the technical skills, critical thinking and tenacity to inspire, design and implement a sustainable future across social and natural sciences, humanities, and arts.

"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