B.F.A. Concentration in Design/Technology

The Design track prepares M.F.A. students for work in the professional live entertainment industries and for careers in academia.

After completing a core consisting of design classes ranging from visualization strategies to process refinement, students focus on the design area of their choosing and declared areas of primary and secondary expertise.  The overall program is tailored to maximize and expand each student’s talents and specific interests in the full range of design and technology trades through both traditional classroom work and experiential learning in the applied setting of the production season.

Combining the scholarship, portfolio development, and leaving room for artistic expansion and experimentation, the program, while appearing to be that for a design generalist, boasts sufficient rigor and opportunity for students to both growth and achieve mastery. Students are encouraged to take advantage of several companion travel, research, and professional opportunities while completing their degrees in order to forward and advance a record of applied excellence.  Each student in the M.F.A. Design program is expected to complete a major design role or production assignment each semester of study.  Furthermore, students are also encouraged to embrace alternate industry, beyond theatre, which may include immersive design, dance, opera, and more!

Application & Portfolio Information

What Sets Us Apart

Students are required to take on a major production role each semester, meaning that they are able to maximize their work in the classroom through realized design and also take work from page to stage in a realized portfolio.

Additional benefits of the program include a small student-to-faculty ratio, the opportunity to teach at the undergraduate level, a competitive professional network, and access to world-class facilities, faculty, and opportunity to exercise skills within a range of artistic genres, settings, and disciplines.

Though located in West Texas, our students are prepared to work in any market, and graduate ready to embrace and contribute to professional industry. We firmly believe that our program typifies a sentiment shared by our institution: from here, anything is possible!