This July, URTA welcomed San Diego State University as its newest Member. SDSU offers a MFA in Design and Technology with focuses on scenery, costume, or lighting design and technology. With the addition of SDSU, URTA membership now numbers 43 universities—the largest in our organization’s history.

SDSU’s program is a rigorous three years with the goal of making the student the best artist, practitioner, and professional that they can become. The MFA provides a broad base of curricula, expanding the students’ reach beyond theatre to include television, film, and themed entertainment.

The degree is a balance of theoretical coursework, studio work, and production, personalized for the individual needs and desires of the particular student. For example, in consultation with their faculty advisor (each of whom has established a career of excellence in their field and continue to work professionally), a particular costume student may wish to take more technical courses than another student, or a scene design student may want to take a number of courses in the film and art direction area, or a lighting student may wish to spend time in the television area. Accepting only a few students per year in each discipline, faculty are able to work one-on-one with students to create the right program for them.

The learning environment is protective enough to enable success, while also maintaining direct exposure to the expansive theatre scene in the San Diego area.

Associate Professor Anne McMills said, “We look for students who are passionate and driven. Skills can be taught, but passion comes from the heart. We are looking for those students ready to immerse themselves in their field and push themselves to be the best.”

An important philosophy of the program is the belief that to excel as collaborative artists, students must understand and appreciate all areas of design and production. Accordingly, as part of their program, each student enrolls in three semesters of Collaborative Studies, the core studio/design course. This course is team-taught by three design faculty members each semester. Content varies according to the needs of the students but is normally project-oriented, often involving guest directors and emphasizing design research and skills, script analysis, and the design process. Areas of design other than theatre are included in each semester’s curriculum.

Students work with professionals both within and outside of the academic environment and design as often as their individual capabilities permit. An internship is required, often working as an assistant to a professional designer or in a television or film studio.

“We have been very fortunate to recruit at URTA as a guest university for the past two years. It has truly opened up the possibilities for our reach,” said McMills. “Being on the west coast, it can sometimes feel a little remote for potential students to afford the trip out from many places in the country. Attending the URTAs enables us to visit a centralized place and meet a wide range of students. Our number of on-campus visits has definitely tripled since we began to attend the URTAs.”

SDSU alumni can be found working in nearly every field of entertainment design imaginable, including Broadway, university-level teaching, Disney, television and film, and corporate events.

McMills added, “It is an absolute honor to be a part of URTA. Being considered among the top schools in the country means a lot to the profile of our school.”