Dec 04, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Entertainment Design and Technology [BA]


The Bachelor of Arts in Entertainment Design and Technology is a multidisciplinary program for students interested in the Entertainment Industry. The core curriculum is grounded in theatre design and technology, with supplemental studies from arts and technology courses across the campus.

Learn

Students will learn a wide range of skills related to theatrical design and technology (in areas such as scenery, lighting, costumes, projections, sound, management, and more). A core tenet is learning by doing. Students will build strong portfolios by engaging in hands-on work and collaborating with faculty and other students. 

Opportunities

Students are encouraged to seek opportunities to work in the entertainment industry. As such, faculty and staff engage students in finding employment and internship opportunities in the industry. In addition, our students regularly attend professional conferences such as The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). Finally, our program has connections with corporate affiliates who regularly provide support for our productions and offer employment opportunities for our students.

School Information


Communication, Media & Theatre Arts 124 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.6956 

Dennis O’Grady, PhD, Director

Advisor Information


Jeromy Hopgood, MFA, Professor, 123 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.3131

Melanie Schuessler Bond, MFA, Professor, 102 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.3131

Brian Scruggs, MFA, Assistant Professor, 123 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.0410

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 50-53 hours


Students will complete 50-53 credit hours from the following. A minimum of nine credit hours must be at the 300-level or above. Students must earn a “C” or higher on individual courses for major requirements.

Production Courses: 12 hours


Choose four courses from the following. At least one course must be “Media/Technology Intensive.”

Writing Intensive Course: 3-6 hours


Choose one course or course combination from the following. Taking one of the courses designated with a W in the History Courses category below also satisfies this requirement.

History Courses: 6 hours


Choose any two of the following courses. Courses marked with W will also fulfill the Writing Intensive requirement above; credits only count once towards total credits for the major.

Cognate Elective Courses: 9 hours


Choose any nine hours from the following offerings outside of chosen minor. At least one course must be “Media/Technology Intensive.”

Minor Requirement:


This major requires a minor.

Select a minor from the following Apparel, Textiles and Merchandising Art Arts and Entertainment Management Electronic Media and Film Studies Entrepreneurship Graphic Communication Music Management Marketing , or other minors as approved by the CMTA advisor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
    • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
    • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.