The UCLA Department of Theater and UCLA REMAP have established the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Emerging Technologies for Performance. Beginning in academic year 2020, graduate students from all Theater disciplines will be able to gain advanced training in the roles, impacts, socio-technical contexts, and practical design and integration strategies for emerging technologies—leading to being awarded Certificates from the Department along with their degrees upon graduation.
Coursework, research projects and collaborative production opportunities will provide enrolled students hands-on experience integrating emerging technologies—such as machine learning, real-time rendering, augmented reality, and human-computer interfaces—into the creation of performances. This will equip them with next-generation skills for their work within the theater, and also position them for opportunities available in other fields—from gaming and cyberlearning to themed entertainment and immersive experience design.
The Certificate program will be co-organized by UCLA REMAP, which will support the research and production components. It will be led by REMAP Director Jeff Burke, Professor In-Residence in the Department of Theater and Associate Dean, Technology and Innovation for UCLA TFT.
Interested students will apply while already enrolled in Theater graduate programs at UCLA. Upon acceptance, they will be required to complete a minimum of 16 units of related courses, commensurate with their interests and disciplines’ degree paths—such as Acting for Virtual Environments and digital design courses within the Department (Computer-assisted Rendering or Sound Design), as well as Contemporary Artificial Intelligence in Live Performance and Survey of Emerging Technologies and Their Uses in Live Performance. Additionally, they will be required to contribute to projects with significant focuses on emerging technologies, in roles related to their primary Theater disciplines.
This article will be updated. Please watch for news about the Certificate program.
UCLA Department of Theater—Fall 2020-present.