What to expect-
The Certificate in Themed Entertainment invites undergraduate students to explore how story, design, culture, and audience engagement come together to create memorable themed experiences, from Disney Parks to escape rooms, interactive art installations, and more.
Students will examine how themed environments are designed to evoke emotion, wonder, and connection, and will gain insight into the creative processes that make them successful. The program blends analysis and creativity, allowing students to understand how narrative and space combine to transport audiences into new worlds.
Themed entertainment is a rapidly growing field that spans theatre, art, design, gaming, and live events. This certificate prepares students to interpret and design these experiences, building skills in storytelling, characterization, and audience engagement that are relevant across multiple entertainment industries.
Learning Outcomes
Students completing the Certificate in Themed Entertainment will be able to:
- Analyze how storytelling, character, and cultural context contribute to themed entertainment experiences.
- Evaluate how immersive environments shape audience engagement and emotional response.
- Design conceptual experiences that integrate narrative, environment, and audience interaction.
- Interpret themed entertainment experiences using creative and cultural perspectives.
- Communicate insights about the artistic and cultural significance of themed entertainment in contemporary society.
Coursework
The certificate consists of three courses totaling 9 credit hours, designed to be completed over 2–3 semesters.
Purpose:
The Certificate in Themed Entertainment introduces students to the theory, culture, and practice of themed entertainment through Theatre and related FAA courses. Students will engage with immersive storytelling, audience experience, and cultural analysis, building a foundation for further study, creative work, or professional opportunities in immersive and themed entertainment.
Coursework
Required Courses
- THEA 402: Designing Immersive Adventures – Escape Rooms (3 credits) – Fall only, in-person
- THEA 199: One Little Spark: Disney Storytelling, Culture, and Fandom (3 credits) – Fall and Spring, online asynchronous
Choose 3 Credits of Electives
- THEA 499: Themed Entertainment Scenic Design Lab
- THEA 436: Engagement & Alchemy of the Audience
- FAA 102: Design Beyond Boundaries
- FAA 402: Experience Design for Immersion and Interaction
- THEA 284: Introduction to Immersive and Interactive Theatre
Why Themed Entertainment?
From Disney Parks to immersive theatre, themed entertainment blends art, design, and storytelling to create experiences that captivate audiences worldwide. Whether your goal is to work in entertainment design, deepen your understanding of immersive storytelling, or simply explore the magic behind the worlds you love, this certificate offers students the opportunity to study these experiences critically and creatively.
Application
Current undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign may initiate their certificate by completing this Certificate Initiation Form. Non-degree students should review non-degree information here, then register with the university here and follow all non-degree enrollment instructions. Please initiate the certificate by submitting the Certificate Initiation Form once you have attended the first class of a certificate course.
Details
This certificate is credit-bearing, meaning that those who complete the course requirements will have a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign transcript with the courses completed and grades. The certificate is non-transcriptable, meaning that you will not earn a degree or diploma and the certificate completion will not be listed on students’ transcripts.
Up to 6 credit hours may count towards both the student’s major or minor and the certificate program.
Completion
Current undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign may indicate completion of their certificate by completing this Certificate Completion Form. Once the certificate coordinators verify completion of the certificate, it will be emailed to your netID. For official or unofficial transcripts reflecting the course completion, please request at https://registrar.illinois.edu/academic-records/transcripts/.
Questions
Please email Amber Dewey Schultz at amber@illinois.edu with any questions.