Pursue a Degree in AET
AET students are passionate about exploring new ideas with creativity with technology. The Bachelor of Science degree plan is designed with this in mind, allowing students to choose their own path through the curriculum by specializing in a concentration such as Game Design, Live Event Technologies, or Sound Design, or exploring interdisciplinary topics aligned with their interests.
Explore detailed course info on the Courses page
Lower Division Courses
All students complete a series of six (6) hands-on lower division courses that support exploration of many different facets of entertainment technologies practice. These courses impart foundational knowledge and prepare students for more advanced and specialized upper division coursework.
Upper Division Course Concentrations
Students choose ten (10) upper division courses based on their interests and career goals. While courses can be mixed and matched to satisfy this degree requirement, we provide the following recommended course sequences to help students plan their AET journey and prepare for careers in the dynamic world of entertainment technologies.
Game Design
Game Designers, Artists, and Animators work on interdisciplinary teams to create dynamic and immersive virtual worlds for the multibillion dollar game industry. Students in this concentration develop both personal and collaborative skills in various industry-relevant subjects, acquiring both technical and creative knowledge to ensure they're well-equipped for the challenges and opportunities in the game industry.
Choose three (3) introductory courses from this list:
– Visual Storytelling
– Game Art Pipeline
– Principles of Animation
– Storyboarding
– Intro to Narrative
Choose five (5) upper division and advanced focus courses:
Game Design
– Level Design
– Game Scripting
– Game System Design
– User Interfaces
– Game Prototyping*
– Game Modding*
– Mobile Game Design*
– Tech Art I*
– Indie Game Studio*
Game Art
– Level Design
– 3D Modeling & Texturing
– 3D Materials & Lighting
– User Interfaces
– Game Modding*
– Tech Art I*
– Indie Game Studio*
Animation
– Drawing for Designers
– Principles of Animation
– 2D Animation for Games
– Interactive Animation*
– Game Character Animation*
– Game Modding*
Choose two (2) special topics courses such as:
– Exploring User Interaction*
– Next Level Arcade*
– Business of Entertainment
*Advanced courses may be restricted by prerequisites
Interdisciplinary Study Opportunity
AET is a proud partner in the UT Game Development and Design Program, an interdepartmental collaboration with the Department of Computer Science and Department of Radio-Television-Film, offering cross-listed courses for students from any of the three departments.
Courses open to AET students:
– Game Programming Paradigms
– 2D Game Capstone
– 3D Game Capstone
– Virtual Production
– Writing for Games
Live Event Technologies
Live Event Technologists and Immersive Media Specialists collaborate with creative directors, designers, and performers to bring live events to life. Combining both physical spaces and digital technologies, students in this concentration create unforgettable moments with cutting edge programmable lighting, audio, video projection, motion capture, and interactive technology, preparing them for professional opportunities.
Choose three (3) introductory courses from this list:
– Visual Storytelling
– Principles of Animation
– Storyboarding
– Intro to Narrative
Choose five (5) upper division and advanced focus courses:
Live Event Technologies
– Themed Entertainment Design
– Special Event Production
– 3D Previsualization
– Live Event Engineering*
– 3D Projection Mapping*
– Concert & Event Lighting*
Immersive Media
– Themed Entertainment Design
– Special Event Production
– Interactive Environments
– Realtime Video Programming
– Next Level Arcade*
Choose two (2) special topics courses such as:
– Managing Creative Projects
– Art Making in VR
– Designing For Clients*
– Advanced Creative Coding*
– Exploring User Interaction*
– Business of Entertainment
*Advanced courses may be restricted by prerequisites
Interdisciplinary Study Opportunity
AET partners with the Integrated Media for Live Performance graduate program in the Department of Theatre and Dance to offer students access to unique coursework.
Courses open to AET students:
– Digital Fabrication
– Scenic Art and Rendering
– Media Design and Technology
– Projection Design
– Advanced Production Laboratory
Sound Design
Sound Designers create immersive experiences with soundscapes and auditory effects for film, animation, video games, virtual reality, and live events. Students in this concentration learn sound synthesis, recording, editing, mixing, and spatial audio techniques across various media platforms.
Complete the following introductory courses:
– Sound Design
– Audio Processing
Choose five (5) upper division and advanced focus courses:
Game Audio
– Intro to Game Audio
– DIY Synthesizers
– Generative Audio Programming*
– Advanced Game Audio*
Immersive Audio
– Intro to Audio Coding
– DIY Synthesizers
– Interactive Environments
– Realtime Video Programming
– Interactive Music*
– Generative Audio Programming*
– Advanced Audio Coding*
Choose three (3) additional or special topics courses such as:
– Project Management
– Intro to Narrative
– AI Sound Design
– Musical Acoustics
*Advanced courses may be restricted by prerequisites
Interdisciplinary Study Opportunity
AET partners with the Butler School of Music to offer additional audio courses for AET students.
Courses open to AET students:
– Film Scoring
Collaborations and Partnership Courses
We offer differing topics courses each semester based on industry partnerships, interesting practitioners in the field, and collaborations within the college and university. Many of these courses provide a conduit to cutting edge practice and emerging trends in creative technology fields. The lists below represent past and present topics, partnerships, and collaborations.
Industry Partnership Courses:
– Digital Experience Design (with Gensler Architecture)
– Future of Gaming (with Dell)
– AI Narrative Design (with Electronic Arts)
– Immersive Art Installations (with Wonderspaces)
Research Partnership Courses:
– Gulf Crisis Escape Room (with Planet Texas 2050)
– Games for Good (with Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Internal Medicine, and School of Nursing)
Collaborative Event Courses:
– Multiple AET Courses (with Bee Cave BuzzFest)
– Multiple AET Courses (AET special event: Ride the Synthwave)
– Multiple AET Courses (with Austin Design Week)
– Evolution (with the Butler School of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance)
– Live Audio Coding (with École polytechnique de l'université d'Angers, Angers, France)
Academic Partnership Courses:
– Humor in Storytelling (with New York University)
Recommended Minors and Certificates
Students are strongly encouraged to complete a minor or certificate in addition to their AET coursework. Elective course requirements in the AET degree plan provide enough credits to complete most of the minors available at the university.
Popular choices include:
– Elements of Computing
– Design Strategies
– Business Minor
– Studio Art Minor