We are Rebels — and we buck convention any chance we get. So why should you expect our academics to be any different? Check out out Entertainment Engineering and Design Program — first in the nation of its kind — that weaves best practices from engineering and fine arts to develop and use emerging technologies in an entertainment setting.
Fusing Technology and Art (With a Vegas Twist)
Production shows up and down the Strip have long tapped students from all sorts of majors, so UNLV has one eye on ensuring its academics keep pace with the industry, while the other is on taking Las Vegas’ native expertise in showmanship and exporting it to the world.
Our EED graduates will be developing the next generation of entertainment systems used throughout the globe — being employed by leading innovators including Pixar Studios, Universal Studios, Cirque du Soleil and Walt Disney Imagineering.
Cool Classes
EED is just one of our innovative programs that yield students who tackle problems from a variety of perspectives — and think outside the box. From magic and witchcraft to building robots using Legos, these wild courses can put sword fighters in training and future presidents ready to deal with environmental catastrophe.
Culture and Cuisine
Hospitality professor Yen-Soon Kim’s Culture and Cuisine looks at how the food of Asia, Europe and the Americas ties into the history, culture and religion of those areas, and how staples and ingredients migrated and transformed from territory to territory. And, oh yeah, students get to eat during class — capped off by a field trip to the Brazilian steakhouse Pampas. Not surprisingly, it fills up fast.
Robotics
“Not now, I’m working with my Legos. It’s important.” For anyone who wants to be able to say that and mean it, Paul Oh’s mechanical engineering elective Robotics teaches students mechanism design, programming, and electronics through hands-on labs — using Legos. It also delves into the ethics of robots in society, so we don’t have a Terminator-style uprising coming out of the Beam Engineering Complex.
Pro Golf Management
UNLV is home to one of only 18 PGA-accredited professional golf management programs in the nation, where our students are learning the art, science, and business of golf each day alongside some of the top innovators in the hospitality industry. These students are landing internships at the nation’s most sought-after golf destinations, and 100 percent of our grads secure jobs in the golf industry.
Physics for Future Presidents
Nonscience majors, rejoice. Jason Steffen’s Physics for Future Presidents covers everything the leader of the free world might need to know, scientifically speaking. From nuclear weapons and renewable energy to terrorist attacks and climate change, Steffen delves into both the practical and the more esoteric, like the physics of a spy getting assassinated via radioactive material. Well, esoteric unless you’re Russian, anyway.
Conflict Resolution
How do you fight? Whether it’s with family, friends, and romantic partners or at work, everyone has a different conflict style. Jennifer Guthrie’s Conflict resolution class looks at how and why people come into conflict and the ways they can resolve it. To cap the class, students have to produce a paper on conflict in their own lives, observed and recorded over a semester. Side note: a great way to derail any argument is to pull out the pen and paper.
Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion
Anthropology professor C. Todd White’s Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion starts from an unorthodox place: magic is real. Where it goes from there? From folklore and baseball superstitions to Native American spirituality, and interconnectedness with nature; and teaching the gnostic-minded how to see coincidence as part of a bigger picture and to smile when the universe is laughing at you.
Stage Combat
Guest instructor Kris Pruett’s advanced Stage Combat gets the stars of tomorrow ready for the sword fights of today. Starting with unarmed combat, Stage Combat gets students used to working safely with a partner before learning the finer points of fighting. Drawing on classic fencing techniques, Stage Combat teaches dynamic storytelling through fighting. Now if they can learn to do it on skates, they could make a case for the Golden Knights pregame show.
Whether your interests lie with a pre-professional program that will lead you to an advanced degree, or something unique that will let you explore and push the boundaries of what’s possible, you can find your fit at UNLV.