Prepare for an inspiring聽career with a degree from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.聽

The professional MS in聽Creative Technology & Design (CTD)聽focused in Experimental Practices offers mentoring in creative inquiry聽paired with science and engineering training for students interested in inventing through sound design, interactive media, motion capture and more.

Our 2-year master's聽course sequence is built for flexibility and rigor, allowing students with prior experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and other technical disciplines to transfer their skills into their creative interests, and for students with music performance, composition聽and other creative backgrounds to develop technical skills they can bring to their聽careers.

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How to Apply

The University of Colorado Boulder has one of the top 12聽public engineering graduate programs in the U.S., according to聽U.S. News and World Report鈥檚听聽for 2024-25.

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Program Benefits

Inspiring Experience

Small class sizes offer hands-on project-based learning with mentoring and collaboration. Core classes empower you to build a strong foundation in design, technology and leadership. Elective options in ATLAS and across campus聽allow you to deepen your focus in many future-foward disciplines.

Creative Collaboration

ATLAS and College of Music together provide a community of researcher-creators that welcome our MS students.聽ATLAS students share their work in the Soundworks concert series-forum, a meeting space for the creation and performance of new and original works by student composers, improvisers, performers and collaborators in the College of Music and CU Boulder community.

Learn & Work

Most students work at least part-time while in the program, including opportunities for roles at ATLAS, across campus, along the Front Range and in remote positions. CU Boulder offers many resources to assist you in finding roles, and the course schedule offers flexibility to match your needs.

Creative Community

Community is one of our great strengths. Invent the future by participating in聽labs and studios at ATLAS and the College of Music. Engage with industry leaders through roundtables, instruction and聽mentorship. Build lasting creative partnerships聽and聽foster聽deep bonds through collaboration, learning聽and social events.

Portfolio Development

Our curriculum leverages project-based learning with an emphasis on presenting your work. Guided by course聽and project assignments as well as direct feedback from working professionals, we help you develop a strong audio and visual portfolio that tells the story of who you are and what you do.

Future-forward Careers

Our students are uniquely positioned for the evolving job markets of the future. No single technology聽will fully equip students for the field鈥攊nstead we help you build a technical toolset and an approach to life-long learning and problem solving as your creative career聽evolves.

Curriculum

This program is anchored in a unique research community and space, the B2 Center for Media, Arts & Performance, with聽networked research and production spaces as well as聽state-of-the-art multichannel immersive audio, video projection, and motion capture equipment. We offer a core course sequence to familiarize聽you with the theoretical and practical applications of these tools for the creation of immersive experiences, including:

  • Immersive Audio & Ambisonics
  • Motion Capture for Performance
  • Interactive Sound
  • AR/VR

You can also access聽courses from partner programs at CU Boulder for聽in-depth engagement in your specialization. These聽include:聽

  • Music
  • Integrative Physiology
  • Computer Science
  • Environmental Design
  • Physics
  • Neuroscience
  • Speech and Hearing Sciences

State-of-the-Art Equipment

The program聽allows you access to the most innovative playspace in the region for creating聽immersive experiences, including:

  • 44 channel Ambisonic spatial audio system
  • 270掳 video projection
  • 20-camera Qualisys motion capture system
  • LED lighting systems that boggle the imagination

Expansive Possibilities

When advanced technology and art combine

Internationally acclaimed theater artists, the , developed a motion capture-based animated version of their production聽Othello: The Remix聽at the B2聽Center for Media, Arts & Performance, using the same facilities our students have access to.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video for a taste of what it's like to explore your practice at ATLAS.

Community Showcase

Anna Pillot's "INbalance | IMbalance"

An aerial work production exposing the performer's inner world

Soul茅 D茅esse's "Hermafrodek"

A sculptural exploration of surrealist gender-bending Afro-futurism

Brad Gallagher's "Cowbird"

A multi-media dance-controlled musical performance leveraging motion capture technology

How to Apply