<p>Hi all -- I'm new here and this is my first post. My son is an incoming high school junior and we're just starting the college search process. We live in CA. Planning an college-tour trip to Boston/NYC areas in Aug, but we're open re school location.</p>
<p>He's interested in engineering and musical theater. Quite a combo! Trying to figure out if it's possible to do both. Double major? Major and minor? They are so different. How to find schools where he could make this work?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your help and advice!</p>
<p>I don’t know a lot about MT, but I’ve never seen it offered as a minor. Isn’t it usually a major that requires auditions? Maybe others will clarify.</p>
<p>I don’t think minoring in engineering is a good idea. What discipline of eng’g is he interested in?</p>
<p>I guess a double major might be possible, but it sounds like too many credits would be needed. Does the student have a LOT of AP credits?. Eng’g often requires additional credits, and MT’s req’ts are totally different.</p>
<p>My kids’ undergrad has engineering and MT…but I’ve never heard of kids doing both. THAT SAID, the engineers who were interested in MT, started their OWNl theatre group and they put on 2 performances per year. </p>
<p>My other concern is that engineering students often have to work late into the night on homework/projects, yet that would be the time that MT students also have demands. </p>
<p>Will you need financial aid? if so, will you QUALIFY for the aid that you need? And, are you looking at schools that meet need?</p>
<p>You should seriously consider Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Aside from being well regarded nationally for its engineering programs (arguably the best robotics engineering program in the world), it has a surprisingly vibrant drama department ([WPI</a> Theatre - home](<a href=“http://users.wpi.edu/~theatre/]WPI”>http://users.wpi.edu/~theatre/)). I have a friend who goes to WPI and is currently double majoring in mechanical engineering and drama. He loves both programs.</p>
<p>Go U Northwestern! (first line of our fight song, I don’t remember the rest).</p>
<p>NU’s got strong programs in both. They’ve also already got a 5 year double major program established with the school of music and the engineering school. While it’s not the same as a theatre/engineering program, it gives some precedent for working with potential engineers who are also artists. </p>
<p>I can’t give much in the way of specifics since I was neither a music, theatre, or engineering student and I intended back in the days when phones were attached the wall by cords, but I’d encourage him to explore it.</p>
<p>Has he looked at USC? They offer a great musical theatre minor in Thornton School of Music that could work well with an engineering major in their Engineering School (Viterbi). The university actually encourages students to take wildly differing double majors or major/minor combinations and award honors at graduation for those who do.</p>
<p>It might just work - a friend’s son was an engineering student at U of M where he was also a competitive gymnast. He is now performing with Cirque du Soleil.</p>
<p>I was thinking WPI too, our tour guide was very enthusiastic about their drama offerings, but she was studying engineering. RPI also has a big new arts building and is interested in fostering connections between arts and engineering. [About:</a> EMPAC - experimental media and performing arts center - troy, ny usa](<a href=“http://empac.rpi.edu/about/]About:”>About | Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC)) Carnegie Mellon is very strong in both fields, but I don’t think you can combine performance major with engineering. I know some engineers there get involved in stage sets though.</p>
<p>Engineering academics are intense and demanding. It would probably be tough to double major. But I think at Case in Cleveland they did say the Engineering/Music was a popular combo. The do like geeky, creative applicants.</p>
<p>My son also had the same interests in HS, and almost went to USC for that very reason - a good engineering and theater program. What we DID find, when researching schools, is that many of the schools with strong theater programs were less encouraging to those students who weren’t 100% drama majors. In the end, he chose a UC that has very strong engineering and a relatively small theater dept. But this is good - the theater folks welcomed him with open arms because they don’t have anything to prove. </p>
<p>Also… your son is still young. Our HS had an incredible drama program, and half the graduating seniors intended to major in theater. The glow quickly wears off for many in college. By sophomore year in college, my son had moved on from drama and is thrilled to be at such a fantastic engineering school. My advice is to look at the longterm picture and choose the best engineering program you can find. He won’t have time to do more than dabble in theater anyway, since engineering is a tough major. My son did theater tech, which kept him involved in drama without the rigorous time commitment.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon allows many dual majors and minors with ONE exception–Musical Theatre. It is one of hte most competitive to get into in the whole country and the few students who are admitted can only take MT curriculum. There are a couple of 'outside" classes they can take but only within the very strict requirements for the major. It is considered too intense to do anything else. Engineers, on the other hand, may double in art or music or anthro but not musical theatre. Not surprising since the only important factor in admission to MT is the audition–they need to have graduated from HS–but just that…grades/scores…not even looked at for admission.</p>
<p>I think it’s a great idea. Our high school had a fantastic drama group, and the best and brightest students were involved in it. It’s no secret that those with musical talents are also mathematically gifted. </p>
<p>I always tell my son, just because you don’t major in something doesn’t mean you have to lose your passion for it. Your child could major in engineering, to have an employable major, but still enjoy his passion of musical theater.</p>
<p>I think the two majors do mesh, though. Building sets is hard work, not to mention making sure the acoustics, lighting, etc, are in line for a great production.</p>
<p>There are some good schools with both engineering and musical theater majors, so I’d start there. If you don’t find a good fit at any of those, at least try to find a school that has an active drama program. Putting on a production is hard work, and I’m sure they’d welcome any extra hands, regardless of major.</p>
<p>I also agree with looking at WPI. They have several theater groups, vocal ensembles, and intrumental ensembles. Students are required to have a proficiency in Humanities, and several students select the theater track. Students run most of the productions, from the performance, sets, backstage, ticket sales, etc. I have been to several productions, and they are very good, especially since it is a tech school.</p>
<p>My son received dual majors from Colorado College. Dance and Mathematical Economics. He got a dance performance contract after graduation (in Taipei) and is now working on developing experience and expertise in the filming of dance performaces (he is doing this at the American Dance Festival at Duke University as we speak) and choreography.</p>
<p>Colorado College is a liberal arts college but has a engineering partnership program with Columbia, USC and Rensselaer Poly Tech. Colorado College does not have a musical theater degree track, but this is an example of how someone could possibly attend a LAC for the MT degree and get the engineering degree.</p>
<p>It is a sight to behold when a strong right brained student also thrives in an artistic field. Best of luck</p>
<p>A friend’s daughter is a math major/musical theatre minor. Don’t know what they offer for engineering, but it’s considered a pretty decent school… And some kids really like the co-op/internship program as a way of “trying on” a career before making a committment. (It’s a 5-year program because of the time spent in (usually paid) co-op work.)</p>