Design & Production

Where the future of art and artist align.

High School, Undergraduate and Graduate Design and Production

Ready to apply? Here's how:

Review Deadlines

Select your conservatory admissions page to find specific application deadlines. In general, for entry fall 2026, final deadlines are January 8, 2026 for Filmmaking and January 15, 2026 for all other schools.

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Start Your Application

Visit uncsa.edu/admissions/apply to start the application process. Each of our five conservatories has its own admissions process and requirements, and our counselors are here to guide you and offer a personalized experience. schedule a campus tour!

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Upload Documents

Not sure which documents to upload? Attend a Virtual Info Session to get all the details. These will likely include your transcript, courses in progress, test scores, two letters of recommendation, artistic statement and resume.

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Auditions & Interviews

If you meet the admissions criteria, you will be evaluated by faculty which may include an interview or audition as the final step in the process. Now is the time to schedule a campus visit to get a feel for life at UNCSA.

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UNCSA was life-changing for me. I realize just how much of an effect it's had on my growth overall and is so much a part of who I am and how I relate to people.

Alumnus

Paul TazewellB.F.A. Costume Design and Technology ’86
Wicked (film), Hamilton, MJ the Musical, West Side Story (film)

Is the School of Design & Production right for you?

Nurture Your Talent

Our community supports both art and artists in building technical expertise and honing practical life skills, including career preparedness, project management, financial
literacy and more.

Sharpen Your Craft

With over 150 innovative courses and interdisciplinary opportunities, you will learn the history of your craft and the cutting-edge technologies reshaping the industry. As one of the nation’s few public conservatories, our tuition is much more affordable than other preeminent arts conservatories.

Make a Statement

As the only standalone design and production program in the world, our conservatory experience is tailored to your individual needs. Our resident faculty and extensive networks will provide a profoundly creative and hands on experience to prepare you for the road ahead.

Set Your Career In Motion

Major industry leaders—Disney Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil and TAIT Towers, just to name a few—often hire Design & Production students before graduation for careers in theater, live entertainment, museums, theme parks and beyond.

Top 10 Costume Design programs
in the world

—The Hollywood Reporter

Storytelling without words:
Props bring "Spring Awakening" to life

Follow the work of students in the stage properties program as they prepare custom, period-appropriate pieces for UNCSA's production of "Spring Awakening." Students work to build a skeletal piano, create leatherbound books and construct a field of (flame retardant) wheat.

Alumni Success

Our alumni work as make-up artists, stage managers, prop designers, sound engineers, lighting technicians and
more in some of the most prestigious and well-known institutions across the globe — on Broadway, on television,
on film and beyond.

Michael Kelley, Dean of Design & Production

Award-winning alumnus Michael Kelley became the Dean of Design & Production in 2015 after achieving success as a senior producer and principal designer on Broadway, in regional theatre, television, film and themed entertainment. He has been an art director and set decorator for HBO, Nickelodeon, Universal Studios, Lifetime Network, Children’s Television Workshop and Walt Disney Imagineering, and he received Emmy Awards for his work on “Deadwood” and “Sesame Street.”

Discover how powerful your talent can become.

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