CINCINNATI — For some University of Cincinnati students, going to an amusement park is about more than just the rides. It’s a potential career.
Now, the university offers a course allowing students to get hands-on experience in the theme park world.
What You Need To Know
- UC created a course to teach students how to design theme parks and what goes into each ride
- Andrew Holcroft, a student in the course, said the connections made during the class was a highlight
- The class traveled to Orlando where they visited Disney and Universal Studios
- On those trips, the students connected with UC alumni in the industry
Orion, the newest roller coaster at Kings Island, is an intimidating one, and though Andrew Holcroft hasn’t ridden it yet, he got a behind-the-scenes tour.
“Orion was a special experience in that it’s more than just a roller coaster,” Holcroft said. “There’s a story that’s going on throughout the whole experience from the time you kind of walk up to this area and see the sign.”
Holcroft has always wanted to be in the theme park business, but before last year there weren’t any courses in the industry at UC.
“We had started a couple of organizations up on campus about this and with that, the faculty kind of got involved and said we need to have some kind of class for this,” he said.
Todd Foley, Ph.D., helped facilitate the class, especially with creating connections within the industry.
“To hear from them directly is so important because then they create those connections that they’re going to be able to have when they graduate from the university and be able to find new jobs and find new opportunities,” Foley said.
Which is what students like Holcroft did throughout the course, especially during their visit to Orlando.
“The chance to meet them and kind of make those connections and carry those on even past the course or the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Holcroft said.
Foley said Kings Island being in the university’s backyard gives the students and the course an advantage.
“I did not expect Cincinnati, Ohio to have such a strong connection to the theme park industry,” Foley said. “It is really quite rewarding to have a Kings Island in your backyard to be able to come up here to learn from the people who are doing the actual work and experience the park from a behind-the-scenes sort of way.”
For Holcroft, the course and the roller coasters were a reminder that this is where he wants to spend his career.
“I think my favorite thing about being in this industry is watching other people enjoy it,” he said. “Personally, I love roller coasters for that feeling at the top of the hill when you lose your stomach.”
After each ride, he knows he’s made the right choice.