Theme Park Scope

Ever wondered how you actually turn a love of theme parks into a career building and operating them?

Universal Orlando and UCF are creating an even bigger pathway to do exactly that.

Universal Destinations & Experiences is highlighting its decades-long partnership with the University of Central Florida as the two organizations prepare the next generation of professionals who could eventually help shape the future of theme parks, resorts, immersive entertainment and guest experiences around the world.

At the center of that expanded partnership is the new Universal School of Experience Leadership & Innovation, a first-of-its-kind school housed within UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

And this isn’t simply Universal putting its name on a university program. The company is making a $10 million investment in the initiative.

Universal and UCF aren’t exactly strangers.

The relationship between UCF’s Rosen College and Universal has stretched for more than 20 years, with thousands of graduates going on to contribute across Universal’s parks, experiences and operations. Existing opportunities have also included hands-on programs such as the UCF/Universal Creative Lab.

In fact, UCF says Universal is its second-largest employer of students, with roughly 50 to 100 students each semester working in roles throughout the organization.

Since 2022, Universal Day has strengthened that connection even further, bringing Rosen College students and alumni together with Universal leaders for panel discussions, networking, recruiting and even on-the-spot interviews.

Universal’s newest feature highlights several people who have already followed that pathway from UCF into careers at Universal Orlando Resort — including a 2007 Rosen College graduate who is now a senior vice president of operations for Universal Destinations & Experiences.

That’s a pretty impressive career trajectory.

Universal Destinations & Experiences and UCF announced the Universal School of Experience Leadership & Innovation in May 2026.

The new school sits within UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management and creates a dual-school model alongside the existing School of Hospitality Leadership. The idea is to combine experience-focused education with subjects including business strategy, operations and service leadership.

For students dreaming about careers in themed entertainment, the curriculum goes well beyond learning how a theme park operates.

The school integrates areas including technology, storytelling, design thinking, business strategy, marketing, guest operations and leadership, with the goal of preparing graduates for careers throughout immersive and experience-driven industries.

Universal Destinations & Experiences Chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury said the program brings together creativity and technology with practical business, marketing and guest-service applications to prepare future themed-entertainment leaders.

This is where things get particularly interesting for theme park fans.

Research and education connected to the new school will explore technologies that could play an increasingly important role in how future theme parks and immersive experiences are designed and operated.

Focus areas include:

• Service robotics and human-centered approaches for guest and employee interactions
• Augmented and virtual reality simulation technologies for training, operations and immersive environments
• Artificial intelligence and digital twins for optimizing and personalizing guest experiences

Universal and UCF are also creating a new Hospitality Technology Lab, designed as a hands-on environment where students can test ideas and collaborate with UCF faculty, Universal professionals and other industry stakeholders.

The lab will incorporate coursework, student projects and faculty research, giving students opportunities to work with technology and challenges that reflect what’s actually happening in the industry.

The relationship extends beyond the new school.

Universal Destinations & Experiences has become UCF’s first entertainment-sector Pegasus Partner and the first Pegasus Partner to enter into a master research agreement with the university. That agreement is intended to make it easier for Universal and UCF to collaborate on applied research at a larger scale.

Pegasus Partners can work with UCF in areas including talent development and recruiting, collaborative research, joint ventures, strategic philanthropy and co-location at the university.

There’s another interesting component for people who already work for Universal: current Universal employees will be able to elect into degree programs at Rosen College to continue their own professional development.

So, while we’re usually talking about Universal’s next attraction, next theme park or next major expansion, this partnership is focused on something just as important: finding and developing the people who could eventually bring those experiences to life.

Keep checking back with Theme Park Scope as we continue following the latest Universal Orlando Resort news, developments and updates from across the theme park industry.