Computer Science Degree for Game Development: What the Data Shows

Computer Science for Game Development in 60 Seconds

• Game programmers are counted as software developers. The federal wage survey has no game programmer category, so the people who write game code are counted in the occupation CS degrees train for. In O*NET's survey, 85% of software developers said a bachelor's is the usual education. The Short Answer ›
• Colleges awarded 72,467 CS degrees and 2,180 game degrees. Those are 2024 bachelor's counts from 1,102 and 94 colleges. Game degrees grew faster from 2022, 25% against 11%, but CS added 7,006 graduates, more than 3 times every game bachelor's awarded in 2024. Degrees Awarded ›
• Some CS degrees build the game work in. UT Austin and NC State run game concentrations built around a computer graphics course. USC, UC Santa Cruz and Northeastern offer game degrees inside computer science, and small departments such as Fitchburg State and Saint Xavier run game tracks too. CS Game Tracks ›
• CS graduates out-earned game graduates at every paired college. At 4 colleges that report both, CS graduates earned $27,303 to $57,089 more four years out. Across 812 CS programs the middle figure was $91,866. The data covers only graduates who received federal aid. Graduate Earnings ›
• Software developers earned a $135,980 median. That is the federal pay figure for the occupation that counts game programmers, against $104,000 for the designer occupation. BLS projects 10.2% growth to 2035, and the same degree opens software jobs outside games. Pay and Outlook ›
• Finished games, an engine and teamwork are on you. A CS degree without a game track rarely teaches a commercial engine or puts you on a team with designers and artists. Plan two or three finished games of your own, with source code, before you apply to studios. What CS Leaves Out ›

Heads up A game programming bachelor's teaches programming, graphics and game physics with the games built in. In effect it is a computer science degree that has already chosen its electives.

The short answer

Can a Computer Science Degree Lead to Game Development?

Yes, and for programming jobs it is the default route. The federal wage survey has no game programmer category. It counts the people who write game code as software developers, the occupation computer science degrees are built for, and in O*NET's survey of that occupation 85% said a bachelor's degree is the usual education. A studio hiring a gameplay, engine or tools programmer is hiring a software developer who works on games.

The catch is that a computer science degree doesn't have to include a single game. The federal definition of the field describes computer theory, computing problems and the design of computer systems, with no mention of games. A CS graduate who wants a game job needs the degree plus finished game work: a portfolio of projects with code a lead programmer can read. The rest of this guide shows how much of that work a CS program can supply, and how often a game degree supplies it instead.

Degrees awarded

Computer Science vs. Game Degrees, by the Numbers

Computer science is one of the largest majors in the country. Game degrees are a niche. In 2024, U.S. colleges awarded 72,467 computer science bachelor's degrees at 1,102 colleges, and 2,180 bachelor's degrees in the three game fields this site ranks, at 94 colleges.

The computer science total includes degrees in general computer and information sciences, because that is how many colleges, UT Austin and Northeastern among them, report their computer science majors. They make up about 39% of the total.

Game degrees grew faster from a much smaller base: 25% from 2022 to 2024, against 11% for computer science. In raw numbers, though, computer science added 7,006 graduates in those two years, which is more than 3 times every game bachelor's awarded in 2024. That matters when you apply for a programming job at a studio. Most of the people applying with you will hold a computer science degree, and the hiring team will be used to reading CS transcripts.

The two routes also overlap on campus. Of the colleges with a game bachelor's in our data, 63 of 89 also awarded computer science bachelor's degrees in 2024. At those schools a CS major can often take game courses, and a game major can often take CS courses, without changing colleges.

What CS teaches

What a Computer Science Degree Teaches That Game Programming Uses

A computer science major spends its first two years on programming, data structures, algorithms, discrete math and calculus, then turns to systems: how operating systems, memory, compilers and networks work. Very little of that is labeled "games," and almost all of it shows up in game code. A game has to update hundreds of objects, check collisions and draw a frame many times a second on the hardware players own, and the courses that teach you to measure and cut the cost of code are the CS core.

The course that connects CS most directly to games is computer graphics. It is where vectors and matrices stop being abstract and start moving objects on a screen, and the game concentrations treat it as the entry point. At UT Austin, students must finish CS 354 Computer Graphics before they can enroll in the 2D game development course. At NC State, every student in the concentration must take CSC 461 Computer Graphics and CSC 481 Game Design and Development. If you are in a CS program without a game track, the graphics elective is the first one to claim.

O*NET's list of in-demand technology for software developers names IBM SPSS Statistics, SAS, TensorFlow, The MathWorks MATLAB, Atlassian Bitbucket and GitLab. None of those is a game engine, and none is specific to games. The engine, the art pipeline and the habits of a game team are what a CS student has to add.

Game programming degrees start from the same place. They teach programming, graphics and game physics with the games built in, so a game programming bachelor's is, in effect, a computer science degree that has already chosen its electives. Our game development degrees ranking scores 31 of these programs in game programming and simulation.

Game tracks

Computer Science Degrees With a Game Development Track

Some colleges close the gap inside the CS degree, with a concentration, a specialization or a combined major. The 9 below are described from each school's own program page. They range from large public CS departments to small private colleges. The last column is the number of computer science bachelor's degrees each college awarded in 2024, for scale.

Concentrations keep the full CS degree. NC State is plain about it: students in its game concentration take every course the CS major requires, and the concentration only narrows which electives count. Students apply to it after finishing several CS courses, so it is a decision made in the second year, not at admission. UT Austin's concentration works the same way for its current CS majors, and the department says the concentration is meant to lead to internships and jobs in game development. A concentration costs you the freedom to pick other electives, and in exchange your transcript says "games" without giving up anything a general CS employer would look for.

Named degrees go further. USC's B.S. in Computer Science Games covers game engine programming, game design and two semester-long final game projects, and it requires a C or better in each of five core CS courses. UC Santa Cruz's computer game design B.S. runs a two-course game development sequence and a two-quarter design studio, and the catalog warns that students must start the major's courses in their first year. Northeastern's combined major splits the degree between computer science and game technology and design. These are the closest thing to a game degree that still reads as computer science.

Smaller colleges offer it too. Nebraska Omaha, Fitchburg State and Saint Xavier each awarded fewer than 150 CS bachelor's degrees in 2024, and each runs a game track. Fitchburg State's concentration adds four game programming CS courses and two game design courses, and Nebraska Omaha's is an 18-hour concentration in 2D and 3D game programming and graphics. A small department can mean small classes and more faculty time, but fewer game electives to choose from, so read the course list before you count on a particular class.

5 of the 9 colleges, Northeastern, USC, UC Santa Cruz, Utah and Fitchburg State, also have a separate game bachelor's in our data. At those schools you can compare the CS track and the game degree side by side, and sometimes switch between them.

Earnings

What Computer Science Graduates Earn Compared With Game Graduates

The College Scorecard reports earnings by major at each college. It reports them only for graduates who received federal financial aid, and only where enough of them can be tracked, which is why few game programs appear: most are too small. Computer science is large enough to report widely. Across 812 CS bachelor's programs with a figure, the middle program's graduates earned $91,866 four years after finishing, and across 802 programs, $66,521 after one year.

To compare fairly, here is what computer science and game graduates earned at the same 4 colleges.

Computer science graduates earned more at every one of the 4 colleges, by $27,303 to $57,089. Each comparison holds the college constant, so the gap isn't a richer school set against a poorer one. Two cautions apply. A sample of 4 colleges is small, and the CS graduates include everyone who went to work in finance, cloud software and every other industry that pays programmers well, not only those who went into games. The figures say a CS degree opens more well-paid doors. They don't say a CS graduate in a game studio earns more than a game graduate in the same job. At UC Santa Cruz, the game program is its Bachelor of Science in Computer Science: Computer Game Design, the same degree in the game track table above, so even a computer science degree with a game focus earned less there than the general CS degree.

Pay and outlook

Game Programmer Pay and Job Outlook in Federal Data

Because game programmers are counted as software developers, that occupation's figures are the closest federal measure of game programming pay. Software developers earned a median of $135,980 in May 2025, with the middle half between $105,210 and $171,980. For comparison, web and digital interface designers, the occupation that counts video game designers, earned a median of $104,000.

BLS projects 10.2% growth for software developers from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations. The projection covers every industry. It can't tell you whether game studios will be hiring in the year you graduate. That is the real argument for computer science: the same degree that qualifies you for a game programming job qualifies you for the much larger market outside games, so a slow year at the studios doesn't strand you.

Entry pay sits near the bottom of those ranges, and studio pay can differ from the all-industry figures. The game developer salary page breaks software developer pay down by state and metro area, and the game developer career guide covers the job titles and the path in.

The gaps

Where a Computer Science Degree Falls Short for Games

A CS degree without a game track leaves three things for you to supply yourself.

• Finished games. Studios look for evidence that you can ship. A game degree runs years of team projects that end in playable games; a CS degree may run one capstone, and it may not be a game. Plan two or three finished projects of your own, with source code, and see the game portfolio guide for how to present them.
• A game engine. CS courses teach the languages and the systems underneath, but rarely a commercial engine. Learn one well enough to build a complete small game in it, using the programming and systems courses as the foundation underneath.
• Working with designers and artists. Game code serves a design and carries art, and the hard part of a studio job is often the conversation with the people who own those. Game degrees put programmers, designers and artists on the same team for years. A CS student gets that experience from game jams, student game clubs or a cross-listed game projects course.

UT Austin's concentration shows how seriously a CS department takes the portfolio gap. Students without the game technology prerequisite for its 3D capstone can instead submit work showing their game-related software, designs, art, sound and stories. The department is reading portfolios, as a studio would.

Adding games

How to Add Game Development to a Computer Science Degree

If you are already in a CS program, or choosing one, these are the levers in order of how much they change your transcript.

• Pick a college with a game track. A concentration or named degree, like those in the table above, puts graphics, game projects and a game design course into the degree requirements, so you can't skip them.
• Take the graphics course early. Both concentrations above treat it as the gate. Take linear algebra before or alongside it.
• Use the game program next door. 63 colleges in our data award both CS and game bachelor's degrees. Ask whether CS majors may take the game program's design or projects courses, or a minor.
• Build outside class. Finish small games, enter game jams, and keep the source on a public repository with a short write-up of what you built and what you would change.
• Read the course list, not the brochure. Our game design classes guide shows what full game degrees require, which is a useful checklist for the electives you choose.

Choosing

Computer Science or a Game Degree: How to Choose

• Choose computer science if you want to program and want the whole software industry open to you. It is the larger, better-paid market, and studios hire from it. Pick a program with a game track if you can.
• Choose a game programming or game development degree if you are sure you want games and want years of game projects built into the degree. Check that its programming and math courses look like a CS core, because some do and some don't.
• Choose game design if you want to design games rather than program them. Our game design vs. game development guide compares the two in detail.

If you are still unsure, the CS degree with a game concentration keeps the most options open. It reads as computer science to any employer and as game programming to a studio, and you can decide in your second or third year which one you want to be.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Be a Game Developer With a Computer Science Degree?

Yes. The federal wage survey has no game programmer category; it counts game programmers as software developers, the occupation a computer science degree trains for. In O*NET's survey, 85% of software developers said a bachelor's is the usual education for the job. What a CS graduate usually lacks is finished game work, so plan to build a portfolio alongside the degree. See the short answer.

Is Computer Science or Game Design Better for Game Development?

For programming jobs in games, computer science or a game programming degree fits better than game design, which spends more of its time on rules, levels and playtesting. Computer science is also far more common: colleges awarded 72,467 CS bachelor's degrees in 2024 against 2,180 in the three game fields. Choose game design if you want to design games, not program them. See how to choose.

Does a Computer Science Degree Pay More Than a Game Degree?

At the 4 colleges where the College Scorecard reports both, CS graduates earned more four years after finishing than graduates of the same school's game program, by $27,303 to $57,089. Across 812 CS programs, the middle program's graduates earned $91,866 four years out. These figures cover only graduates who received federal aid, and the CS figure includes graduates working in every industry, not only games. See the earnings comparison.

What Classes Should a CS Major Take for Game Development?

Computer graphics comes first: both UT Austin and NC State put a graphics course at the center of their game concentrations. After that, take a game design course, a game projects course where you build with a team, and the linear algebra the graphics course leans on. Our classes guide shows what full game degrees require. See the CS game tracks.

Can I Add Game Development to a Computer Science Degree?

Often, yes. 9 programs named on this page add games to a CS degree through a concentration, a specialization or a combined major, and 63 of 89 colleges with a game bachelor's in our data also award CS degrees, so a minor or electives in the game program may be open to CS majors. Ask each school whether CS majors can enroll in its game courses. See how to add it.

Is a Computer Science Degree Harder Than a Game Development Degree?

It depends more on the program than on the name. Some game degrees are close to computer science: USC's B.S. in Computer Science Games requires a C or better in each of five core CS courses. The difference is less about difficulty than about where your hours go: CS spends them on theory and systems, a game degree on finished games. See the trade-offs.

Keep exploring

Related Pages

• Ranking Best Game Design Schools 89 ranked · Bachelor's See the ranking ›
• Ranking Best Online Game Design Degrees 13 confirmed online · Online See the ranking ›
• Ranking Most Affordable Game Design Schools 81 ranked · Lowest cost See the ranking ›
• Ranking Best Public Game Design Schools 27 ranked · Public See the ranking ›
• Guide What Is Game Design? The rules, systems and levels a designer builds, and how the work actually happens. Read the guide ›
• Guide Is Game Design a Good Career? Pay, outlook, competition and degree cost, laid out honestly. Read the guide ›

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Sources

1. 1 NCES, Classification of Instructional Programs 2020: Computer Science The federal definition of the field. Accessed October 24, 2026.
2. 2 NCES, Classification of Instructional Programs 2020: Computer and Information Sciences, General The federal definition of the field. Accessed October 24, 2026.
3. 3 UT Austin Computer Science, Game Development Concentration Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
4. 4 NC State Computer Science, Game Development Concentration Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
5. 5 Northeastern University catalog, Computer Science and Game Development, BS Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
6. 6 USC Computer Science, B.S. in Computer Science (Games) Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
7. 7 UC Santa Cruz catalog, Computer Science: Computer Game Design B.S. Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
8. 8 University of Utah, Division of Games Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
9. 9 University of Nebraska Omaha catalog, Game Programming Concentration Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
10. 10 Fitchburg State University, Game Programming Concentration Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
11. 11 Saint Xavier University, B.S. in Computer Science, Game Development Program name and requirements, paraphrased from the school’s page. Accessed October 24, 2026.
12. 12 NCES, IPEDS Completions 2022 and 2024 Bachelor's degrees awarded by field, and the computer science degrees each college awarded. Accessed October 24, 2026.
13. 13 U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study data Median earnings one and four years after completion, by college and four-digit field. Accessed October 24, 2026.
14. 14 BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 National pay for software developers and web and digital interface designers. Accessed October 13, 2026.
15. 15 BLS, Employment Projections 2025-35 Projected growth for software developers. Accessed October 13, 2026.
16. 16 O*NET OnLine, 15-1252.00 Software Developers Education survey and the technology the occupation uses most. Accessed October 13, 2026.