Game Design Classes: What You Study in a Degree

Game Design Classes in 60 Seconds

• Level design is required at only 1 of 6. Design fundamentals are required at all 6 programs and programming at 5, but only CSU Chico requires a level design course by name. DigiPen offers level design only inside choice lists. Kinds of Classes ›
• Required lists run from 4 courses to 20. UC Santa Cruz fixes 4 course slots and chooses 10 from lists, while CSU Chico fixes 20. UC Irvine fixes 5 and lets students pick a project track. Electives ›
• Only RIT requires calculus and physics. RIT requires Discrete Mathematics, Mathematics of Graphical Simulation I, College Physics I and a calculus course. DigiPen requires statistics, and the other four name no math in the major. Math ›
• Unity is the engine catalogs name most. UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz name Unity in course descriptions, UC Irvine also names Unreal, and Utah's art electives name Maya, ZBrush and Houdini. RIT and CSU Chico name no engine. Tools ›
• UC Irvine's capstone runs two quarters. Utah requires Capstone I and II, DigiPen students take 2 of 6 capstones, and UC Santa Cruz runs a yearlong game project. RIT requires two co-op blocks instead. Capstones ›

The pattern

What Game Design Classes Cover

Here are the full major requirements for 6 game design bachelor's programs, from their current catalogs: UC Irvine's Game Design and Interactive Media, B.S., CSU Chico's Computer Animation and Game Development BS, Option in Game Development, Utah's Bachelor of Science in Games (BSG), UC Santa Cruz's Art & Design: Games + Playable Media B.A., RIT's Game Design and Development BS and DigiPen's Bachelor of Arts in Game Design. Their required courses fall into 8 kinds of class, grouped by course title. A "choose one of" list counts as a required course in a topic when every option is in that topic, so UC Irvine's "GDIM 31 or I&C SCI 31" is one required programming course whichever you pick.

Only design fundamentals turn up everywhere. Programming is required at 5 of the 6, and UC Santa Cruz is the exception: its required courses are about aesthetics, experience design and play, and programming arrives only if a student chooses it. Level design is the surprise. Only CSU Chico requires a level design course by name (CAGD 270 Level Design); DigiPen offers Level Design I, II and a level design capstone, but as options inside larger choice lists. If a specialty matters to you, check whether it is required, offered as a choice, or missing.

The totals differ just as much. CSU Chico names 20 required course slots and RIT 19, while UC Santa Cruz names 4 and fills the rest of the major from lists. That isn't a weakness on its own. A short required list gives you room to build a specialty, but it also puts the planning on you.

Real course lists

Game Design Courses at 6 Programs

The table counts every required major course in each topic. The last row counts the courses each program asks you to pick from wider lists, so you can see how much of the major is fixed and how much is yours to choose. The cards below list every counted course under the same headings.

Choices

Game Design Electives and Specializations

Most of these majors leave a large share of the coursework to you, and how they do it says a lot about the program.

UC Irvine fixes only 5 course slots. The rest come from lettered lists: two of Games and Society, Special Topics in Games and Society or Introduction to Data Science; two of Visual Design Fundamentals, Roleplaying and Improvisational Play or Storytelling for Interactive Media; three studio, project, analytics, entrepreneurship or project management courses; and six more from a list of 16. Students also pick a project track: the two-quarter Capstone Game Project I and II, or GDIM 129, Special Topics: Project in Advanced Game Design, taken twice. On top of the major, students "complete six upper-division elective courses from across the university (24 units)."

CSU Chico builds its specialization into the degree name. The Computer Animation and Game Development major has a shared core and options, and the game degree on this page is its Option in Game Development, 33 units by the catalog's count. That fixes 20 course slots, the most here after counting, and leaves three choices: an industry internship or special problems course, two of drawing, programming, media studies or digital audio, and one technical course from motion capture, 3D modeling, 3D scanning, game scripting, emerging technologies or advanced production.

DigiPen writes most of its B.A. in credits and lists. Students take 5 of 6 first-level specialty courses (systems, narrative, level, technical and user experience design, and user research), then 2 second-level courses and 2 capstones from the same six areas. That is how a DigiPen student specializes: by taking the second-level course and the capstone in the same area. The degree also asks for 7 credits of computer science courses numbered 150 or higher, 24 credits of game project or computer science project courses, and 12 credits of design courses numbered 200 or higher. In total, "The Bachelor of Arts in Game Design requires completion of at least 129 semester credits with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better."

UC Santa Cruz organizes choice by area. In its words, "The upper-division curriculum consists of eight courses: One from each of the three topic areas (craft refinement, social interventions, and performance/portfolio/exhibition), one disciplinary communication (DC) course, and four upper-division electives." Only 4 slots are fixed, and 10 are chosen.

RIT is the most prescribed of the six: 19 required slots, including two co-op blocks, and then 4 advanced electives, twelve credit hours in all, from a list of 35. Utah fixes 9 slots, then says students "must complete an additional 30 credit hours (4 of which must be 3000 level or above)."

Year one

A Sample First Year in a Game Design Major

Three of the programs publish a four-year plan that shows exactly what a freshman takes, general education included. Here are their first two terms, as printed.

The three first years point in different directions. RIT's freshman is already programming in the first term, with Game Development and Algorithmic Problem Solving, and takes Discrete Mathematics, Mathematics of Graphical Simulation I and College Physics I in the first year. Utah's freshman takes two terms of programming (Programming for All 1 and 2) alongside a survey of games and a digital content course. UC Santa Cruz starts with Aesthetic Designs, a games-as-art-or-activism course, a history of art and visual culture elective and general education, with no programming at all.

General education fills a real share of every first year: writing at all three, plus a social perspective course at RIT and two general education courses per term at Utah. If you arrive with AP or community college credit, this is the part of the schedule it usually replaces, which frees room for an extra programming or art course later.

Math

Math and Science in a Game Design Degree

Math is where these programs split most sharply. Two of the 6 require a math or science course by name in the major.

RIT asks for the most: MATH-131 Discrete Mathematics, MATH-185 Mathematics of Graphical Simulation I, PHYS-111 College Physics I and MATH-171 or MATH-181 (one of the two). The reason shows in its course titles. RIT's game degree is a development degree, with 7 required programming courses, including two in Development for Real-Time Simulations and Games, and real-time graphics and simulation run on the vectors, matrices and logic those math courses teach. A course called Mathematics of Graphical Simulation says it plainly.

DigiPen's design B.A. asks for MAT 105 Introductory Probability and Statistics, which fits the work of a designer who balances systems and reads playtest data, plus 3 credits of physics or natural science courses. UC Irvine lists Introduction to Data Science as one option in a three-way choice with two games and society courses, so a student can skip it. CSU Chico, Utah and UC Santa Cruz name no math or science course in the major, which leaves math to each university's general education requirement.

If you want to move toward programming later, the math matters more than the major's name. A discrete math and calculus sequence like RIT's is what game programming and graphics courses build on, and our game development degree ranking covers the programs that go furthest in that direction.

Software

Tools and Engines Named in Course Descriptions

Catalog course descriptions rarely name software, because tools change faster than catalogs. Four of the 6 programs name at least one tool in their course descriptions.

Unity appears most: UC Irvine's introductory programming course names "programming languages like C#, Processing, Visual Studio, .NET, and the Unity engine", its intermediate course is about "furthering knowledge of C# and the Unity3D/Unreal game engines", and UC Santa Cruz's virtual reality course says "Students will also learn technical skills in developing VR in Unity 3D." Utah's named tools all sit in art electives: Maya, ZBrush and Photoshop in 3D Character Production II, Houdini in Procedural Art for Games and UE4, an earlier version of Unreal Engine, in Texturing for 3D. DigiPen names languages rather than engines: C# in Introduction to Programming and C++ in C++ for Designers.

CSU Chico and RIT name no specific engine or software package in their course descriptions. That doesn't mean they don't teach one; it means the catalog leaves it to the instructor. Ask each program which engine its project courses use, and whether you'll work in more than one.

Degree type

B.A. vs. B.S. vs. B.F.A. in Game Design

The letters after the degree tell you something about the course mix, though less than you might expect. Four of the 6 programs here are B.S. degrees, at UC Irvine, CSU Chico, Utah and RIT, and two are B.A. degrees, at UC Santa Cruz and DigiPen.

The B.S. programs carry more required programming: an average of 3.5 required programming courses, against 0.5 for the two B.A. programs. They also hold every required math or physics course except DigiPen's statistics. But the B.S. label covers a wide range. RIT's B.S. requires 7 programming courses and 4 in math and science; CSU Chico's requires 3 programming and scripting courses and 6 art courses.

The B.A. programs put more of the degree in the student's hands and reach outside games. DigiPen's design B.A. requires Introduction to Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Fundamentals of Music and Sound Design and Introduction to Communication, and UC Santa Cruz's sits in its arts division with art history and play studies.

None of the 6 is a B.F.A., so for comparison we read SCAD's B.F.A. in game development. Its catalog lists "Major curriculum: 75 hours," and its required list starts with 4 foundation studio courses (design process, drawing, color and collaboration) before 8 named game courses, from Introduction to Game Development to Game Development Studio I and II and Postproduction. A B.F.A. is an art degree first: expect studio art and critique to fill the space a B.S. gives to math and computer science.

Projects

Capstone Games and Team Projects

Five of the 6 programs end with a project you build over one or more terms, and none publishes a team size.

• UC Irvine: "Students then pursue advanced coursework that culminates in a two-quarter capstone project supported by industry mentors." The required project track is Capstone Game Project I and II, or Special Topics: Project in Advanced Game Design taken twice.
• Utah: Capstone I and Capstone II are both required. "Working in multidisciplinary groups, students follow an industrial model while building a video game from the ground up."
• CSU Chico: In Video Game Production, "Using the principles of game design, students work in collaborative teams to design, implement, test, and produce a computer game." It follows Video Game Pre-Production and Video Game Development, and the program page adds: "Students complete the major having three shipped titles to itch.io and Google Play."
• DigiPen: students take 2 of 6 capstones, one per specialty area. The level design capstone's description reads: "This course focuses on designing and implementing a complete experience that showcases level design techniques and is suitable as a portfolio piece."
• UC Santa Cruz: its senior requirement is met through a studio, portfolio or exhibition course, and the Game Design Studio sequence runs a full year: "Students craft the core loop of their yearlong game project."
• RIT: no capstone course is required. Instead, the degree requires the Co-op Preparation Workshop and Undergraduate Co-op, and its advanced electives include a capstone course.

A capstone is usually the strongest piece in a graduate's portfolio, so its length matters: a two-quarter or full-year project gives a team time to finish and polish a game rather than ship a prototype. Ask each program how teams form, who plays the finished games, and whether past capstones are public, since a link you can play is worth more than a description. The game design portfolio guide covers how to present the result.

Online

Studying Game Design Online: What Changes

None of the 6 programs above is offered fully online. Our online game design degree ranking lists 13 bachelor's programs whose own pages confirm the whole degree can be completed online, and the format is the first thing that changes.

• Shorter terms. The University of Advancing Technology says: "Delivered in an asynchronous learning environment to accommodate busy schedules, classes are structured in 7.5-week modules that you take two at a time, totaling in four classes per semester."
• Online delivery of the core. Baker College's game software program says: "Core game dev courses are delivered 100% online through Baker Online."
• The same degree in either format. University of Silicon Valley: "Earn your degree on-campus in Silicon Valley or 100% online."
• A learning platform in place of a studio. Los Angeles Film School: "Our online degree programs are delivered 100% online through our unique Learning Management System (LMS)."

The course content is often the same as on campus; the schedule and the team work are what differ. A 7.5-week module covers a course in half a semester, so projects have less time to iterate. If you study online, ask how project teams are formed and how often you'll get critique on your work, and plan to join game jams so you still build games with other people.

Getting in

Preparing in High School and Transferring From Community College

In high school, the programs ask for less than you might fear. UC Santa Cruz says: "Incoming frosh do not need to satisfy any programming or art requirements prior to arriving at UCSC," though it expects interest in making interactive work. DigiPen's B.A. requires a design portfolio: "Applicants to the BA in Game Design program are required to submit a design portfolio consisting of a written response and creative examples." It also notes: "A minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale is recommended." The useful preparation follows from the course lists above. A programming course helps at the 5 of 6 programs that require programming, math through precalculus helps for RIT-style degrees, and small games you finish and share become your first portfolio.

Transferring takes more planning, because game courses don't always have community college equivalents.

• UC Irvine asks transfer applicants for a cumulative UC transferable GPA of 3.0 and a minimum grade of B in one year of computer programming courses. It recommends that students "articulate to I&C SCI 31-33 which can be used to satisfy degree requirements," and warns that "several lower-division courses must be taken at UCI; therefore, the minimum time to degree completion will be three years."
• UC Santa Cruz says: "In preparation for transfer to AGPM, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in design and visual art topics." Students who meet those requirements and finish general education "will be able to complete the major in two years."
• DigiPen says: "Applicants who have finished a guided course sequence, such as the Washington 45, and have a larger number of credits to transfer can save up to one year of time and tuition." But: "In general, designated project and performance courses may not be satisfied with transfer credit."
• CSU Chico accepts "approved transfer equivalents" for its required courses, so check each course against your college's agreement with Chico before you enroll.

For California students, UC Irvine also says: "Students are strongly urged to complete the Cal-GETC at their community college to reduce their time to degree." Whatever the state, the rule is the same: match your community college programming and art courses to the four-year school's specific required courses before you take them, and keep your project work, since a portfolio carries over even when credit doesn't.

Choosing

How to Read a Program's Course List

• Separate required from chosen. UC Santa Cruz requires 4 courses and CSU Chico 20; a short list means flexibility, but also that a specialty only happens if you plan it.
• Look for your specialty by name. Level design is required at only 1 of the 6. If it's only in an elective list, ask how often the course actually runs.
• Count the project courses. CSU Chico requires 6 production courses and Utah 4; each one is a game you can show.
• Check the math. RIT's 4 math and science courses signal a development degree; none at all signals a design or art degree.
• Read the first-year plan. It shows how soon you'll be programming and how much general education you'll carry.

Then compare cost and completion for the programs that pass, in the best game design schools ranking, and see how design and development degrees differ in game design vs. game development.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What Classes Do You Take for a Game Design Degree?

Required courses differ a lot from school to school. Counting every required major course in each program's current catalog, design fundamentals appear in all 6 of the 6 programs here, programming in 5, production or capstone courses in 4, art in 4, and level design in only 1. Much of a major is chosen from lists, so read the electives too. See the course counts.

Do Game Design Classes Require Math?

It depends on the program. Two of the 6 programs here require a math or science course by name. RIT requires 4, including Discrete Mathematics, Mathematics of Graphical Simulation I and College Physics I, and DigiPen requires Introductory Probability and Statistics. The other four leave math to each university's general education requirement, so a design-leaning program may ask for little beyond that. If you think you might move toward programming later, take calculus and discrete math anyway. See the math requirements.

What Software and Game Engines Do Game Design Classes Use?

Course descriptions name Unity most often: UC Irvine names it in two courses and UC Santa Cruz in its virtual reality course. UC Irvine also names Unreal, Utah's art electives name Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop and Houdini, and DigiPen teaches C# and C++. RIT's and CSU Chico's descriptions name no specific engine, which usually means the instructor chooses. Ask each program which engine its project courses use. See the tools table.

What Is the Difference Between a B.A. and a B.S. in Game Design?

In these programs, the B.S. degrees carry more required programming and math: RIT, a B.S., requires 7 programming courses and 4 in math and science. The two B.A. programs, UC Santa Cruz and DigiPen, leave more of the major to student choice and add arts, psychology or communication courses. A B.F.A., like SCAD's, weights studio art and foundation courses most. Compare the degree types.

What Is a Game Design Capstone?

A capstone is a final project, usually built by a team over one or more terms. UC Irvine describes "a two-quarter capstone project supported by industry mentors," and Utah requires Capstone I and Capstone II, where students build a game "from the ground up." RIT requires two co-op blocks instead of a capstone course. See how each program handles it.

Can You Take Game Design Classes Online?

Yes. Our online ranking lists 13 bachelor's programs whose own pages confirm the whole degree can be done online, and none of the 6 programs on this page is among them. Formats differ: some run 7.5-week accelerated terms, others offer the same degree on campus or online. Ask how project teams work and how often you get critique, because team projects are the hardest part to move online. See what changes online.

Can You Transfer Into a Game Design Program From Community College?

Yes, but plan early. UC Irvine asks transfer applicants for a 3.0 GPA and a B in a year of programming, and says the minimum time to degree is three years. UC Santa Cruz requires design and art courses before transfer. DigiPen says its project courses generally can't be satisfied with transfer credit. Match your courses to the school's requirements before you take them. See the transfer rules.

Keep exploring

Related Pages

• Guide What Is Game Design? The rules, systems and levels a designer builds, and how the work actually happens. Read the guide ›
• Guide Game Design Certificates When a short program is enough, and when it isn't. Read the guide ›
• Career Video game designer career $104,000 median · +6% jobs to 2035 (web and digital interface designers) Read the career guide ›
• Salary Video game designer salary $104,000 median (web and digital interface designers) See the pay data ›
• 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 ›

All rankings ›All states ›All cities ›

Sources

1. 1 UC Irvine, Game Design and Interactive Media, B.S. Required major courses, choice rules and capstone, current catalog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
2. 2 CSU Chico, Computer Animation and Game Development BS, Option in Game Development Required major courses, choice rules, current catalog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
3. 3 Utah, Bachelor of Science in Games (BSG) Required major courses, choice rules, current catalog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
4. 4 UC Santa Cruz, Art & Design: Games + Playable Media B.A. Required major courses, choice rules, current catalog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
5. 5 RIT, Game Design and Development BS Required major courses, choice rules, current catalog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
6. 6 DigiPen, Bachelor of Arts in Game Design Required major courses, choice rules, current catalog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
7. 7 UC Irvine: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
8. 8 CSU Chico: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
9. 9 Utah: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
10. 10 Utah: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
11. 11 Utah: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
12. 12 Utah: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
13. 13 UC Santa Cruz: four-year plan Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
14. 14 UC Santa Cruz: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
15. 15 UC Santa Cruz: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
16. 16 UC Santa Cruz: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
17. 17 RIT: four-year plan Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
18. 18 RIT: admission and transfer Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
19. 19 DigiPen: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
20. 20 DigiPen: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
21. 21 DigiPen: course descriptions Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
22. 22 DigiPen: admission and transfer Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
23. 23 DigiPen: admission and transfer Quoted text re-checked on the live page. Accessed October 15, 2026.
24. 24 SCAD, B.F.A. in game development Required courses and credit split, for the degree-type comparison. Accessed October 15, 2026.
25. 25 Online program formats Each program's own page, quoted in our online ranking. Accessed October 13, 2026.