Game Design and Development Master of Science Degree
Game Design and Development
Master of Science Degree
Ranked as the #6 program in the nation by The Princeton Review as one of the best game design master's degrees in the U.S.
Overview for Game Design and Development MS
- Ranked 6th nationally among Princeton Review's “Top 50 Game Design Programs: Graduate Category” (2022)
- Develop your gaming projects with RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios, which focuses on nurturing and growing new companies and publishing and distributing their projects.
- Engage with the Digital Games Hub, which provides resources and mentoring for students and indie developers to enter the games industry, develop new games, and launch start-up companies.
- RIT was the 1st university to publish to the Xbox One platform.
Explore the simulation, edutainment, or visualization landscape as you enhance your game design and development skills to create truly innovative games.
In the game design master’s degree, you will explore the entertainment technology landscape as well as other related areas. The program simultaneously covers the breadth of the game design and development landscape through study in topics such as computer graphics, game engines, interactive narrative, and game world design. The program is characterized by a clear focus on development, but also educates developers in the design process. The degree is intended specifically for students who aspire to hold careers within the professional games industry or a related field such as simulation, edutainment, or visualization.
RIT’s Game Design Master’s
The curriculum in the game design master’s program consists of required courses, a choice of five advanced electives, and a capstone experience. This is a two-year, on-campus, cohort-based program in which students are admitted through a portfolio review process. During the second year, students form development teams that construct a working game engine and software title as the program capstone experience. This requirement includes both individual and group expectations. The capstone culminates in a defense, public presentation, and demonstration before program faculty. Combined, these requirements provide a unique and comprehensive educational experience for individuals who aspire to a career in the game development industry.
Launch your Digital Endeavors with MAGIC
The MAGIC Center is a digital sandbox for students and faculty pushing the boundaries of technology, art and design. It includes five state-of-the-art classrooms built around delivering hands-on curriculum in game design, 2D and 3D animation, and digital design. Students learn on the same hardware and software platforms used in industry while honing their technical and creative skills. A fully outfitted sound stage and post-production studios further enhance experiential education opportunities and permit faculty to introduce real-world film, animation, and digital media workflows to the classroom.
Students are also interested in: Visual Communication Design MFA, Human-Computer Interaction MS
RIT undergraduates qualify for a tuition scholarship when they choose an RIT Master’s program.
RIT’s MS in Game Design and Development is ranked 4th in the world on Princeton Review’s list of “Top Game Design Schools”
Join us for Fall 2023
Many programs accept applications on a rolling, space-available basis.
Industries
Careers and Experiential Learning
Typical Job Titles
| Game Developer | Junior C++ Developer |
| Systems Design Engineer | Unity Developer |
| Associate Engine/Graphics Automation Engineer | Full Stack UI Developer |
| Software Developer | Software Engineer |
| Game Designer | Developer |
Salary and Career Information for Game Design and Development MS
Cooperative Education
What makes an RIT education exceptional? It’s the ability to complete relevant, hands-on career experience. At the graduate level, and paired with an advanced degree, cooperative education and internships give you the unparalleled credentials that truly set you apart. Learn more about graduate co-op and how it provides you with the career experience employers look for in their next top hires.
Cooperative education is optional but strongly encouraged for graduate students in the game design and development program.
Creative Industry Day
RIT’s Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education hosts Creative Industry Day, which connects students majoring in art, design, film and animation, photography, and select computing majors with companies, organizations, creative agencies, design firms, and more. You’ll be able to network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and permanent employment positions.
Featured Work
The Shattering Swords
Kyle Weekley, Trenton Plager, John Vance, Rudy Zhang, Nick Engell (Development Team); Sofia Brognara, Xy Hilbrink, Effy Ma, Michal Zadok, Effie Wang, Kesavan Shanmugasundaram (Art Team)
Winner of the RIT Student Game Showcase 2022 “Technical Excellence” category, this 3rd-person action game is centered around a real-time weapon-switching combat system.
Mytholympics
Zhehui Qian, Nathaniel Blair, Akshay Rachapudi, Austin Willoughby
Mytholympics: Ancient Gods Compete for Social Media Fame
Curriculum for Game Design and Development MS
Game Design and Development, MS degree, typical course sequence
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| IGME-601 | Game Development Processes This course examines the individual and group roles of the development process model within the game design and development industry. Students will transform design document specifications into software and hardware needs for developers, testers, and end users. Students will examine team dynamics and processes for technical development, content development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Students will explore the design process through the deconstruction of the game industry's software lifecycle model. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| IGME-602 | Game Design This course presents students with core theories of game design, informed by research results from media theory, narrative methods and models, theories of ideation, and the nature of games, play and fun. Specific emphasis is placed on the examination of historical successes and failures, along with presentation of ethical and cultural issues related to the design of interactive software. Students will engage in formal critique and analysis of media designs and their formal elements. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| IGME-603 | Gameplay and Prototyping This course explores the pragmatic issues of creative concept development through story-boarding, pitching, prototyping and play-testing. Students will use various tools and techniques to build game prototypes that they will evaluate through play-testing in an incremental design process informed by market research and analysis. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| IGME-695 | Colloquium in Game Design and Development This required colloquium will introduce students to a range of emerging topics and themes in the field of game design and development. Students will attend lectures by and discussions with RIT faculty and visitors, complete related readings, and offer both oral and written responses to readings and presentations. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 2 (Fall, Spring). |
1 |
| IGME-795 | Game Industry Themes and Perspectives This required course prepares students for a career in the field of game design and development. Students will attend lectures by and discussions with RIT faculty and visitors and produce material to assist in their career preparation. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 2 (Fall). |
1 |
Advanced Electives |
9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| IGME-695 | Colloquium in Game Design and Development This required colloquium will introduce students to a range of emerging topics and themes in the field of game design and development. Students will attend lectures by and discussions with RIT faculty and visitors, complete related readings, and offer both oral and written responses to readings and presentations. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 2 (Fall, Spring). |
1 |
| IGME-788 | Capstone Design This course allows students within the game design and development program to develop a capstone proposal and design document. The capstone design document specifies the scope and depth of the capstone project. In addition, it defines the group and individual responsibilities for the cohort capstone project experience. (Prerequisites: IGME-601 and IGME-602 and IGME-603 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 5 (Fall). |
3 |
| IGME-789 | Capstone Development This course provides master of science in game design and development students with capstone project experiences. Students are expected to work in cohorts towards the implementation of a game system that properly illustrates proficiency in the application of theory and practice towards a large-scale project. For each student, individual responsibilities for the group project will be defined in consultation with both the group and the faculty. Students must successfully complete the Capstone Design course and present a satisfactory capstone project proposal to the faculty before enrolling in this course. (Prerequisites: IGME-788 or equivalent course.) Lec/Lab 5 (Spring). |
3 |
Advanced Electives |
6 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 33 |
|
Advanced electives
| Course | |
|---|---|
| CSCI-610 | Foundations of Computer Graphics Foundations of Computer Graphics is a study of the hardware and software principles of interactive raster graphics. Topics include an introduction to the basic concepts, 2-D and 3-D modeling and transformations, viewing transformations, projections, rendering techniques, graphical software packages and graphics systems. The course will focus on rasterization techniques and emphasize the hardware rasterization pipeline including the use of hardware shaders. Students will use a standard computer graphics API to reinforce concepts and study fundamental computer graphics algorithms. Programming projects and a survey of the current graphics literature will be required. Note: students who complete CSCI-510 may not take CSCI-610 for credit. (Prerequisite: (CSCI-603 or CSCI-605 with a grade of B or better) or (CSCI-243 or SWEN-262). May not take and receive credit for CSCI-610 and CSCI-510. If earned credit for/or currently enrolled in CSCI-510 you will not be permitted to enroll in CSCI-610.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| CSCI-711 | Global Illumination This course will investigate the theory of global illumination (GI) in computer image synthesis. Seminal computer graphics papers will be used to explore the various components of the GI pipeline and explain how the path of light in a virtual scene can be simulated and used to create photorealistic imagery. The course will emphasize the theory behind various GI rendering tools and libraries available for image synthesis. The student will put theory into practice via a set of programming assignments and a capstone project. Topics will include light and color, three-dimensional scene specification, camera models, surface materials and textures, GI rendering methods, procedural shading, tone reproduction, and advanced rendering techniques. Readings and summaries of Computer Graphics literature will be required. (Prerequisites: CSCI-610 or CSCI-510 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| CSCI-712 | Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques This course takes a look at computer animation from a programmer's perspective. It will investigate the theory, algorithms and techniques for describing and programming motion for virtual 3D worlds. Approaches that will be explored include keyframing systems; kinematics, motion of articulated figures, procedural and behavioral systems, and the use of motion capture data. This course is a programming-oriented course with major deliverables including the implementation of techniques presented in lecture as well as a final project concentrating on an area of a student's choice. Students enrolling in this course are expected to have proficiency in the use of at least one 3D API (e.g. OpenGL, DirectX, Java3D). Readings and summaries of Computer Graphics literature will be required. Offered every other year. (Prerequisites: CSCI-610 or CSCI-510 or 4005-762 or 4003-570 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| CSCI-713 | Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization The goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of applied perception in graphics and visualization and demonstrate how it has contributed to the development of better display systems and computer graphics rendering techniques. The delivery of the course material will be done primarily through lectures with biweekly programming assignments based upon the techniques presented in class. Students will also be exposed to a wide range of technical papers and be expected to make classroom presentations on selected topics in the field of applied perception in graphics and visualization. (Prerequisites: CSCI-610 or CSCI-510 or 4005-762 or 4003-571 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| IGME-621 | Board and Card Game Design and Development This course explores issues pertaining to design, mechanics, development, and production of analog, tabletop “hobby” games, which include board games, card games, wargames, and other non-digital games catering to multiple players. Students will analyze and apply concepts and mechanics of modern tabletop game design, and build and test both competitive and cooperative tabletop games, designed specifically for a global audience. Students will work with development and prototyping tools, explore component design and art direction, and work with desktop publishing technologies. In addition, they will work directly with board game publishing and manufacturing technologies and services, and study factors pertaining to the business of tabletop games, and produce a professional, polished tabletop game. (Prerequisites: (IGME-602 and student is matriculated in GAMEDES-MS); or (IGME-220 and student is matriculated in GAMEDES-BS/NWMEDID-BS)) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| IGME-622 | Game Balance This course is an in-depth exploration of the sub-field of game design known as balance. Topics include: transitive mechanics and cost/power curves; economic systems in games; probability and the psychology of randomness; pseudorandom numbers; situational balance; level/XP curves, advancement and pacing; tuning; statistics, metrics, and analytics; intransitive mechanics, game theory, and payoff matrices; and the applied use of spreadsheets. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| IGME-623 | Theory and Design of Role Play and Interactive Narrative Role playing games (RPGs) are among the most popular game forms. RPG design incorporates elements from most game genre. This course will address all aspects of design relevant to role play, both digital and analog, and the course will focus on the underlying theory of role play as a practice. We will talk about popular games, but will also spend time on experimental and innovative role play. Students should expect to study playing styles, RPG structure, and to both study and produce effective interactive narrative. Lab 3 (Spring). |
| IGME-624 | Tabletop Role-Playing Game Design and Development This course explores the concepts and mechanics of analog role-playing games, such as tabletop "pencil-and-paper" and live-action role-playing games, from a practical, hands-on perspective. In this project-based course, students will develop their own rule systems to facilitate various facets of role-playing and associated game mechanics, then playtest and publish their games. Students will also use desktop publishing tools to produce game rules and supplemental materials suitable for publication. Note that this course assumes that students have extensive experience in playing tabletop role-playing games. (Prerequisites: (IGME-602 and student is matriculated in GAMEDES-MS); or (IGME-220 and student is matriculated in GAMEDES-BS/NWMEDID-BS)) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| IGME-670 | Digital Audio Production Technologies and techniques for producing and manipulating digital audio are explored. Topics include digital representations of sound, digital audio recording and production, MIDI, synthesis techniques, real-time performance issues, and the application of digital audio to multimedia and Web production. (Students must be in GAMEDES-MS or GAMEDES-BS and have taken IGME-202. Undergraduate students may not take and receive credit for this course if they have already taken IGME-570.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
| IGME-671 | Interactive Game and Audio This course provides students with exposure to the design, creation and production of audio in interactive applications and computer games. Students will become familiar with the use of sound libraries, recording sounds in the studio and in the field, generating sound with synthesizers, and effects processing. Students will create sound designs for interactive media, integrating music, dialog, ambient sound, sound effects and interface sounds within interactive programs. (Students must be in GAMEDES-MS or GAMEDES-BS and have taken IGME-202. Undergraduate students may not take and receive credit for this course if they have already taken IGME-571.not if IGME-571) Lec/Lab 3 (Spring). |
| IGME-680 | IGM Production Studio This course will allow students to work as domain specialists on teams completing one or more large projects over the course of the semester. The projects will be relevant to experiences of the interactive games and media programs, but they will require expertise in a variety of sub-domains, including web design and development, social computing, computer game development, multi-user media, human-computer interaction and streaming media. Students will learn to apply concepts of project management and scheduling, production roles and responsibilities, and their domain skill sets to multidisciplinary projects. Students will complete design documents, progress reports and final assessments of themselves and their teammates in addition to completing their assigned responsibilities on the main projects. (Prerequisites: IGME-601 or equivalent courses.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| IGME-681 | Innovation & Invention In this course, students explore the process and products of innovation and invention. Each semester we conceive and develop a different outside the box project in a multidisciplinary tinkerer's lab. Readings, lectures, student presentations, and discussions deal with the interplay of technology, human nature, and a human environment in which emerging technologies and new modes of interaction are pervasive and ubiquitous. Students from multiple disciplines are guided through a series of collaborative experiences inventing, designing, implementing and studying emerging technologies and their educational and artistic potential. Presentations, projects and individual research papers are required. (This course requires permission of the Instructor to enroll.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| IGME-690 | IGM Graduate Seminar This is intended to allow for special one-time offerings of graduate topics. Specific course details (such as the course topics, format, resource needs, and credit hours) will be determined by the faculty member(s) who propose a given seminar offering. (Varies) (This course is restricted to GAMEDES-MS students or (GAMEDES-BS or NWMEDID-BS students with at least 3rd year standing).) Lecture (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| IGME-730 | Game Design and Development for Casual and Mobile Platforms This course explores the design and development of casual and mobile game applications. Students will begin by exploring the design practices relevant to casual and mobile games, including hardware constraints, player expectations, play experiences, mechanics for casual and mobile experiences, as well as the aesthetics and presentation of casual and mobile game elements. As students learn the theoretical concepts, they will also learn the development process for casual and mobile games. Development topics will include technology platforms, physical and logical interface control, graphics and interaction, tools and APIs, connectivity, data management, data persistence, delivery mechanisms, and systems integration with desktop and web-based platforms. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Spring). |
| IGME-740 | Game Graphics Programming Students will explore the use of an advanced graphics API to access hardware-accelerated graphics in a real-time graphics engine context. The course will involve discussion of scene graphs, optimizations, and integration with the API object structure, as well as input schemes, content pipelines, and 2D and 3D rendering techniques. Students will also explore the advanced use of the API calls in production code to construct environments capable of real-time performance. Students will construct from scratch a fully functional graphics engine, with library construction for game development. Advanced topics will be explored, including real-time special effects, custom shading pipelines, and advanced deferred rendering techniques. (Prerequisites: IGME-601 or equivalent courses.) Lec/Lab 3 (Spring). |
| IGME-742 | Level Design This course introduces level design theory and best practice through game level analysis, evaluation, and creation. Students will explore the history of various game genres and the design of their levels, analyze game levels from existing games, and discuss what made those levels successful or unsuccessful. Through their analysis and hands-on experience, students will gain an understanding of overall level design including layout, flow, pacing, narrative, and balance. They will enhance their understanding of level design principles by creating their own game levels. (Prerequisites: IGME-602 or equivalent courses.) Lab 3 (Fall, Spring). |
| IGME-750 | Game Engine Design and Development This course will provide students with theory and practical skills in game engine design topic areas such as understanding the graphics pipeline as it influences engine design, hardware principles and the relationship to game engine construction, mathematical principles involved in game engine design, scene graph construction and maintenance, texture and materials management, collision systems, physics systems, particle systems, and control systems. Furthermore, this course will examine software and toolsets that assist game engine designers in their tasks. Students will be expected to design and implement a game engine in teams as well as properly document their design and development strategy. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
| IGME-753 | Console Development This course explores the history and modern implementation of software for game consoles. Cross-platform development will be emphasized along with software concepts such as memory management, scheduling, parallelization, graphics, and virtual reality. Programming projects are required. (Prerequisite: IGME-740 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| IGME-760 | Artificial Intelligence for Gameplay This course explores artificial intelligence concepts and research through both a theoretical perspective and a practical application to game development. In particular the course focuses on AI concepts and paradigms such as search and representation, reasoning under uncertainty, intelligent agents, biologically inspired computing and machine learning to real-time situations and applications as relevant to the field of entertainment technology and simulation. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
| IGME-790 | Graduate Seminar in IGM This is intended to allow for special one-time offerings of graduate topics. Specific course details (such as the course topics, format, resource needs, and credit hours) will be determined by the faculty member(s) who propose a given seminar offering. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| IGME-796 | Advanced Topics in Game Design* This course examines current topics in game design. Specific course details (such as prerequisites, course topics, format, learning outcomes, assessment methods, and resource needs) will be determined by the faculty member(s) who propose a specific topics course in this area. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| IGME-797 | Advanced Topics in Game Development* This course examines current topics in game development. Specific course details (such as prerequisites, course topics, format, learning outcomes, assessment methods, and resource needs) will be determined by the faculty member(s) who propose a specific topics course in this area. (This course is restricted to students in the GAMEDES-MS program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| IGME-799 | Independent Study The student will work independently under the supervision of a faculty adviser on a topic not covered in other courses. (Enrollment in this course requires permission from the department offering the course.) Ind Study (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
Admissions and Financial Aid
This program is available on-campus only.
| Offered | Admit Term(s) | Application Deadline | STEM Designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full‑time | Fall | January 31 priority deadline, rolling thereafter | Yes |
Full-time study is 9+ semester credit hours. International students requiring a visa to study at the RIT Rochester campus must study full‑time.
Application Details
To be considered for admission to the Game Design and Development MS program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
- Complete an online graduate application.
- Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
- Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college in a relevant field such as game design, game development, information technology, computer science, software engineering, or computer graphics. Others with a strong background in a games-related field and some background in computing sciences may be considered.
- A recommended minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 (or equivalent).
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
- Submit a personal statement of educational objectives.
- Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Entrance exam requirements: None
- Submit a portfolio. View portfolio requirements.
- Writing samples are optional.
- Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required. Details are below.
English Language Test Scores
International applicants whose native language is not English must submit one of the following official English language test scores. Some international applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver.
| TOEFL | IELTS | PTE Academic |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 7.0 | 70 |
International students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Each program requires balanced sub-scores when determining an applicant’s need for additional English language courses.
How to Apply Start or Manage Your Application
Cost and Financial Aid
An RIT graduate degree is an investment with lifelong returns. Graduate tuition varies by degree, the number of credits taken per semester, and delivery method. View the general cost of attendance or estimate the cost of your graduate degree.
A combination of sources can help fund your graduate degree. Learn how to fund your degree
Additional Information
Prerequisites
Applicants are expected to have at least one year of programming experience in a widely-used object-oriented language (C++, C#, or Java preferred) and some experience with web development.
Bridge Courses
Applicants without significant programming experience in a current object-oriented language (C++, C#, or Java preferred) and a solid working knowledge of website development and interactive multimedia concepts will need to complete IGME 206 to bridge any educational gaps. The bridge course will not count toward degree completion.
Latest News
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March 24, 2023
![Hand on a computer mouse.]()
RIT game design and development programs jump in rankings
RIT is one of the top universities in the world for students who want to study and create games, according to new international rankings from The Princeton Review.
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February 28, 2023
![screenshot from a video game that shows the state of Georgia on a map with small hexagons depicting the spread of a cyber attack.]()
RIT researchers to create serious video game for infrastructure resilience to cyberattacks
Researchers at RIT are building a serious video game to help cities prepare for, prevent, and respond to cyberattacks. RIT received a more than $600,000 grant and was selected by the Army Cyber Institute (ACI) at West Point to develop the cyber exercise game and a framework for future development.
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February 14, 2023
![college student wearing a virtual reality headset.]()
RIT named among top 5 game design schools in the country
RIT has again been ranked as one of the top game design universities in the nation. RIT was named No. 5 on the Animation Career Review list of Top 50 Game Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S. and No. 2 in New York state.
