Choosing a Game Design Master's: MFA, MS, MA and Studio Programs

A game design master's can be a two-year studio program where you ship team games, a three-year fine arts degree built around one personal thesis project, or a research-leaning degree that ends in written scholarship. The title on the diploma tells you part of that, but the published requirements tell you more. This guide walks through the decisions in the order that usually narrows a list fastest: the award, the final requirement, the track, what you must submit, how the program is funded, and how and where you would attend. Every example below comes from the program's own pages.

Start with the award, then read past it

Game master's degrees in the US come in several awards, and the same subject can sit under different ones. For a deeper comparison of the awards themselves, see MA vs MS vs MFA in game design.

• MFA. NYU's MFA in Game Design is 60 credits over two years of full-time study. DePaul's MFA in Game Design is 64 quarter hours, designed for two and a half years. UT Dallas estimates three years for its 54-credit MFA in Game Development.
• MS. RIT's MS in Game Design and Development, Northeastern's MS in Game Science and Design, UCF's MS in Interactive Entertainment and DigiPen's online MS in Game Development are all Master of Science degrees, but their final requirements differ sharply (next section).
• MA. American University's MA in Game Design is 36 credits; West Virginia University and Lindenwood each offer a 30-credit MA in Game Design online.
• Named professional master's. Carnegie Mellon awards the Master of Entertainment Technology, the University of Utah the Master of Entertainment Arts and Engineering, and SMU Guildhall a Master of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development. These are neither MFAs nor MAs; judge them by their curriculum.

An MFA is not an MA with extra credits, and a professional master's is not a lesser MS. If a later step depends on holding a particular award, such as a teaching post or a doctoral application, check that institution's stated requirement directly rather than assuming one award is accepted everywhere.

Read the final requirement: studio, thesis or research

The capstone is the clearest signal of what a program is for.

Team-production programs suit people who want to practice shipping games with artists, programmers and producers. Individual thesis programs suit people with a specific body of work to develop. Research options suit people considering a doctorate; see game studies and doctoral research.

Tracks decide what you will submit

Many studio programs admit you into a discipline, and the application changes with it.

• University of Utah (MEAE): students apply to one of five tracks: Game Arts, Game Design, Game Engineering, Game Production or Technical Art. Engineering applicants send a code sample in a compiled language (preference C++, C# and Java); the GRE is optional for all tracks.
• UCF FIEA: programmers submit source code (C++ preferred), artists submit a portfolio, and only production and programming applicants need to take the GRE. Every applicant completes a written interview.
• SMU Guildhall: four specializations (Art Creation, Level Design, Production, Software Development). The portfolio is either prior work or a specialization-specific assignment, and the application includes a video essay.
• Carnegie Mellon (MET): applicants submit a portfolio, GRE scores, or both. The portfolio must be a website, and Google Drive portfolios are not reviewed. Interviews take place over Zoom.

Other programs are less strict about portfolios. American University lists the portfolio as optional for its MA, WPI lists it as optional for its MS but required for its MFA, and Rensselaer asks Critical Game Design applicants for examples of prior work, a scholarly writing sample and a separate research proposal. RIT expects at least one year of object-oriented programming (C++, C# or Java preferred) for its MS. Treat silence as unknown, not as "no portfolio." See the portfolio guide for formats.

Funding: compare what is actually published

Graduate funding varies more than tuition does, and the wording matters.

• Carnegie Mellon ETC: all applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships, which the school says average $10,000 a year and may be renewed for a second year based on academic performance. A separate ETC Fellowship Fund, which requires an additional application, covers full tuition for the first year, renewable in good academic standing.
• UCF FIEA: the Director Fellowship is merit-based and, in FIEA's words, comes with no guarantee. The Director Technical Fellowship is assured for programming applicants who meet a published GPA and a GRE score of 315 or greater. Accepted art students who graduated from UCF's Character Animation program are guaranteed a $2,500 fellowship.
• DePaul: CDM graduate scholarships of $6,000 to $9,000 over six consecutive terms, with the MFA in Game Design added from Fall 2026, plus funded research assistantships for MFA students.
• UT Dallas: MFA students have the opportunity to work as teaching assistants.
• Northeastern: complete applications received by February 1 get priority consideration for scholarships and other funding.

Guaranteed, competitive and "you may be considered" are different promises. Ask each program what share of students receive funding, for how long, and whether it covers tuition, a stipend, or both. Loans are not funding in this sense. SMU Guildhall's financial information page describes Stafford and Grad PLUS loans, but studentaid.gov states that beginning July 1, 2026, graduate students starting a new program or borrowing for the first time won't be eligible for a grad PLUS loan. Confirm the current federal rules with the school's aid office. More on awards in our scholarships section.

Pace and place: full-time, part-time, campus, online

Several programs are full-time only: NYU's MFA ("full-time study only"), RIT's on-campus MS, Carnegie Mellon's MET (four full-time semesters, not completable in under two years), UCF's 16-month MS and Bradley's MS in Game Development. Utah's MEAE students take 10 credits per semester over four semesters.

Part-time study is published at American University (MA and MFA), UT Dallas (MFA), NYU's MS in Games for Learning and DigiPen's online MS, which takes five semesters part-time.

For online study, check what "online" means:

• Verified fully online in our data: DigiPen's MS in Game Development ("100% online"), WVU's MA in Game Design (fully online and asynchronous) and Lindenwood's online MA (100% asynchronous).
• Blended: Lindenwood's campus MA is offered in a blended format; its "as little as 15-18 months" is a minimum, not a typical length.
• Online, details unverified: Academy of Art, SCAD and Full Sail list online versions, but the pages we read do not say whether any on-site activity is required. Ask before you enroll.

Browse online master's programs.

A short checklist before you apply

1. Write down the final requirement for each program: team game, individual thesis or research project.
2. Confirm the track you would apply to and its exact submission list.
3. Note whether the GRE is required, optional or track-dependent.
4. Record published funding as guaranteed, competitive or unspecified, with amounts and duration.
5. Check full-time or part-time rules and any on-site requirements.
6. Read the official page again close to your deadline; requirements change between cycles.

You can line up programs side by side with our compare tool, or start from a specific listing such as Carnegie Mellon's Master of Entertainment Technology or Utah's Master of Entertainment Arts and Engineering.