An independent guide to game design degrees in the United States

Game DesignSchools

Game Design Master's Programs

MA, MS, MFA and other master's degrees focused on games — studio and portfolio programs as well as research-oriented degrees — with the exact award, admission materials, tuition basis and any campus requirements.

31 programs · page 1 of 2

Sort:Game design first A–Z Deadline Tuition per credit Recently verified

Game design and game development degrees first, then related fields (programming, art, interactive media, game studies); alphabetical by school within each group. Not a ranking. What we list

American University

Game Design

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Game Design

Game Design

Washington, DC

On campus · Full-time and part-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio optional

2 years · 36 credits

Tuition: $2,163 per credit · All students — Graduate students, per credit hour (on-campus and most online programs) · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

DePaul University

Game Design

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Game Design

Game Design

Chicago, IL

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

designed to be completed in 2.5 years, taking place over eight 10-week quarters · 64 credits

Tuition: $1,003 per credit · All students — Graduate, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media, per credit hour · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

Full Sail University

Game Design

Master'sMS

Game Design Master of Science

Game Design

Winter Park, FLInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio policy not published

48 weeks · 41 credits

Tuition: $35,000 entire program · All students — Online, Game Design Master of Science, program tuition (October - December 2026 table; $854 average per credit hour)

No upcoming verified deadline

Lindenwood University

Game Design

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Game Design

Game Design

Saint Charles, MO

Hybrid

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio policy not published

as little as 15-18 months (Fast-track pace) · 30 credits

Tuition: $619 per credit · All students — Graduate tuition (online and on-campus), all other graduate programs · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

Lindenwood University

Game Design (Online)

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Game Design

Game Design

Saint Charles, MOInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Fully online (verified)

No required physical attendance (verified)

Portfolio policy not published

1-2 yrs program length · 30 credits

Tuition: $619 per credit · All students — Online MA in Game Design

No upcoming verified deadline

New York University

Game Design (MFA)

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Game Design

Game Design

New York, NY

On campus · Full-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

two years, full-time · 60 credits

Tuition: $41,451 per term · All students — Tisch graduate, 12 to 18 credits, per term (estimate based on 2025-2026 rate) · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

New York University

Games for Learning (MS)

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Games for Learning

Game Design

New York, NY

On campus · Full-time and part-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio optional

Duration not verified · 36 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

Northeastern University

Game Science and Design (Boston)

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Science and Design

Game Design · Game Studies & Research

Boston, MA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

two-year program · 34 credits

Tuition: $2,110 per credit · All students — College of Arts, Media and Design, all graduate programs · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

Northeastern University

Game Science and Design (Oakland)

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Science and Design

Game Design · Game Studies & Research

Boston, MA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

two-year program · 34 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

Rochester Institute of Technology

Game Design and Development MS

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Design and Development

Game Design · Game Development

Rochester, NY

On campus · Full-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

two-year, on-campus, cohort-based program · 33 credits

Tuition: $64,542 per academic year · All students — Graduate, 12-18 credit hours (2 semesters) · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

University of Southern California

Game Design and Development

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Design and Development

Game Design · Game Development

Los Angeles, CA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

two-year intensive program · 38 credits

Tuition: $2,700 per credit · All students — School of Cinematic Arts graduate tuition per unit · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

West Virginia University

Game Design

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Game Design

Game Design

Morgantown, WVInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Fully online (verified) · Flexible pace

No required physical attendance (verified)

Portfolio required

18-24 months; normally completed within two years · 30 credits

Tuition: $777 per credit · All students — Online cost per credit hour

No upcoming verified deadline

Academy of Art University

Game Development

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Game Development

Game Development

San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio required

Duration not verified · 36 credits

Tuition: $1,857 per credit · International — Graduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027

January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027

Academy of Art University

Game Development

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Game Development

Game Development

San Francisco, CAInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio required

Duration not verified · 63 credits

Tuition: $1,857 per credit · International — Graduate, international students, per unit (Fall 2026-Summer 2027) · 2026-2027

January 25, 2027 · Spring 2027

Bradley University

Game Development

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Development

Game Development

Peoria, IL

On campus · Full-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

three semesters of 10 hours each (plan of study) (Full-time plan of study) · 30 credits

Tuition: $1,158 per credit · All students — Traditional graduate programs, per semester hour · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

DigiPen Institute of Technology

MS in Game Development (Online)

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Development

Game Development

Redmond, WAInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Fully online (verified) · Part-time

No required physical attendance (verified)

Portfolio policy not published

five semesters part-time · 30 credits

Tuition: $1,666 per credit · All students — Online graduate (MS in Artificial Intelligence and MS in Game Development), per credit · 2026-2027

November 20, 2026 · Spring 2027

Savannah College of Art and Design

M.A. in interactive design and game development

Master'sMA

Master of Arts in Interactive Design and Game Development

Game Development · Game-focused Interactive Media

Savannah, GAInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio required

Duration not verified · 45 credits

Tuition: $977 per credit · All students — Graduate, 1 credit hour · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

Savannah College of Art and Design

M.F.A. in interactive design and game development

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Design and Game Development

Game Development · Game-focused Interactive Media

Savannah, GAInstitution location, not a residency requirement

Online (on-site requirements not stated)

Campus attendance not verified

Portfolio required

Duration not verified · 90 credits

Tuition: $14,655 per term · All students — Full-time graduate student (3 courses, 15 hours of credit per quarter) · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

Southern Methodist University

Master of Interactive Technology

Master'sMIT

Master of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development

Game Development

Dallas, TX

On campus · Full-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

Two years (five semesters)

Tuition: $14,992 per term · All students — MIT in Digital Game Development, GM36, full-time, Summer 2027 term · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Game Development (MFA)

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Game Development

Game Development

Richardson, TX

On campus · Full-time and part-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

Estimated time to complete: 3 years · 54 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

School or program keyword

Degree & field

Exact award

Field of study

Dedicated degree or concentration

Location & institution

State

City (optional)

Where the institution is based — not where you must live, and not proof that residents of that state may enroll online.

Institution type

Delivery & attendance

Delivery

Hybrid programs are never counted as online.

Campus attendance

Class schedule (online)

Study intensity

Published duration

Conditional minimums (“as few as…”) do not count as the program length.

Portfolio, cost & deadlines

Portfolio policy

“Not required” only when the school says so; silence is “not published”.

Published tuition

Matches only programs that publish tuition on that basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are never compared.

Verified scholarships or assistantships

Published on an official page. Loans do not count.

Deadline

Order

Unknown never counts as a match: a program without verified tuition is not “under $X”, and an unverified attendance policy is not “no campus attendance”.