Game Design Master's Programs in California

Listings in California show where the institution (or its administering campus) is located.

5 programs

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

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

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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

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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

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University of Southern California

Interactive Media & Games

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media

Game-focused Interactive Media

Los Angeles, CA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required

three year program

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

No upcoming verified deadline

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University of Southern California

Computer Science (Game Development)

Master'sMSNamed concentration

Master of Science in Computer Science (Game Development)

Concentration in Master of Science in Computer Science — Game Development

Game Programming · Game Development

Los Angeles, CA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio policy not published

Duration not verified · 32 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

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School or program keyword

Degree & field

Exact award

Field of study

Dedicated degree or concentration

Location & institution

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

Clear all

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”.