Bradley University · Department of Interactive Media

Game Development

Master of Science in Game Development

Master'sMSGame DevelopmentDedicated degree

Overview

A 30-hour, full-time MS in Game Development organized as three semesters of team game production, from prototyping and pre-production through post-production, ending in a comprehensive assessment presentation; an optional Game Programming concentration replaces the game seminar with programming electives.

Official program title: Game Development
Exact award: Master of Science in Game Development
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Discipline: Game Development
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: Bradley University — Department of Interactive Media
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Peoria, IL
Emphasis: Studio / portfolio emphasis
Source: bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Tracks and concentrations: Game Programming
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated MS in Game Development.

Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations at institutionally accredited US schools. Eligibility rules

Format, length and attendance

Delivery, campus attendance, schedule and study intensity are separate facts, each shown only as the school states it. Online coursework does not by itself mean there is no residency, exhibition, internship or proctored exam.

Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Source: bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity: Full-time
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: three semesters of 10 hours each (plan of study) (Full-time plan of study)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Credits: 30 semester hours
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Curriculum

What the school publishes about the program's game design, programming, art and production content. Tools and engines are listed only when the school names them — a program not listed as teaching Unity or Unreal may still use them, but we have not verified it.

Courses are Practicum, Game Seminar, Game Prototyping & Pre-Production, Game Production (repeated up to 11 hours) and Game Post-Production; students work in multidisciplinary teams on their own game.

Programming content

Game Programming concentration electives include Computer Graphics and Game Engine Programming.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Production and team projects

Game Prototyping & Pre-Production (6 hours), Game Production (11 hours) and Game Post-Production (5 hours).
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

Comprehensive Assessment: a presentation on the candidate's individual role on the final project to the graduate faculty and department chair.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published details

Graduate faculty review for advancement to candidacy after the first semester (10 hours).
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transfer of graduate credit from another institution or program is not allowed.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tracks, concentrations and specializations

Game Programming
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Hardware and software requirements

No hardware or software requirement published on the pages we checked.

Admissions and portfolio

Required, optional and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Portfolio

Portfolio required

Portfolio of game development work demonstrating technical, design or artistic accomplishment, indicating collaborative projects and the applicant's role.

Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Prior degree: RequiredUndergraduate degree with a major in game development or equivalent; animation, computer science or user experience majors considered with additional required study.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — Minimum last-60-hour GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for unconditional admission.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay: Required250-word statement of interests, abilities and direction in game design and development.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required1 letters — One or two letters of recommendation.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee: Required$40 — Non-refundable $40 application fee; no waivers.
Source: bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

TOEFL iBT: Required for some applicants — minimum 79English proficiency for applicable international applicants; IELTS Academic 6.5 also accepted.
Source: bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances. How to prepare a game design portfolio

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the intake the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Priority deadline
January 15 · for Fall (year not printed)
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed
Priority deadline
August 15 · for Spring (year not printed)
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and costs

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All students — Traditional graduate programs, per semester hourFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$1,158	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$34,740 = 30 credits × $1,158 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees, including equipment and software

Technology Fee (graduate students with four credit hours or more): $250 per semesterMandatory
Source: bradley.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Understanding tuition and equipment costs

Scholarships, assistantships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for students at this level. “Guaranteed” only when the school says every eligible student receives it. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Scholarships guide

Program-specific funding: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation and authorization

Institutional accreditation covers the school. Programmatic accreditation is shown only when it is named for this program — it is never transferred from another department or degree.

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

None verified for this program. Game design degrees do not require one specific specialized accreditation.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last checked October 12, 2026.

catalog.bradley.edu/graduate/programs/master-science-game-development-game-programming-concentration — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
catalog.bradley.edu/graduate/programs/master-science-game-development/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
bradley.edu/academics/programs/game-design-ms/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
bradley.edu/admissions/graduate/ — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
bradley.edu/admissions/tuition/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026

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