New York University · Educational Communication and Technology, NYU Steinhardt

Games for Learning (MS)

Master of Science in Games for Learning

Master'sMSGame DesignDedicated degree

Overview

A 36-credit MS at NYU Steinhardt focused on designing, implementing and evaluating games for learning, available full-time or part-time, with a capstone thesis.

Official program title: Games for Learning (MS)
Exact award: Master of Science in Games for Learning
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Discipline: Game Design
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: New York University — Educational Communication and Technology, NYU Steinhardt
Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: New York, NY

Why this program is listed

Dedicated MS in Games for Learning (design, development and evaluation of serious games) at NYU Steinhardt.

Source: bulletins.nyu.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: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity: Full-time and part-time
Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Credits: 36 credits
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring
Source: steinhardt.nyu.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.

Learning and design foundation courses (cognitive science, learning sciences, games and play in education, designing simulations/games for learning, narrative and digital media, user research methods), a two-semester capstone thesis and 12 elective credits that may include a field internship.

Game design topics

Designing Simulations/Games for Learning; Games and Play in Education
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

Capstone Thesis taken twice (6 credits)
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Specializations

Areas of study include game design, game development, game research and student-customized options
Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Internship

Electives may include Media Practicum: Field Internships (1-3 credits)
Source: bulletins.nyu.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 optional

Not required; applicants may include a link to a portfolio or code repository.

Format: Links emailed to ectinfo@nyu.edu

Official portfolio instructions

Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Statement / essay: RequiredStatement of purpose
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two letters of recommendation
Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredRésumé/CV
Source: bulletins.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredTranscripts from every postsecondary institution attended
Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: steinhardt.nyu.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.

Application deadline
January 15 · for Fall (year not printed)
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: steinhardt.nyu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
October 1 · for Spring (year not printed)
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: steinhardt.nyu.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.

Tuition for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — 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.

bulletins.nyu.edu/graduate/culture-education-human-development/programs/games-learning-ms/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
steinhardt.nyu.edu/degree/ms-games-learning — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
steinhardt.nyu.edu/degree/ms-games-learning/how-apply — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026

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