Skip to content
Game DesignSchools
Southern Methodist University logo

Southern Methodist University · SMU Guildhall

Game Development B.A.

Bachelor of Arts in Game Development

Bachelor'sBAGame DevelopmentDedicated degree

Overview

A 36-credit-hour Bachelor of Arts major in game development at SMU Guildhall, launched in fall 2026, focused on game art and real-time 3D worldbuilding and structured to allow a second major in drawing or sculpture.

Official program title
Game Development B.A.
Exact award
Bachelor of Arts in Game Development
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level
Bachelor's
Discipline
Degree type
Dedicated degree
School and department
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location
Dallas, TX
Why this program is listed

Dedicated Bachelor of Arts in Game Development (game art focus), launched fall 2026.

Source: smu.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.Classes meet on campus.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance
Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity
Not published
Duration
Not verified
Credits
36-credit-hour major
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Entry routes

  • Transfer entry. Admits students transferring credits from another college.Source: smu.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.

Creative production fundamentals (drawing or sculpture, digital media, architecture, 3D modeling), core GAME courses in game design, critical issues and an advanced studio, advanced courses in special topics and professional practice in art, and electives in technical art, user interface, extended reality and generative AI content. Students work with Unreal and Unity and build a portfolio for a public exhibition.

Game design topics

  • GAME 3370 Game Design: analyzing, deconstructing and critiquing video games.
    Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Art and animation content

  • Electives include Technical Art I: Visual Effects, Technical Art II: Real-time Engines and Technical Art III: Digital Costuming.
    Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

  • Coursework builds a portfolio for a public exhibition.
    Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tools and engines named by the school

Specializations

  • The program focuses on the specialization of game art.
    Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published details

  • Not a programming specialization major; Python or C++ are not required.
    Source: smu.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 policy not published

The school's pages we checked do not state a portfolio policy for this program. That does not mean no portfolio is required — ask the admissions office.

Other requirement
RequiredB.A. applicants complete the SMU undergraduate application.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

SAT/ACT and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

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

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — 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.
  1. DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  2. smu.edu/guildhall/academics/game-development-programs — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  3. smu.edu/guildhall/academics/game-development-programs/ba-game-development — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  4. smu.edu/guildhall/admission/admission-requirements — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026

Something out of date? Suggest an update · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and primary field. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Full Sail University

Interactive Technology Bachelor of Science Completion Program With a Concentration in Game Development

Bachelor'sBSNamed concentrationDegree completion

Interactive Technology Bachelor of Science

Concentration in Interactive Technology Bachelor of Science Completion Program — Game Development

Field: Game Development
Administering location: Winter Park, FLInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio policy not published
Duration: 40 weeks · 120 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program

Full Sail University

Game Development

Bachelor'sBSFirst-year entryTransfer entry

Game Development Bachelor of Science

Field: Game Development · Game Programming
Administering location: Winter Park, FLInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio not required (stated)
Duration: 27 months online; 20 months on campus · 120 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $67,000 entire program · All students — Online, Game Development Bachelor of Science, program tuition (October - December 2026 table; $558 average per credit hour)
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
Grand Canyon University logo

Grand Canyon University

Game Development

Bachelor'sBSFirst-year entryTransfer entry

Bachelor of Science in Game Development

Field: Game Development · Game Programming
Administering location: Phoenix, AZInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Delivery: Online (on-site requirements not stated)The institution offers the degree online but its pages do not say whether any on-site activity is required.
Campus attendance: Campus attendance not verified
Portfolio: Portfolio policy not published
Duration: Duration not verified · 120 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $490 per credit · All students — Online
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program

GameDesignSchools.net is independent and not affiliated with Southern Methodist University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.