Southern Methodist University · SMU Guildhall

Master of Interactive Technology

Master of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development

Master'sMITGame DevelopmentDedicated degree

Overview

A two-year, full-time, in-person professional master's degree at SMU Guildhall in Dallas. Students enter as a cohort, choose one of four specializations and build team games in a studio-modeled Team Game Production sequence.

Official program title: Master of Interactive Technology
Exact award: Master of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Discipline: Game Development
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: Southern Methodist University — SMU Guildhall
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Dallas, TX
Tracks and concentrations: Art Creation · Level Design · Production (Project Management) · Software Development (Programming)
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated professional master's in digital game development (SMU Guildhall).

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.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity: Full-time
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: Two years (five semesters)
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Credits: Not verified
Start terms: Fall
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

In-person requirements as published

Thesis defense Required
Thesis project defended under faculty advisor oversight (Master's Thesis IV – Graduate Exhibition).
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.

Four Team Game Production courses, two professional development courses, nine specialization courses (art creation, level design, production or programming) and four research courses, ending in a master's thesis defended at a graduate exhibition. Students work with Unity and Unreal Engine.

Curriculum overview

Four Team Game Production courses, two professional development courses, nine specialization courses and four research courses.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Production and team projects

Team Game Production IV: students design, prototype, test and publish games in a studio-modeled environment; students graduate with at least three team games.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Thesis

Master's Thesis IV – Graduate Exhibition: students develop and defend a thesis project under faculty advisor oversight.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tools and engines named by the school

Unity and Unreal Engine
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published details

Students enter as a cohort and progress together through two years of coursework.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tracks, concentrations and specializations

Art Creation
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Level Design
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Production (Project Management)
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Software Development (Programming)
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Hardware and software requirements

Hardware: Every student receives a laptop with discipline-specific professional software that becomes the student's property.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

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

Either prior work examples or a specialization-specific portfolio assignment (art creation, level design, production or programming).

Format: Upload or link through the online graduate application; accepted formats include images, video, .zip/.tgz archives and documents

Official portfolio instructions

Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Prior degree: RequiredBaccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.000 on a 4.000 scale.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredVideo essay on motivation, interests, experiences and one portfolio piece; production applicants also describe the producer role.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two non-family references entered in the online application.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee: Waived$100 — $100 application fee waived for all applicants this year.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredUnofficial transcripts for review; official transcripts upon admission.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: OptionalGED, SAT and GRE scores are optional but accepted.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
TOEFL iBT: Required for some applicants — minimum 80Non-U.S. applicants without a degree from an English-speaking institution; 550 paper-based or 80 computer-based.
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
IELTS Academic: Required for some applicants — minimum 6.5Non-U.S. applicants without a degree from an English-speaking institution.
Source: smu.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.

Early action
Rolling admission · for Fall (year not printed)
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling
Application deadline
Rolling admission · for Fall (year not printed)
Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling

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 — MIT in Digital Game Development, GM36, full-time, per term (Fall 2026, Spring 2027)	$22,487	per term · 2026-2027Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
All students — MIT in Digital Game Development, GM36, full-time, Summer 2027 term	$14,992	per term · 2026-2027Source: smu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees, including equipment and software

Technology Fee (all MIT programs): $5,200
Source: smu.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

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.

DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
smu.edu/businessfinance/officeoffinanceandplanning/bursar/tuition_and_fees/graduate/jay2026-2027 — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
smu.edu/guildhall/academics/game-development-programs — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
smu.edu/guildhall/academics/game-development-programs/ba-game-development — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
smu.edu/guildhall/academics/game-development-programs/masters-interactive-technology — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
smu.edu/guildhall/admission/admission-requirements — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
smu.edu/guildhall/campus/our-facilities-and-technology — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026

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