University of California-Santa Cruz · Performance, Play & Design, Arts Division

Art & Design: Games + Playable Media

Bachelor of Arts in Art & Design: Games + Playable Media

Bachelor'sBAGame-focused Interactive MediaDedicated degree

Overview

An Arts Division B.A. that approaches games as a contemporary art practice, covering interactive design, game art and game design studios. Frosh admitted to UC Santa Cruz may enter the program; transfer students must complete art and design screening courses.

Official program title: Art & Design: Games + Playable Media
Exact award: Bachelor of Arts in Art & Design: Games + Playable Media
Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Bachelor's
Discipline: Game-focused Interactive Media Game Design
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: University of California-Santa Cruz — Performance, Play & Design, Arts Division
Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Why this program is listed

Dedicated B.A. in Art & Design: Games + Playable Media.

Source: catalog.ucsc.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: catalog.ucsc.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: Not verified

Entry routes

First-year entry. Open to first-time college students (freshman admission).Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transfer entry. Admits students transferring credits from another college.Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Prerequisite courses: Required for some applicantsTransfer applicants must complete one course from each area: 2D concepts, 3D concepts, and art and design topics.
Source: catalog.ucsc.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.

Upper-division curriculum of eight courses across craft refinement, social interventions and performance/portfolio/exhibition areas, with options including Game Design Studio I-III and a Portfolio course.

Curriculum overview

Eight upper-division courses: one each from craft refinement, social interventions and performance/portfolio/exhibition, one disciplinary communication course and four electives.
Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Art and animation content

Courses include Character Creation for Video Games and 3D Game Art Production.
Source: catalog.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Production and team projects

Game Design Studio sequence among performance/portfolio/exhibition options.
Source: catalog.ucsc.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 admission requirements: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
In-state — Undergraduate entering students, tuition and fees (estimate), Fall, Winter and SpringFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$17,439	per academic year · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: financialaid.ucsc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Out-of-state — Non-Resident Tuition (charged in addition to tuition and fees)From the school-wide rate table for this level	$39,270	per academic year · 2026-2027Source: financialaid.ucsc.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

WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) — 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.ucsc.edu/en/current/general-catalog/academic-units/arts-division/performance-play-and-design — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
financialaid.ucsc.edu/managing-aid/budget-cost-to-attend/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), 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.

Arkansas Tech University

Game & Interactive Media Design

Bachelor'sBFA

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game & Interactive Media Design

Game-focused Interactive Media · Game Design

Russellville, AR

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio policy not published

4 years · 120 credits

Tuition: $264.99 per credit · In-state — Undergraduate tuition, in-state · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Eastern Michigan University

Simulation, Animation and Gaming

Bachelor'sBS

Bachelor of Science in Simulation, Animation and Gaming

Game-focused Interactive Media · Game Art

Ypsilanti, MI

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio policy not published

Duration not verified

Tuition: $717.50 per credit · All students — Undergraduate, 1-11 credit hours · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

View program

Georgia Institute of Technology

Computational Media - Media-Games

Bachelor'sBSNamed concentration

Bachelor of Science in Computational Media

Concentration in Bachelor of Science in Computational Media — Media-Games

Game-focused Interactive Media · Game Design

Atlanta, GA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio policy not published

Duration not verified · 122 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

GameDesignSchools.net is independent and not affiliated with University of California-Santa Cruz. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.