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University of Southern California · Interactive Media & Games Division, School of Cinematic Arts

Game Development and Interactive Design

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Development and Interaction Design

Bachelor'sBFAGame DevelopmentDedicated degree

Overview

A four-year BFA in the School of Cinematic Arts' Interactive Media & Games Division focused on the design of games and interactive entertainment. Admission requires a SlideRoom application with a personal statement, project question, creative portfolio list, technical skill list and a development portfolio.

Official program title
Game Development and Interactive Design
Exact award
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Development and Interaction Design
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level
Bachelor's
Discipline
Degree type
Dedicated degree
School and department
Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Why this program is listed

Dedicated BFA in game development and interaction design in the School of Cinematic Arts.

Source: cinema.usc.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: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance
Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity
Not published
Duration
four-year program
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Credits
Not verified

Entry routes

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

Students make games at all levels of the program, with emphasis on collaboration and team projects.

Production and team projects

  • Students make games at all levels of the program; emphasis on collaboration and team-building.
    Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

  • Advanced Game Projects cross-disciplinary capstone course in USC Games Studios.
    Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published details

  • Admitted external transfer students enter the sophomore cohort on a three-year course plan.
    Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Hardware and software requirements

Hardware
SCA approved laptop required for Interactive Media & Games (Config A - 3D Performance or Config B - Editing Performance).
Source: cinema.usc.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

Development portfolio of at most 15 pieces (art, animation, games or immersive media, physical games, engineering or business demonstrations, etc.), plus a creative portfolio list and technical skill list.

Format: SlideRoom upload

Official portfolio instructions

Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay
RequiredCinematic Arts Personal Statement (PDF).
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required1 letters — One letter of recommendation from an academic source (first-year applicants).
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Interview
RequiredUndergraduate applicants receive an admission interview/assessment invitation via Kira Talent after the deadline.
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Writing sample
RequiredProject Question essay on collaborative projects, no more than two pages.
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other requirement
RequiredTechnical Skill list of coding languages, tools, game engines and 3D software; no coding background required.
Source: cinema.usc.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.

  • Early decision

    November 1 · for Fall (year not printed), first-year

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Early action

    November 1 · for Fall (year not printed), first-year

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    January 10 · for Fall (year not printed), first-year

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    December 1 · for Fall (year not printed), external transfer

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: cinema.usc.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.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All students — Undergraduate tuition, 12-18 units for two semestersFrom the school-wide rate table for this level$75,384per academic year · 2026-2027Source: financialaid.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees

Undergraduate fees, two semesters (estimate)
$1,952 per academic year
Source: financialaid.usc.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.
  1. cinema.usc.edu/admissions/apply.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  2. cinema.usc.edu/admissions/freshman.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  3. cinema.usc.edu/admissions/procedures/interactive/firstyearprocedures.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  4. cinema.usc.edu/admissions/procedures/interactive/transferprocedures.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  5. cinema.usc.edu/interactive/index.cfm — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  6. cinema.usc.edu/Laptops/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  7. financialaid.usc.edu/undergraduate-financial-aid/cost-of-attendance/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
  8. games.usc.edu/degrees — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  9. games.usc.edu/facilities — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  10. DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026

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