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

Interactive Media & Games

Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media

Master'sMFAGame-focused Interactive MediaDedicated degree

Overview

A three-year MFA in the School of Cinematic Arts' Interactive Media & Games Division covering game and interactive design, with an eighteen-month thesis program. A Games and Health emphasis is available to admitted MFA students.

Official program title: Interactive Media & Games
Exact award: Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Discipline: Game-focused Interactive Media
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: University of Southern California — Interactive Media & Games Division, School of Cinematic Arts
Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Tracks and concentrations: Games and Health (emphasis)
Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this program is listed

MFA in Interactive Media (Interactive Media & Games) devoted to game and interactive design.

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.
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: three year program
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Credits: Not verified
Start terms: Fall
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.

Hands-on project development in design, development and collaboration, culminating in a thesis project developed in the MFA Thesis Lab.

Curriculum overview

Draws on School of Cinematic Arts strengths including game design, animation, sound production, screenwriting, producing and critical studies.
Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Thesis

Eighteen-month thesis program; third-year thesis project in the MFA Thesis Lab.
Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tracks, concentrations and specializations

Games and Health (emphasis)
Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Hardware and software requirements

Hardware: SCA approved laptop required for Interactive Media & Games.
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

Creative work sample plus creative portfolio list, submitted through the SlideRoom application "Graduate Interactive Media MFA Program".

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
Interview: OptionalSome applicants may be selected for a remote video interview; not required for admission.
Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE 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 deadline
November 15 · for Fall (year not printed)
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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All students — School of Cinematic Arts graduate tuition per unitFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$2,700	per credit · 2026-2027Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
All students — Interactive Media, MFA: first-year tuition (22 units, Fall and Spring)	$61,299	per academic year · 2026-2027Source: cinema.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees

USC mandatory fees (estimate) for full or half-time students: $1,899 per academic yearMandatory
Source: cinema.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.

cinema.usc.edu/admissions/apply.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
cinema.usc.edu/admissions/procedures/interactive/graduateprocedures.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
cinema.usc.edu/admissions/tuition.cfm — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
cinema.usc.edu/interactive/index.cfm — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
cinema.usc.edu/Laptops/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
games.usc.edu/degrees — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
games.usc.edu/facilities — Official program 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

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Similar programs at other schools

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

Carnegie Mellon University

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Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required for some pathways

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Tuition: $61,628 per academic year · All students — Tuition, total cost for academic year · 2026-2027

January 1, 2027 · Fall 2027

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American University

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Master of Fine Arts in Games and Interactive Media

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On campus · Full-time and part-time

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio required for some pathways

within 36 months · 54 credits

Tuition: $2,163 per credit · All students — Graduate students, per credit hour (on-campus and most online programs) · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Game-focused Interactive Media · Game Development

Worcester, MA

On campus

Regular campus attendance

Portfolio optional

Duration not verified

Tuition: $1,775 per credit · All students — Graduate tuition (general rate) · 2026-2027

Rolling admission (as published)

View program

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