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Utah Valley University · Digital Media Department

Animation and Game Development

Bachelor of Science in Animation and Game Development

Bachelor'sBSGame DevelopmentDedicated degree

Overview

A 120-credit BS in which students complete first-year courses and then apply by portfolio to one of three tracks: 2D Animation, 3D Animation and Visual Effects, or Game and XR Development. All tracks share a discipline core that ends in a senior capstone.

Official program title
Animation and Game Development
Exact award
Bachelor of Science in Animation and Game Development
Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level
Bachelor's
Discipline
Degree type
Dedicated degree
School and department
Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location
Orem, UT
Tracks and concentrations
Game and XR Development Track · 3D Animation and Visual Effects Track · 2D Animation Track
Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Why this program is listed

Degree title includes Game Development; one of three tracks is Game and XR Development. The 2D Animation and 3D Animation and Visual Effects tracks are not game-focused.

Source: catalog.uvu.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: catalog.uvu.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
Minimum of 120 semester credits, including at least 40 upper-division credit hours
Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Entry routes

The pages we checked do not state whether first-year, transfer or degree-completion applicants are admitted to this program.

Prerequisite courses
RequiredDAGV 1400/1700 Scripting Essentials and DAGV 1200 3D Modeling Essentials, at least B-, before track application
Source: uvu.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.

The Game and XR Development track covers Game Development I-IV, 3D character development, visual development, mixed reality experiences, game engine and FX, rigging, a group project and portfolio development; the catalog names Maya, Unity, Unreal Engine and Houdini.

Curriculum overview

  • Game and XR Development track includes Mixed Reality Experiences, Game Engine and FX I and II, and Portfolio Development.
    Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Game design topics

  • Game Development I: Core Principles and Game Development II: Visual Development.
    Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Production and team projects

  • Game Development III: Production and Game Development IV: Publication.
    Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

Tools and engines named by the school

  • Game and XR track tools: Maya, Houdini, Unity and Unreal.
    Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Specializations

  • Game and XR Development track: mobile games, AAA games, XR/VR/AR titles and physical games such as board games.
    Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tracks, concentrations and specializations

Hardware and software requirements

Hardware
Mac or PC laptop no older than two years, suggested in the $1,400-2,000 range, plus a drawing tablet; an iPad is suggested.
Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Hardware
3D Animation and Game track applicants: laptop with at least 32 GB of RAM, no older than two years, and a drawing tablet.
Source: uvu.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

After first-year courses, students submit a portfolio to one of three tracks; acceptance is based on portfolio quality, and a student may apply at most twice. Game and XR applicants are expected to have completed scripting and 3D modeling essentials with at least a B-, and to have an online portfolio and a working Git repository.

Format: Portfolio on ArtStation or another website, plus a working Git repository

Official portfolio instructions

Source: catalog.uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Minimum GPA
RecommendedMinimum 3 — Applicants expected to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA or work to improve it
Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Interview
Required for some applicantsApplicants may have an interview with faculty after portfolio review
Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other requirement
RequiredDGM courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher to qualify for the portfolio review
Source: catalog.uvu.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.

  • Portfolio deadline

    Sunday, August 9th · for Track matriculation (year not printed)

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: uvu.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
In-state — Undergraduate, resident, 12.0 credit hours (same through 18 hours), tuition per semesterFrom the school-wide rate table for this level$3,102per semester · 2026-2027Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Out-of-state — Undergraduate, nonresident, 12.0 credit hours (same through 18 hours), tuition per semesterFrom the school-wide rate table for this level$9,454per semester · 2026-2027Source: uvu.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published fees, including equipment and software

DAGV 2460 Game Development I: tablet/peripherals lab fee and computer lab access fee
$45 per course
Source: catalog.uvu.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

  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) — 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. catalog.uvu.edu/engineering-technology/digital-media/animation-game-development-bs/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
  2. catalog.uvu.edu/search/?search=game — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
  3. DAPIP — NWCCU institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  4. uvu.edu/digitalmedia/game-animation-dev/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  5. uvu.edu/digitalmedia/game-animation-dev/docs/3d-animation-games-portfolio-requirements-26-27.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  6. uvu.edu/digitalmedia/game-animation-dev/docs/animation-program-information.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  7. uvu.edu/tuition/docs/tuitionandfeesfall2026-sum2027.pdf — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026

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

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