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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus — Image of the front of Ricketts Building, RPI campus Valentine's Day 2020. Image is taken from outside Jonsson Engineerin
Image of the front of Ricketts Building, RPI campus Valentine's Day 2020. Image is taken from outside Jonsson Engineering Center. Campus photograph. · Photo: Barreb4 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute logo

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NYPrivate nonprofit MSCHEGames and Experiential Media (GEM), School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Games and Experiential Media (GEM) department in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences offers the B.S. in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Critical Game Design in Troy, New York.

Game degrees at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

3 programs verified (1 bachelor's, 1 master's, 1 doctoral). Dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations only; the school may offer related courses or minors that are not degrees.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute logo

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences

Bachelor'sBSFirst-year entry

B.S. in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences

Field: Game-focused Interactive Media
Administering location: Troy, NY
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio not required (stated)
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: Tuition: $33,150 per semester · All students — Undergraduate, full time (up to 23 credits), per semester · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute logo

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Critical Game Design

Master'sMS

M.S. in Critical Game Design

Field: Game Studies & Research · Game Design
Administering location: Troy, NY
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: Tuition: $2,210 per credit · All students — Graduate, part-time tuition per credit hour · 2026-2027
Next deadline: March 1, 2027 · Fall 2027
View program
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute logo

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Critical Game Design

PhD

Ph.D. in Critical Game Design

Field: Game Studies & Research · Game Design
Administering location: Troy, NY
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: Tuition: $66,300 per academic year · All students — Graduate, full-time tuition · 2026-2027
Next deadline: December 15, 2026 · Fall 2027
View program

Department, studios and facilities

As the school describes them. Facilities are campus resources unless the school states that online students can use them.

Accreditation

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

    Institutional accreditation — accredited · since January 1, 1927

    Recognized by: U.S. Department of Education

    Source: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Institutional accreditation covers the whole institution. Programmatic accreditation (for example NASAD for an art and design unit) is shown on a program page only when the school names it for that program.

Institution

Official name
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Control
Private nonprofit
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026
Main location
110 8th St, Troy, NY 12180-3590
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026
Students enrolled exclusively in distance education
0 of 7,024 students (Fall 2023)
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Sources

Last verified October 12, 2026. Program facts and their sources are on each program page.
  1. gradadmissions.rpi.edu/deadlines-and-requirements — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  2. hass.rpi.edu/departments-games-and-experiential-media/about-gem — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  3. hass.rpi.edu/departments-games-and-experiential-media/academics — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  4. hass.rpi.edu/gsas/critical-game-design — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  5. hass.rpi.edu/gsas/critical-game-design-phd — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  6. IPEDS 2024–25 Institutional Characteristics (HD2024), via College Navigator — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  7. IPEDS Fall 2023 enrollment by distance-education status (EF2023A_DIST) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  8. DAPIP — MSCHE 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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