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Game DesignSchools
University of Southern California campus — Fountain and the Bovard Administration Building at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California
Fountain and the Bovard Administration Building at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. Campus photograph. · Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0 · source
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University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CAPrivate nonprofit WSCUCUSC Games (School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media & Games Division and Viterbi Department of Computer Science)

USC Games is a joint program of the School of Cinematic Arts' Interactive Media & Games Division and the Viterbi School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science. It lists bachelor's degrees in game development and interaction design, game art and computer science (games), and master's degrees in game design and development, interactive media and computer science with a game development specialization.

Game degrees at University of Southern California

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

University of Southern California logo

University of Southern California

Game Development and Interactive Design

Bachelor'sBFAFirst-year entryTransfer entry

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Development and Interaction Design

Field: Game Development · Game Design
Administering location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: four-year program
Tuition: Tuition: $75,384 per academic year · All students — Undergraduate tuition, 12-18 units for two semesters · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
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University of Southern California

Computer Science (Games)

Bachelor'sBS

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (Games)

Field: Game Programming
Administering location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio policy not published
Duration: Duration not verified · 128 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $75,384 per academic year · All students — Undergraduate tuition, 12-18 units for two semesters · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
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University of Southern California

Game Art

Bachelor'sBFAFirst-year entryTransfer entry

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Art

Field: Game Art
Administering location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: four-year program
Tuition: Tuition: $75,384 per academic year · All students — Undergraduate tuition, 12-18 units for two semesters · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
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University of Southern California

Game Design and Development

Master'sMS

Master of Science in Game Design and Development

Field: Game Design · Game Development
Administering location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: two-year intensive program · 38 credits
Tuition: Tuition: $2,700 per credit · All students — School of Cinematic Arts graduate tuition per unit · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
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University of Southern California

Interactive Media & Games

Master'sMFA

Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media

Field: Game-focused Interactive Media
Administering location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio required
Duration: three year program
Tuition: Tuition: $2,700 per credit · All students — School of Cinematic Arts graduate tuition per unit · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
University of Southern California logo

University of Southern California

Computer Science (Game Development)

Master'sMSNamed concentration

Master of Science in Computer Science (Game Development)

Concentration in Master of Science in Computer Science — Game Development

Field: Game Programming · Game Development
Administering location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendance
Portfolio: Portfolio policy not published
Duration: Duration not verified · 32 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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.

Student work

Official showcases of student games and projects, linked from the school's own pages. We link to them; we do not copy or rate student work.

Accreditation

  • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

    Institutional accreditation — accredited · since February 28, 1949

    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.

Offerings we reviewed but do not list

This directory lists dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations. These offerings were checked against official pages and fall outside that scope (minors, certificates, degrees without a named game pathway, esports).
  • Themed Entertainment (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Themed Entertainment)Themed spaces and immersive entertainment design, not a game degree.Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026
  • Game Design minor (and other game minors)Minors are out of scope.Source: games.usc.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Institution

Official name
University of Southern California
Control
Private nonprofit
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026
Main location
University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026
Students enrolled exclusively in distance education
5,865 of 47,147 students (Fall 2023)
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Doctoral research beyond game degrees

Broader doctorates at this school where game-related research may be possible. They are not game PhD programs and are not listed as such.

Game studies and doctoral research

Sources

Last verified October 12, 2026. Program facts and their sources are on each program page.
  1. cinema.usc.edu/admissions/apply.cfm — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  2. games.usc.edu/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  3. games.usc.edu/contact-us — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  4. games.usc.edu/degrees — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  5. games.usc.edu/facilities — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  6. games.usc.edu/ourprogram — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  7. IPEDS 2024–25 Institutional Characteristics (HD2024), via College Navigator — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  8. IPEDS Fall 2023 enrollment by distance-education status (EF2023A_DIST) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  9. 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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University of Southern California Game Design Degrees (Bachelor's, Master's)