Master of Arts Game Design

As the only program of its kind in the united states, the master of arts in game design drives students to stretch their capacities as designers, developers, consumers, and game administrators and apply that to their unique field of interest. 

Students bring to the program their own experiences—whether in politics, science, art, history, marketing, or international studies—and can choose from multidisciplinary courses across our schools of communication, business, and arts. 

Bring your creativity into play. Through game design theory, development, and design, our students bring about behavior change, expand awareness, and make a difference. Students leave with the skills and experience they need to succeed in applying game design to non-game contexts.

Well-rounded Learning Experience

• With a 4:1 full-time student to faculty ratio, Game Lab students benefit from one-on-one interaction with world-renowned faculty. From working with Game Studio clients to performing scholarly research, students are able to learn from, and work side-by-side with faculty.

Admissions

• The School of Communication reviews graduate applications on an ongoing basis until programs reach capacity. Learn more about our admissions process.
• Administered jointly by the School of Communication and the Department of Computer Science College of Arts and Sciences, the Game Design (MA) is a unique, multi-disciplinary 36-credit hour program focused on game design and game engagement mechanics intended to influence non-game contexts and challenges. The program develops the intellectual capacity of students as designers, developers, consumers, and games administrators. Beyond traditional game design and development, students learn to tailor play design for distinct education purposes.

Cost and Financial Assistance

• The MA in Game Design is a 36 credit program. To estimate the cost of tuition, please see the current cost per credit hour for graduate students. To estimate the cost of attendance (COA) and view anticipated educational expenses that a student incurs while enrolled at American University, visit the Cost of Attendance webpage.  
• The School of Communication offers graduate students both merit-based and need-based financial aid. Merit awards are administered by the SOC Graduate Admissions Office, while need-based awards are administered by the American University Office of Financial Aid. Additional financial support is available for veterans.