The Master of Science in Game Science and Design gives students a comprehensive understanding of how successful game products are created in a player-centric environment.
The Master of Science (MS) in Game Science and Design seeks to give students a comprehensive understanding of how successful game products are created in a player-centric environment. Focusing on the science of game development, students have an opportunity to learn the design and technological skills needed to build a game and develop a deep understanding of playability and analytics that make products successful in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
The game industry has expanded to include social and mobile gaming; games in health, education, and training; and innovations in play psychology, middleware, graphics tools, game mechanics, game evaluation methods, and advanced artificial intelligence and narrative techniques. It has become an increasingly competitive space.
The selectiveness of the industry and the diversity of the skills required mean that students seeking entry need both broad and deep skills. As an emergent industry using diverse technology and collaborative practices, the game industry needs professionals with interdisciplinary skill sets who can meld knowledge about development with knowledge about evaluation methods and players’ behavior and psychology. Jointly offered by Northeastern’s College of Arts, Media, and Design and Khoury College of Computer Sciences, the Master of Science in Game Science and Design is a one-of-a-kind interdisciplinary program that seeks to prepare students to meet this need by weaving together science and design. This is a two-year, 34-credit-hour program.
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Unique Features
- Learn the design and technological skills needed to build a game
- Develop a deep understanding of playability and analytics that make products successful in an increasingly competitive marketplace
- An advisor will help students select a pathway with a coherent set of electives determined by students' career goals
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Requirements
- Application form
- Application fee
- Resumé
- Transcripts for all institutions attended
- TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo exam scores for international applicants
- Personal statement
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test scores
- Learn more about our admissions process from the College of Arts, Media, and Design
Admissions Dates
| Priority deadline for scholarship consideration: | February 1 |
| Final deadline for international applicants: | May 1 |
| Final deadline for domestic applicants: | August 1 |
Core Requirements
Required Core
Thesis
Electives
Game Design or Development
Complete one of the following:
Game User Research or Analytics
Complete one of the following:
Other Electives List
Complete any two of the previously listed courses or from the following (courses not listed below may be completed in consultation with your faculty advisor):
Please note: This curriculum is for marketing purposes only and is subject to change. Official curriculum can be found within the course catalog.
Northeastern's signature experience-powered learning model has been at the heart of the university for more than a century. It combines world-class academics with professional practice, allowing you to acquire relevant, real-world skills you can immediately put into action in your current workplace. This makes a Northeastern education a dynamic, transformative experience, giving you countless opportunities to grow as a professional and person.
Our Faculty
Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and fields ranging from finance to education to biomedical science to management to the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside students to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.
By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 275,000 alumni and 3,350+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nongovernmental organizations. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional locations further foster a lifelong, global community of learning and mentoring.
Below is a look at where our Digital Media & Design alumni work, the positions they hold, and the skills they bring to their organization.
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Where They Work
- Harvard
- MIT
- ViralGains
- Cognizant
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What They Do
- Art and Design
- Engineering
- Information Technology
- Marketing
- Media and Communication
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What They're Skilled At
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Social Media
- CSS
- Digital Media
- Marketing
Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on Linkedin.