Academy of Art University

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Game Programming

Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

Architecture

• Use architectural design patterns as appropriate to improve program cohesion and limit coupling between systems
• Write professional-quality technical documentation
• Create data-driven code

Implementation

• Implement appropriate data structures to manage program data
• Write efficient algorithms to solve programming problems
• Write defensive, error-free code

Professionalism

• Conform to industry-standard software engineering practices, such as commenting, following a coding standard, following naming conventions, etc.
• Demonstrate mastery of industry-standard tools
• Produce a professional portfolio that meets industry standards
• Work cooperatively and effectively in a professional production environment

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

• Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
• Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
• Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
• Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
• Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
• Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
• Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

Academy of Art University offers some of the best training and hands-on experience to help you excel in your future game development careers. We pride ourselves in doing an exceptional job designing programs that equip aspiring professionals with a comprehensive toolbox of marketable skills that lead to success in the industry.

Our Game Development course teaches the skills necessary to succeed in exciting careers in game design, concept art, UI/UX design, animation, technical art, and emerging technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality.

3D Character Artist

Bring characters to life as a 3D character modeler. You’ll build complex character models, and organic meshes, and work across teams to rig, light, texture, and animate your creations.

3D Environment Modeler

Bring video game environments to life with your 3D modeling techniques. Add color, texture, shaders, and lighting to give the environment a finished look.

Animation VFX

Animation and Visual Effects give a game its personality. The most well-designed and crafted character doesn’t come to life until someone makes them move and gives them some personality. Visual Effects, such as fire, laser blasts, and warp gates, grab the player and transport them to another world altogether.

Character Concept Artist

Design and create the characters for interactive games. You’ll imagine the visual look of interactive characters with contextual details to bring them to life.

Environment Concept Artist

Combine a playful imagination with a high degree of artistic skill. Concept and flush out all aspects of environmental design, from small props to full culture kits.

Game/Level Designer

Balance gameplay elements to keep games engaging. You will also improve systems, contribute to features, and participate in testing to create immersive worlds and evoke emotions.

Gameplay Programmer

Gameplay programmers are the heart of any game. Your job will be to bring the game to life by implementing the core gameplay mechanics. You'll work very close with designers to build the game itself.

Systems Programmer

Systems programmers build the engine technology that runs the games. As a systems programmer, your code will power the backend of the engine and enable the creativity of the team. Graphics, networking, file systems, physics systems, and other core systems fall under this domain.

Tools Programmer

Tools programmers are the unsung heroes of the games industry. Your job is to enable the other developers to build the gameplay. You will create map editors, write plug-ins, and build custom tools to enable the designer's creativity.

UX/UI Designer

Use your knowledge of game features, design, motion graphics, and user paths to create an immersive experience.

Unit Requirements

Degree Requirements

• A minimum grade of C- in all major coursework and the following Liberal Arts courses:
• LA 107 Writing for the Multilingual Artist or LA 108 Composition for the Artist
• LA 255 College Math
• LA 271 College Algebra with Geometry
• LA 286 Discrete Mathematics
• LA 288 Vector, Matrices, & Transformations
  • LA 107 Writing for the Multilingual Artist or LA 108 Composition for the Artist
  • LA 255 College Math
  • LA 271 College Algebra with Geometry
  • LA 286 Discrete Mathematics
  • LA 288 Vector, Matrices, & Transformations
• Minimum 2.0 GPA
• And the following general education requirements:
• 1 Written Communication: Composition
• 1 Written Communication: Critical Thinking
• 1 Written Communication: Context & Style
• 1 Art Historical Awareness
• 1 Historical Awareness
• 1 Fundamental Math
• 1 Applied Math
• 1 Discrete Mathematics
• 1 3D Math
• 1 Employment Communications & Practices
• 1 Cultural Ideas & Influences
  • 1 Written Communication: Composition
  • 1 Written Communication: Critical Thinking
  • 1 Written Communication: Context & Style
  • 1 Art Historical Awareness
  • 1 Historical Awareness
  • 1 Fundamental Math
  • 1 Applied Math
  • 1 Discrete Mathematics
  • 1 3D Math
  • 1 Employment Communications & Practices
  • 1 Cultural Ideas & Influences

After the above general education requirements are met, take Liberal Arts electives as needed to fulfill the Liberal Arts unit requirement.

Curriculum

Semester 1

• GAP 120: Principles of Computer Science (Core)
• GAP 125: Programming for Games 1 (Core)
• LA 101: Freshman Symposium: Artistic Resilience (Liberal Arts)
• LA 255: College Math (Liberal Arts)

Semester 2

• GAM 110: Introduction to Game Development (Core)
• GAP 225: Programming for Games 2 (Core)
• GAP 255: Object-Oriented Programming & Design (Core)
• LA 108: Composition for the Artist (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer
• LA 271: College Algebra with Geometry (Liberal Arts)
• LA 286: Discrete Mathematics (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer

Semester 3

• GAP 235: Data Structures & Algorithms (Core)
• GAP 275: Programming for Games 3 (Core)
• LA 288: Vector, Matrices, & Transformations (Liberal Arts)
• LA 291: Designing Careers (Liberal Arts)

Semester 4

• GAP 285: AAA Game Engine Architecture (Core)
• GAP 295: Low-Level Programming & Optimization (Core)
• GAP 301: Programming Game Engines (Core)
• LA 131: History of Gaming (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer
• LA 201: Programming Languages (Liberal Arts)
• LA 202: English Composition: Creative Persuasion & Argument (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer

Semester 5

• GAP 305: Programming for Production (Core)
• GAP 311: Fundamentals of Computer Graphics (Major)
• GAP 321: Artificial Intelligence (Major)
• GAP 331: Network Programming (Major)

Semester 6

• GAM 150: Game Design, Theory & Analysis (Elective)
  Recommended for summer
• GAM 245: Mobile Game Development (Major)
• GAP 351: Indie Game Programming (Major)
• GAP 361: Programming for Game UI and Tools (Major)
• LA 110: Writing the Short Story (Liberal Arts)
• LA 462: Power of Myth and Symbol (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer

Semester 7

• GAM 252: Systems Design (Elective)
• GAM 498P: Portfolio Project: Programming (Major)
• GAM 499: Special Topics (Major)
• LA 171: Western Civilization (Liberal Arts)

Semester 8

• GAM 405: Games Portfolio Preparation (Core)
• GAM 498P: Portfolio Project: Programming (Major)
• GAP 499: Special Topics (Major)
• GAP 500: Internship in Game Programming (Elective)
• LA 306: Creatively Speaking: Presentation for Designers (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer
• LA 345: The Art of Science, the Science of Art (Liberal Arts)
  Recommended for summer