Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media at University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz offers the Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its main campus in Santa Cruz , United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 4 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for art & design: games & playable media and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on August 22, 2027.
About Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media
The foundation of the program is game making, with students working together to make games each year. Students also learn about the history of games, the interpretation of games and game culture, expression of ideas and creating experiences through games, and approaches to design, communication, teamwork, and artistic innovation.
Study and Research Opportunities
- Research opportunities with graduate students/faculty including:
- The Critical Realities Lab - led by micha cárdenas
- The Other Lab - led by A.M. Darke
- Social Emotional Technology Lab - led by Katherine Isbister
- ASSIST Lab - led by Sri Kurniawan
- Augmented Design Lab - led by Jim Whitehead
- Expressive Intelligence Studio - led by Michael Mateas & Noah Wardrip-Fruin
- The Ludo Lab Center for Games & Playable Media Research. The Ludo Lab seeks to approach the issues & opportunities that shape our collective future - including Social and Environmental Justice, Gender Equality, Identity, and Representation.
Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media at University of California, Santa Cruz
Entry Requirements
3.4GPA
For nonresidents
English Requirements
- IELTSMin 6.5
- TOEFLMin 80
English Program Requirements
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System): Overall band score of 6.5 or higher*, includes IELTS Indicator Exam (through fall 2022)
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): Minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the Internet-based test, includes TOEFL iBT Home Edition (fall 2021 only)
- SAT (March 2016 or later) Writing & Language Test: 31 or higher
- SAT (prior to March 2016) Writing Exam: 560 or higher
- ACT combined English-Writing or English Language Arts portion: 24 or higher
- AP English Language and Composition, or English Literature and Composition: 3, 4, or 5
- IB Standard Level examination in English: Literature, or Language and Literature: 6 or 7
- IB Higher Level examination in English: Literature, or Language and Literature: 5, 6, or 7
- Duolingo English Test (DET): Minimum score of 115 (through fall 2022)
Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media
The AGPM B.A. serves as the sister program to the Computer Science: Computer Game Design (CS:CGD) B.S. major. While the CS:CGD major prepares its students for engineering and developer roles, the AGPM program focuses on artist, designer, or producer roles in the games industry including:
- 2D / 3D Artist
- Game Designer
- Game Programmer
- Game Writer
- Producer
- Sound Designer
- User Interface (UI) Designer
- User Experience (UX) Designer
Outside of the games industry, students have gone on to careers in games research, science, academia, marketing, graphic design, fine art, illustration, and other types of media and entertainment.
Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media at University of California, Santa Cruz
How to Apply for Bachelor of Art & Design: Games & Playable Media at University of California, Santa Cruz
To apply to UC Santa Cruz, fill out and submit the online application. The application is common to all University of California campuses, and you’ll be asked to choose which campuses you want to apply for. The application for admission also serves as an application for scholarships.
Our campus is open for new freshmen and transfer students each fall quarter, and we are open for transfer students in selected majors for winter quarter.
The application fee is $70 for U.S. students. If you apply to more than one University of California campus at the same time, you’ll need to submit $70 for each UC campus you apply to. Fee waivers are available for students with qualifying family incomes. The fee for international applicants is $80 per campus.
Applicants for fall 2022: The UC Application opened on August 1, 2021, and the filing period is November 1-30, 2021.
Applicants for winter 2023: The UC Application will open on July 1, 2022, and the filing period is July 1-31, 2022.
United States of America, Santa Cruz