International students pursuing graduate degrees in video game development will receive specialized training that allows them to take the lead on a game development team. This article offers an overview of the benefits and rigors of taking the extra step and getting a graduate degree in video game development. The article also provides a list of typical graduate courses in game development programs.
International students who have already received an undergraduate degree and are now pursuing a graduate degree in video game development have several important aspects they ought to keep in mind when deciding upon which graduate program is the best for them: personal fulfillment, the quality of education available and the number of career opportunities available upon graduation based on the chosen specialization. This is especially true for jobs that are either unavailable to individuals with only an undergraduate degree or those that favor individuals with graduate degrees. Given these considerations, one of the increasingly popular decisions amongst international students studying video game development in the United States is to continue their education after graduation by pursuing a graduate degree in video game development. International students who decide to study video game development at the graduate level in the United States have not only turned their love for video gaming into fuel for a lucrative career creating the next sensational gaming title, they are becoming specialized in one or more aspects of game creation to ensure they will have a career with a major game developer. The reasons why a video game development major is so popular amongst international students studying in the US are many, and this article will help identify a few key points that clarify exactly what the additional step of receiving a graduate degree in video game development entails for an international student.
Usually a graduate degree in video game development takes the form of a Master of Science degree (MS). A typical graduate degree in video game development takes around two years to complete, and will vary in cost depending on the state and institution at which the video game development major program is located. However, there is also a large degree of flexibility regarding the number of courses a student takes during a semester and academic year, so students are able to find a program that can be completed within their desired timeframe.
International students who desire an undergraduate degree in video game development will have to establish criteria by which they will decide between the many highly regarded and highly funded video game development programs. Some central points to consider when deciding where to pursue a video game development major are: the reputation of the institution, job placement rate of graduates, the amount of funding/financial assistance that is available to graduate students, any industry affiliations (companies that work closely with graduates of a specific program or institution), and what exact aspects of video game development the graduate degree in video game development at a particular institution offers.
Deciding to pursue a video game development major will link a student's passion with a career as part of a development team. The graduate degree in video game development a student receives will prepare them beyond just being a part of a development team, it will provide the student with the skills required to take the lead on one of these professional development teams.
Whereas an individual with a video game development major will be groomed to be able to hold any of several high-responsibility roles as an undergraduate, a graduate degree in video game development often requires a graduate student to have a more specific idea of what capacity they would prefer to serve on a development team. Having a graduate degree in video game development will most likely result in becoming a leader of a development team (either as a whole or over a particular production aspect). This fact means that those international students receiving a graduate degree in video game development will have to decide upon a specialization in either production or design; managerial development aspects or the front lines of programming.
The roles a graduate degree in video game development may bring upon graduation are diverse. This is the case because a degree in video game development itself covers a diverse field of study that requires a familiarity with the many different phases of creating a video game. The curriculum of a video game development major spans the entire process of game creation, and therefore is a hybrid of mathematics, computer science, and production. That being the case, video game development majors will be well versed in both the overview of the game development process, as well as the specifics at each step. In fact, most international students pursuing a graduate degree in video game production will be asked to create several real video games during their two-year course of study! Before actually creating a game, there will be a number of classes available to learn the techniques of this field.
Typical Courses Comprising a Graduate Degree in Video Game Development:
- Production leadership
- Quality assurance
- Research design
- Leadership and team dynamics
- Asset management
- Game production tools
- Game production methodologies
- Capstone game production project (2-D)
- Capstone game production project (3-D)
- Marketing and media relations
If you would like to have an advantage over other international students studying video game development, a graduate degree in video game development might be the one step ahead of the rest that you are looking for.