The example plan of study below includes HCI requirements, the serious games graduate certificate courses, and game design and development courses. The game design and development four course sequence is optional. MA students may substitute many different elective courses (for example, in social media, e-commerce, HCI, education, computer science, etc.).
Courses |
YEAR 1 |
YEAR 2 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | Summer | Fall | Spring | |
| TC 445 – Game Design and Development I | 3 credits | ||||
| TC831 – Theories of Games and Interaction for Design* | 3 credits | ||||
| TC841 – Understanding Users* | 3 credits | ||||
| TC455 – Game Design and Development II | 3 credits | ||||
| TC840 – Interaction Design* | 3 credits | ||||
| TC830 – Foundations of Serious Games* | 3 credits | ||||
| TC497 – Game Design Studio | 3 credits | ||||
| TC498 – Client-based Game Design* or TC842 - Design and Development of Media Projects* |
if 842 3 credits in fall |
if 498 3 credits in spring |
|||
| 800 level elective (can be summer, fall, or spring of second year) | 2 or 3 credits | ||||
| 4 credits in TC899 Research Thesis (Plan A) or TC898 Digital Media (Plan B)* |
4 credits | ||||
*indicates required course
Description of Classes
TC 445 Game Design and Development I
Design, architecture, and creation concepts related to the development of interactive digital games.
TC 455 Game Design and Development II
Advanced design, architecture, and creation concepts related to the development of real-time interaction 3D design for gaming, simulation, and immersive virtual environments.
TC 497 Collaborative Game Design
Conceptualization, design documentation, planning, prototyping, and distribution of games.
TC 498 Client-based Game Design
Design and development of comprehensive digital games in a team setting working with a client. Participation in a design cycle including specification, design, prototyping, implementation, testing, and documentation. Issues of professionalism, ethics, and communication.
TC 830 Foundations of Serious Games
Game rationales, principles, processes and pedagogies for serious game design. Applications of serious game genres and simulations. Funding and distribution.
TC 831 Theories of Games and Interaction for Design
Theories of mediated interaction including communication, learning, health, global and local development, and social justice to inform the design of social systems, games, and media products.
TC 840 Interaction Design
Design of user interactions in information and media systems. Prototyping and presentation tools. Example topics include information architecture, task analysis, use cases, wireframes, scenarios.
TC 841 Understanding Users
Research methods used by design teams for asking and answering questions related to digital media arts and technology–before, during, and after design of creative work. The design goals and the design prototype are tested to guide development and evaluate effectiveness.
TC 842 Design and Development of Media Projects
Design of digital media arts projects in serious games, video, audio, multimedia, 3-D animation/virtual reality and other new media. Proposal development, team building, project management and workflow methods, production techniques and evaluative methods in the creation of media projects.
Prospective Students:
@carriejill