Computer Game Development Courses

Curriculum

Any undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Alberta may pursue the Certificate in Game Design, assuming it fits their schedule. The certificate can only be awarded at the time of graduation. Students wishing to complete the Certificate must apply through either the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science.

  • Students in the Faculty of Arts should indicate that they are pursuing the certificate using this form. To be awarded the certificate, students MUST ALSO apply through Bear Tracks with their application to graduate by the application deadline for convocation.
  • Students in the Faculty of Science MUST apply through Bear Tracks with their application to graduate by the application deadline for convocation.
  • Students in different faculties (such as Education, Business, or Engineering) should follow the process outlined for Faculty of Arts students above.

The certificate begins with CMPUT 250: Computers and Games. It is designed for second-year students, and serves as the entry point for the certificate. It is focused on interdisciplinary teamwork and provides a broad view of all aspects of game development, and includes guest lectures from many departments as well as industry.

The culmination of the certificate is INT D 450: Computers and Games, a capstone course that returns to a focus on interdisciplinary teams developing a complete game, using all of the skills learned in the intermediate courses and courses from their own discipline.

Course List

18 course credits are required for this certificate.

Required Courses:

  • CMPUT 250: COMPUTERS AND GAMES
    • An introductory course for students in Science, Arts, and other faculties who are interested in the design and development of computer games.
    • To achieve the required mix of backgrounds and experience, students must apply for admission to this course. You can do that here.
  • INT D 450: COMPUTERS AND GAMES
    • An advanced interdisciplinary course for students in Science, Arts, and other faculties who have completed CMPUT 250.
    • To achieve the required mix of backgrounds and experience, students must apply for admission to this course. You can do that here.
  • 12 Selected From (Numbers in parentheses refer to the numbers in the Notes section below):
    • CMPUT 256 - Game Artificial Intelligence
    • CMPUT 350 - Advanced Games Programming
    • EDIT 486 - Interactive Multimedia
    • INT D 350 - Game Design Principles and Practice
    • MST 350 - Understanding Video Games (1)
    • MST 351 - Understanding Video Games (1)
    • MST 399 - Trans and Queer Game Design (2)
    • MUSIC 245 - Introduction to Music Technologies
    • MUSIC 445 - Electroacoustic Music (3)
    • WRITE 399 - Projects in Genre (4)
  • Alternate Course Request
    • Students may request that a course not listed above count towards the certificate. The co-directors of the certificate consider many factors when evaluating these requests, including the diversity of courses the applicant has already taken, the content of the course, and the alignment of the course with the pedagogical goals of the certificate. Only one alternate course may count towards the certificate.
The following conditions must be met for this request to be considered:
  • Permission must be granted PRIOR to the start of the course commencing.
  • The course must be focused principally on computer games.
  • The course must require a significant game creation component, meaning that you must make something game-like (broadly construed).
  • This form must be completed
Notes:
  1. Students may only take one of MST 350 or MST 351 for credit.
  2. MST 399 may only be applied with this specific course title.
  3. MUSIC 445 may only be applied when the topic is appropriate and approved by the program.
  4. WRITE 399 may only be applied when the topic is appropriate and approved by the program.

Games Adjacent Courses

The following courses do not count towards the certificate but do cover topics students interested in games may find interesting:

  • CMPUT 355: Puzzles, Games, and Algorithms
  • HIST 191: Video Games, History, and Storytelling

University Calendar

2023-2024 University Calendar
Costs, Tuition and Fees
Major Deadlines
Office of the Registrar