BA Art & Design: Games + Playable Media at University of California, Santa Cruz

Programme overview

Art & Design: Games + Playable Media (AGPM) students build toward a multidisciplinary arts practice situated within the broader landscape of contemporary art, media art, performance, and/or social practice. Our approach to games as a contemporary art practice foregrounds the importance of designing thoughtful, nuanced, and radical systems for participation that engage different media, perspectives, and forms of cultural expression.

Faculty: Arts Division | Department: Performance, Play & Design | Study mode: full-time | Location: Santa Cruz, CA, United States

What you will study

Required courses listed in the catalogue include D2D Foundation, Introduction to Print Media and Drawing, Introduction to Drawing, Digital Tools for Contemporary Art Practice, Visual Communication and Interaction Design, Introduction to Game Art Production.

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Application information

Entry requirements

Catalogue preparation guidance for the major (admission to the university is separate): To qualify for the AGPM major, students must complete the following major qualification courses: Students entering as frosh must declare in their sixth quarter at UCSC, while transfer students must declare in their second quarter. Students who did not meet the transfer screening requirements at the time of admission will not be granted permission to enter into the major.

Domestic applicants: USD 14,202 a year (2026-27). UC undergraduate Tuition for California residents first enrolled in 2026-27 (Tuition Stability Plan cohort rate); one rate for all undergraduate majors. Excludes Student Services Fee, campus fees, UC SHIP health insurance and records fee. Non-residents ad Source

Fall quarter entry (classes for fall 2026 began September 24, 2026); winter quarter entry (winter 2027 instruction begins January 4, 2027).

UC Application for fall 2027 opens October 1, 2026 and the filing deadline is November 30, 2026; the application is available online from August 1, 2026. Fall 2027 first-year decisions appear on the Admissions Portal late February to mid-March 2027; transfer decisions April 1-30, 2027. Transfer Academic Update due January 31, 2027; UCSC TAG filing period September 1-30, 2026.

UC Santa Cruz does not use ACT/SAT scores in its comprehensive review and selection process. Applications are made through the UC Application. Minimum GPA is 3.00 for California residents and 3.40 for non-residents and international applicants.

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