University of California, Santa Cruz campus

Engineering

MS Games and Playable Media at University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz, United States

Programme overview

The Games and Playable Media MS prepares students to make professional contributions to games and other media that structure play. It is offered at the UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus in Santa Clara, connecting students to local industry.

Faculty: Baskin School of Engineering  |  Department: Computational Media  |  Duration: 5 quarters (about 1 2/3 academic years); 60 credits  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Santa Cruz, CA, United States

What you will study

Required courses include Game Design Systems, Professional Development for Game Makers, Game Technologies, Games and Playable Media Studios I-III and Games Proseminar, plus Fundamentals of Game Engineering (or Game Development I and II) and three electives such as Artificial Intelligence in Games and Interactive Storytelling.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

UC Santa Cruz graduate admission: bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited university awarded before the entry quarter, a B average or better in the last two years of undergraduate coursework, and demonstrated English proficiency. Applicants whose first language is not English: TOEFL iBT minimum 83 (4.0 on the 2026 scale) or IELTS Academic overall 7; waiver may be requested by applicants with a four-year bachelor's degree from an English-speaking institution. GRE General and Subject tests not required. Transcripts and three letters of recommendation (up to five accepted). No programme-specific materials page is published; the programme is not accepting applications for 2027. Application deadline: not accepting applications for 2027. Application fee $135 domestic, $155 international.

Duration: 5 quarters (about 1 2/3 academic years); 60 credits

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