Students in this program engage in the rigorous study of computer science basics, and then apply this knowledge to the demanding specialization of game programming. Programmers bring their technical understanding of game internals to the problem of delivering engaging game experiences to players. Areas of study include level design, game scripting, computer graphics development, game physics, and artificial intelligence programming.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 76 |
| Major Requirements | 100 |
| Open Electives | 16 |
| Total hours required | 192 |
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate proficiency with C++ programming language.
- Create and design large software systems using design pattern techniques.
- Design and implement real-time game engine.
- Apply graphics and rendering techniques to support game engine operations.
- Create and manage the development schedule of a large software project.
Liberal Studies Requirements
Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.
| First Year Program | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Quarter | ||
| LSP 110 or LSP 111 | DISCOVER CHICAGO or EXPLORE CHICAGO | 4 |
| Focal Point | ||
| LSP 112 | FOCAL POINT SEMINAR | 4 |
| Writing | ||
| WRD 103 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 | 4 |
| WRD 104 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Not Required | ||
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Race, Power, and Resistance | ||
| LSP 200 | SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE | 4 |
| Junior Year | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Required | 4 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Required in major 1 | ||
- 1
Students must earn a C- or better in this course.
Learning Domains
Arts and Literature (AL)
Historical Inquiry (HI)
- 2 Courses Required
Math and Computing (MC)
- Not Required
Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
Religious Dimensions (RD)
- 2 Courses Required
Scientific Inquiry (SI)
- 1 Lab Course Required
Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)
- 3 Courses Required
Note
Specified required courses within Liberal Studies may have grade minimums (e.g. C- or better). Please consult your advisor or your college and major requirements.
Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.
In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.
Major Requirements
First Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CSC 241 | INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I 1 | 4 |
| CSC 242 | INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE II 1 | 4 |
| CSC 300 | DATA STRUCTURES I | 4 |
| GAM 226 | FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN | 4 |
| GAM 245 | GAME DEVELOPMENT II | 4 |
| GAM 340 | PRACTICAL SCRIPTING FOR GAMES | 4 |
| MAT 140 | DISCRETE MATHEMATICS I | 4 |
- 1
Students with one (1) semester programming experience may take CSC 243 and one (1) additional Major Elective in lieu of CSC 241 and CSC 242.
Second Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANI 230 | 3D DESIGN & MODELING | 4 |
| CSC 301 | DATA STRUCTURES II | 4 |
| CSC 361 | OPTIMIZED C++ | 4 |
| CSC 373 | COMPUTER SYSTEMS I | 4 |
| GAM 341 | INTRODUCTION TO LEVEL DESIGN | 4 |
| Four (4) credit hours of Major Electives | 4 | |
Third Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GAM 325 | APPLIED 3D GEOMETRY | 4 |
| GAM 372 | OBJECT-ORIENTED GAME DEVELOPMENT | 4 |
| GAM 374 | GAME ENGINE PROGRAMMING I | 4 |
| GAM 377 | GAME ENGINE PROGRAMMING II | 4 |
| GAM 392 | GAME MODIFICATION WORKSHOP | 4 |
| GPH 329 | COMPUTER GRAPHICS DEVELOPMENT II | 4 |
| or GAM 370 | RENDERING AND GRAPHICS PROGRAMMING | |
| Four (4) credit hours of Major Electives | 4 | |
Fourth Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CSC 386 & CSC 394 | REAL-TIME NETWORKING (FORMERLY GAM 390) and SOFTWARE PROJECTS | 8 |
| or GAM 394 & GAM 395 | GAME DEVELOPMENT PROJECT I and GAME DEVELOPMENT PROJECT II | |
| Twelve (12) credit hours of Major Electives | 12 | |
Major Electives
Major Electives must be chosen from the courses below:
Computer Science Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS | ||
| DATABASE SYSTEMS | ||
| EXPERT SYSTEMS | ||
| DISCRETE MATHEMATICS II |
Computer Systems Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING SYSTEMS | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO COMPILER DESIGN | ||
| ADVANCED DATABASE CONCEPTS | ||
| OPTIMIZED C++ MULTITHREADING | ||
| COMPUTER SYSTEMS II | ||
| REAL-TIME MULTITHREADED ARCHITECTURE |
Game AI Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FOUNDATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | ||
| SYMBOLIC PROGRAMMING | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR COMPUTER GAMES |
Game Design Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GAMES LITERACY | ||
| PRESENTATION AND COMMUNICATION | ||
| HISTORY AND DESIGN OF ROLE-PLAYING GAMES | ||
| PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING FOR GAMES | ||
| ADVANCED LEVEL DESIGN | ||
| EXPRESSIVE AUDIO SCRIPTING IN GAMES | ||
| MAKING DEEP GAMES | ||
| ADVANCED GAME DESIGN | ||
| TOPICS IN GAME DESIGN |
Game Development Studio Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GAME DEVELOPMENT I |
Game Programming Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| TOOL PROGRAMMING FOR GAME DEVELOPMENT | ||
| AUGMENTED REALITY GAME DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT | ||
| VIRTUAL REALITY GAME DEVELOPMENT | ||
| CONSOLE GAME DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENTS | ||
| TOPICS IN GAME PROGRAMMING |
Graphics/Animation/Sound Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 3D ANIMATION | ||
| MOTION CAPTURE | ||
| 3D RIGGING | ||
| ADVANCED 3D RIGGING | ||
| GAME SOUND DESIGN I | ||
| REAL-TIME GRAPHICS TECHNIQUES |
Multiplayer Games Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS | ||
| REAL-TIME NETWORKING (FORMERLY GAM 390) |
Mobile Games Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FOR IOS | ||
| MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FOR ANDROID | ||
| MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FOR IOS II | ||
| MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FOR ANDROID II | ||
| GAME PROGRAMMING FOR MOBILE DEVICES |
Physics Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS FOR GAME DEVELOPERS | ||
| GENERAL PHYSICS I |
Software Engineering Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SOFTWARE TESTING | ||
| OBJECT-ORIENTED SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| PRACTICES OF GLOBAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT |
Usability Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PLAYTESTING |
Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in all major elective courses.
Open Electives
Open Elective credit hours are required to meet the minimum graduation requirements of 192 hours. Open Electives may be taken from any unit at DePaul.
Program Combination Restrictions
Students pursuing the BS in Game Programming are forbidden from pursuing the following secondary/double majors: BS Computer Science (all concentrations); BS Math and Computer Science. Students pursuing the BS in Game Programming are also forbidden from pursuing the Minor in Computer Science and the Minor in Game Design.