Game Design and Development Bridging Disciplines Program Certificate
Department website: https://undergraduates.utexas.edu/academics/bridging-disciplines-programs
Through the program, students learn about and create video game experiences, integrating skills and approaches from art, design, programming, and media studies, among other disciplines. A vast, interdisciplinary field that reaches well beyond the entertainment industry, video games have applications in medicine, architecture, geology, and much more. Whatever applications they envision, students learn about the art and design of games, the underlying programming, and how games are part of a social context. In the process, students will build their capacity for developing a creative vision, strong technical skills, critical reasoning, and problem-solving. Students in the program will apply all of these skills as they learn to create games or interactive projects. In their foundations hours for the certificate, students develop fundamental knowledge and skills in game art and design, programming, and understanding games in a social context. Strand hours allow students to specialize, exploring one or more of these areas in greater depth. This program culminates in a hands-on creative project, where students create a game or interactive project, either independently or as part of a team.
Total Hours Required: 22
Requirements
Requirements are listed in the table below. Additional requirements may follow the table, so be sure to read the entire page. Some required courses listed below may also satisfy General Education requirements, including Core Curriculum. Students should also review the University's Undergraduate Minor and Certificate Requirements and Policies.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Hours chosen from: Forum Seminar | 1 | |
| Exploring Digital Arts and Media | ||
Approved hours | ||
| Hours chosen from: Concepts and Techniques | 3 | |
| Arts and Entertainment Technologies majors should take an additional Strand course instead of a course from this category. | ||
| Games and Interactivity | ||
Hours chosen from: Approved list | ||
| Hours chosen from: Programming Foundations | 3 | |
| Computer science majors should take an additional Strand course instead of a course from this category. | ||
| Elements of Computers and Programming | ||
| Elements of Software Design | ||
Hours chosen from: Approved list | ||
| Hours chosen from: Games in Social Context | 3 | |
| Radio-Television-Film majors should take an additional Strand course instead of a course from this category. | ||
| Topics in New Communication Technologies | ||
| Topics in Media Studies | ||
Hours chosen from: Approved list | ||
| Hours chosen from: Strand | 9 | |
| Video Game Art Pipeline | ||
| Elements of Graphics and Visualization | ||
| Writing in Digital Environments | ||
| Topics in Special Applications of Digital Media Production | ||
Hours chosen from: Approved list | ||
| Approved Hours chosen from: Creative projects, research, or internship Connecting Experiences (see advisor) | 3 | |
| Connecting Research Experience | ||
| Connecting Research Experience | ||
| Connecting Internship Experience | ||
| Total Hours | 22 | |
Additional Requirements and Policy
- A three to four page essay in which students reflect on what they have learned and accomplished through their experience is required. The essay is reviewed and must be approved by a member of the faculty panel in order to complete the certificate requirements
- To create an interdisciplinary experience, students must choose courses from a variety of disciplines. Only one of the strand courses may come from the student's major department(s) or from same as with the student's major department(s). The certificate as a whole must represent a variety of disciplines; the advisor can help ensure that the coursework will meet the certificate requirements for interdisciplinarity.
- In courses taken for a letter grade, the student must obtain a grade of at least C- .
- A cumulative certificate GPA of at least 2.0 is required.
- Only one BDP course, including connecting experience, may be taken pass/fail. Any exceptions will be considered by the faculty panel on an individual basis.
- The student may be able to count courses toward the certificate that are not listed, if enough of the course content relates to the BDP topic. Consult with the advisor to petition a course to count towards the certificate.
- All students must complete one Independent or Team-Based Creative Project Connecting Experiences in which they incorporate programming, design, and art elements to create a game. Students have the option of completing an additional research or internship experience.