Game Design Minor

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Game Design Minor

The primary program offered by the Game Design Initiative is an undergraduate Minor in Game Design. Cornell does not offer a major in Game Design; the members of GDIAC believe that game design is an interdisciplinary program that should complement a traditional major such as computer science, information science, art, music, or new media studies. This philosophy has allowed us to leverage Cornell's world class education while still preparing students for careers in gaming.

While the College of Engineering sponsors the Minor in Game Design, all undergraduate students from colleges across Cornell are eligible to complete the Minor, including state-affiliated colleges such as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Official minor audits are completed through the Computer Science Department Undergraduate Office in 303 Upson Hall.

Requirements for the Minor

To complete the minor, a student must take at least six (6) courses (18 credit minimum) chosen as follows:

Required Course

CS/INFO 3152: Introduction to Computer Game Development

Additional Required Course (choose one)

CS/INFO 4152: Advanced Topics in Computer Game Development

CS/INFO 4154: Analytics-driven Game Design

Additional Courses (choose four)

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of game design, students are not allowed to count courses within their own major towards their additional courses.

CS-focused Courses

CS/ENGRD 2110: Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures

CS/INFO 3300: Data-Driven Web Applications

CS 4620/ARCH 3704: Introduction to Computer Graphics

CS 4700: Foundations of Artificial Intelligence

CS 5625: Interactive Computer Graphics

CS 5643: Physically Based Animation for Computer Graphics

Other Courses

ART 2701: Introduction to Digital Media

ART 3704: Interactive Digital Media

COMM 4220: Psychology of Entertainment Media

ECE 4760: Digital Systems Design Using Microcontrollers