Level Up with a Game Design Degree

Game on! The Game Design and Interactive Media BFA is one of the fastest-growing programs at the University of Montana. Several factors add to its popularity, with the prospect of a fulfilling career in video game development as the bottom line.

But it’s not just the job potential that has blossomed the Game Design and Interactive Media degree into a cornerstone of the School of Visual Arts and Media (SVMA). It’s also a combination of the award-winning faculty, the experiential nature of the degree, and the cohort of like-minded game designers filling the classroom.

In this blog article, discover what you – yes you – can do with a BFA in Game Design and Interactive Media from the University of Montana. You’ll also meet an esteemed faculty member, receive an overview of career options, and discover what sets UM’s Game Design degree apart from the (few) other institutions offering similar degrees.  

Majoring in Game Design: What’s Involved?

The Game Design and Interactive Media is a four-year bachelor’s degree program. On top of general electives, students must complete 75 credit hours specific to the degree. While these 75 hours include foundational and general core classes like Intro to Art History and Topics in Film/Media Studies, most of the curriculum comes from Game Design and Interactive Media Core**.

Expect a combination of experiential learning and a curriculum comprising design, storytelling, illustration and 3D animation. This includes hard skills like creative coding and soft skills like collaboration with peers and faculty members across all departments in the SVMA. The degree also has several opportunities to develop real-world applications, like the Virtual Reality Hunting Tool that UM students created in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.  

Game Design and Interactive Media Core classes

Game Design and Interactive Media students will select and complete 36 credits from the following courses:

Meet a Professor: Michael Cassens

If your path brings you to the Game Design and Interactive Media program, you’ll inevitably come under the tutelage of Assistant Professor Michael Cassens. And lucky you. Cassens is as passionate about people in his program as he is about game design. And he is quick to stress what he’s most proud of in the degree he helped create.

“We are always excited about growth, but we’re trying to figure out how do we create a space for everyone to belong and support them in their journeys,” said Cassens. “I think there’s a lot of focus in the industry of ‘let’s create the next best game.’ And I think there is nothing wrong with that. But I also think there is space for, 'How do you create your own story?' How do you create visibility behind someone’s personal journey?”

Cassens teaches eight courses within the degree program and is the director of Griz Esports, the state’s largest competitive Esports team. One of his primary focuses in the classroom is providing hands-on education for students that translates into resume-building experiences.

“It’s always a question of: What did you do? Not: What classes did you take? So we try very hard in every class and every potential area to say: How do we get you that experience? Those types of things, that’s going to help (students) progress into wherever they want to go,” Cassens said.

What You Can Do with a Game Design Degree

Interactive video media is all around us and only increasing in prevalence. And not just the booming gaming industry, which is expected to be worth $321 billion by 2026. Interactive media is everywhere, from classrooms to doctors' offices, museums and shopping malls.

The expanding interactive media industry equals increased demand for employees adept in the skills taught through the Game Design and Interactive Media BFA at UM. Explore both the job opportunities and current salary expectations of this rapidly growing career field:

Jobs with a Game Design Degree

The program's interdisciplinary nature and wide breadth of classes sets students up to be versatile employees in the gaming industry. And thanks to its emphasis on coding, it also sets students up for success in several adjacent fields, including web design and multimedia creation.

Here are some other job titles you qualify to apply for after graduation:

• Video game designer
• Storyline developer
• Level designer
• 3D modeler
• Virtual reality developer
• Content designer
• Game tester
• Full stack web developer
• Applications developer
• Concept artist
• Game artists
• Animator

Salaries with a Game Design Degree

How much can you earn with a Game Design Degree from UM the University of Montana? According to Glass Door, game designers make between $84,000 and $145,000, depending on their experience. Other relevant job titles, like level designer, range from $58,000 to $97,000, while 3D modelers should expect salaries between $50,000 and $81,000.

Game design is a lucrative career path. Students should expect to work their way up before maxing out their earning potential in the industry. But the Game Design and Interactive Media degree isn’t just a way to get your foot in the door. It provides you with the foundational skills to stand out in the crowd of other people looking to break into this competitive field.

Why Game Design at the University of Montana

Award-winning staff, state-of-the-art technology and the high potential of a rewarding career are some of the many reasons to pursue your game design degree at UM the University of Montana. The relatively low cost of attendance also is also a deciding factor, with automatic scholarships awarded to Game Design and Interactive Media BFA students.

However, UM's curated and customized student experience stands apart from other schools. You’ll never be a number or just another student while attending the School of Visual Arts and Media. Instead, you’ll have the chance to work on your projects, personally connect with your professors, and perhaps most importantly, express your voice through the learned skills and technology provided.