Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The Game Design and Interactive Media major combines coursework in the School of Art & Design with courses delivered by the Reed School of Media and Communications. Students explore the history, guiding principles, ethics, diversity, and cultural issues as related to game design, technology and interactive media. The program begins with foundational skills in art, design, production, and editing using digital tools and software along with more traditional media. These classes provide the skill sets to create interactive experiences including websites, mobile apps, immersive environments, video games, and virtual and augmented reality. Students are concurrently oriented to innovation and design thinking methodologies and project management skills to create expertise in coordinating a team of diverse thinkers, from computer programmers to visual designers. Students must earn a GPA of C- or higher in all major required coursework.
Admissions for 2025-2026
Admission requirements for the Game Design and Interactive Media program are the same as to the university. Visit the WVU undergraduate admissions page for details on general WVU admission.
Students not meeting the above requirements will be admitted to WVU as either a pre-Art or pre-Media student through CLASS.
Major Code: 3751
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 48 | |
| Game Design and Interactive Design for Media Program Requirements | 24 | |
| Game Design and Interactive Design for Media Major Requirements | 48 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 | 25 | |
| ART 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| or MDIA 191 | First-Year Seminar | |
| General Electives | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 48 | |
Game Design and Interactive Media Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- or better is required in all program coursework. | ||
| ADV 215 | Principles of Advertising | 3 |
| ARHS 160 | Survey of Art History 2 | 3 |
| ART 121S | Visual Foundations 1 | 3 |
| ART 122S | Visual Foundations 2 | 3 |
| MDIA 101 | Media and Society | 3 |
| MDIA 215S | Media Writing | 3 |
| MDIA 225S | Media Tools & Applications | 3 |
| MDIA 328 | Media Ethics and Law | 3 |
| Total Hours | 24 | |
Game Design and Interactive Media Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- or better is required in all major coursework. | ||
| Art Requirements | ||
| ARHS 406 | Graphic Design History | 3 |
| ART 224S | Graphic Design 2 | 3 |
| ART 236 | Mobile Digital Photography | 3 |
| or ART 234S | Photography 2 | |
| ART 270S | Introduction to Electronic Media 1 | 3 |
| ART 272S | Designing for Multimedia | 3 |
| ART 273S | Beginning 3D Animation | 3 |
| ART 285S | Interactive Audio Design | 3 |
| ART 372S | Interactive Design | 3 |
| ART 472S | Advanced Interactive Design | 3 |
| Media Requirements | ||
| ART 287 | Coding for Media Applications | 3 |
| ART 386S | Gaming Design and Digital Narrative | 3 |
| ART 387 | UI/UX Design for Media Applications | 3 |
| JRL 210S | Visual Journalism and New Media | 3 |
| Two Upper-Division MDIA or JRL Classes | 6 | |
| ART 486S | Intermediate Game Design | 3 |
| Total Hours | 48 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ARHS 160 (GEF 6) | 3 |
| MDIA 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | ART 122S | 3 |
| ART 191 or MDIA 191 | 2 | MDIA 215S | 3 |
| ART 121S | 3 | GEF 2 | 4 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 224S | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ART 270S | 3 | ADV 215 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| JRL 210S | 3 | ART 272S | 3 |
| MDIA 225S | 3 | ART 287 | 3 |
| GEF 3 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 372S | 3 | ART 273S | 3 |
| ART 236 | 3 | ART 285S | 3 |
| ART 386S | 3 | ART 387 | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | MDIA 328 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ARHS 406 | 3 | ART 472S | 3 |
| ART 486S | 3 | GEF 7 | 3 |
| GEF 8 | 3 | GEF 8 | 3 |
| MDIA Elective | 3 | MDIA Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Game Design and Interactive Media
The School of Art and Design and all its degrees and majors are accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Interactive Design for Media major will undergo the accreditation through NASAD process as a new program. The following criteria are from NASAD and provide the basis of assessment for course and programmatic Student Learning Outcomes.
Upon completion of the Interactive Design for Media major, graduates must have attained the following;
- Knowledge of the concepts related to the visual, spatial, sound, motion, interactive, and temporal elements/features of digital technology and principles for their use in the creation and application of digital media-based work.
- Understanding of narrative and other information/language structures for organizing content in time-based or interactive media; the ability to organize and represent content structures in ways that are responsive to technological, social, and cultural systems.
- Understanding of the characteristics and capabilities of various technologies (hardware and software); their appropriateness for particular expressive, functional, and strategic applications; their positions within larger contexts and systems; and their influences on individuals and society.
- Knowledge of the processes for the development and coordination of digitally-based art and design strategies (for example, storyboarding, concept mapping, and the use of scenarios and personas).
- Ability to analyze and synthesize relevant aspects of human interaction in various contexts (physical, cognitive, cultural, social, political, and economic) and with respect to technologically-mediated communication, objects, and environments.
- Understanding of what is useful, usable, effective, and desirable with respect to user/ audience-centered digitally-based communication, objects, and environments.
- Knowledge of history, theory, and criticism with respect to such areas as film, video, technology, and digital art and design.
- Ability to work in teams and to organize collaborations among people from different disciplines.
- Ability to use the above competencies in the creation and development of professional quality digital media productions.