Computer Science - Game Development Emphasis (BA/BS)

Major Requirements 1
Computer Science Core:
COMPSCI 172INTRODUCTION TO JAVA3
or COMPSCI 174 INTRODUCTION TO C++
COMPSCI 221INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING IN C# 23
or COMPSCI 220 INTERMEDIATE JAVA
or COMPSCI 222 INTERMEDIATE C++
COMPSCI 223DATA STRUCTURES3
COMPSCI 271COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING3
COMPSCI 332INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE3
COMPSCI 433THEORY OF ALGORITHMS3
COMPSCI 476SOFTWARE ENGINEERING3
Game Development Core:
MAGD 150INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA ARTS AND GAME DEVELOPMENT3
MAGD 210VISUAL DESIGN FOR DIGITAL MEDIA3
or MAGD 220 DRAWING FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
MAGD 272GAME DEVELOPMENT3
MAGD 372INTERMEDIATE GAME DEVELOPMENT3
COMM 351GAME STUDIES AND DESIGN3
Select 9 units of advanced Computer Science or related electives:9
Any undergraduate COMPSCI courses numbered 300 or higher
Any graduate COMPSCI courses numbered 700 or higher 3
MATH 355
MATRICES AND LINEAR ALGEBRA
MATH 450
GRAPH THEORY
MATH 471
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
STAT 342
APPLIED STATISTICS
Select 9 units of Media Arts and Game Development electives:9
ARTSTDIO 376
ARTSTDIO 377
HD/DV DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS
ARTSTDIO 379
INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA DESIGN
ARTSTDIO 380
3D MODELING-IMAGING-ANIMATION I
ARTSTDIO 388
MOTION GRAPHIC ANIMATION STUDIO I
ARTSTDIO 476
ARTSTDIO 477
ADVANCED HD DV MOTION CAPTURE STUDIO
ARTSTDIO 480
3D MODELING-ANIMATION II
ARTSTDIO 488
MOTION GRAPHIC ANIMATION STUDIO II
ARTSTDIO 496
SPECIAL STUDIES
ARTSTDIO 498
INDEPENDENT STUDIES
COMM 238
VIDEO PRODUCTION I: FUNDAMENTALS OF VIDEO
COMM 239
AUDIO PRODUCTION I: FUNDAMENTALS OF AUDIO
COMM 258
VIDEO PRODUCTION II: MEDIA STORYTELLING
COMM 259
AUDIO PRODUCTION II: ADVANCED AUDIO TECHNIQUES
COMM 285
SOCIAL MEDIA OPTIMIZATION & THE NEW WEB
COMM 294
WEB VIDEO PRACTICUM
COMM 338
VIDEO PRODUCTION III: CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL MEDIA
COMM 339
AUDIO PRODUCTION III: RECORDING, MIXING AND MASTERING
COMM 346
SOUND AND IMAGE: AN EXPLORATION OF SOUND FOR/WITH VISUAL MEDIA
or MUSC 346
 SOUND AND IMAGE: AN EXPLORATION OF SOUND FOR/WITH VISUAL MEDIA
COMM 440
NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
COMM 493M
MAGD INTERNSHIP
COMM 496
SPECIAL STUDIES
COMM 498
INDEPENDENT STUDY
LIBMEDIA 175
VIDEO GAMES AND LEARNING
MAGD 210
VISUAL DESIGN FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
or MAGD 220
 DRAWING FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
MAGD 231
GAME JAM PRACTICUM
MAGD 269
NEW MEDIA ENSEMBLE
MAGD 270
WEB DEVELOPMENT
MAGD 271
INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION
MAGD 488
MEDIA ARTS AND GAME DEVELOPMENT TEAM PROJECTS 4
MAGD 489
SOUND DESIGN FOR ADVANCED MAGD TEAM PROJECTS
MUSC 452
ELECTRONIC MUSIC AND SOUND DESIGN
Capstones:
MAGD 487MEDIA ARTS CAPSTONE - PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT3
MAGD 488MEDIA ARTS AND GAME DEVELOPMENT TEAM PROJECTS3
Total Units60
1

An approved minor is not required for this major.

2

COMPSCI 221 is preferred for this emphasis.

3

Graduate courses (500+) may have additional requirements prior to enrollment by undergraduate students. See the Seniors Taking Graduate Courses Policy for further information. Undergraduate students taking graduate courses are not generally permitted to enroll in COMPSCI 789, COMPSCI 793, COMPSCI 798, or COMPSCI 799.

4

MAGD 488 is repeatable. Students pursuing this emphasis are required to complete MAGD 488 at least once. A second or third completion of MAGD 488 will count toward the 9 required units of MAGD electives in the major.

Four-Year Plan: This four-year plan outlines a suggested curricular path for new students aiming to earn a degree within in four years. Please note that this plan represents just one of many paths to degree completion.  

First Year
FallUnitsSpringUnits
ENGLISH 10113ENGLISH 1023
MATH 1424MATH 1513
COMPSCI 1653COMPSCI 172 or 1743
MAGD 1503MAGD 210 or 2203
INTRAUNV 1041CORE 1303
PEGNRL 1921 
 15 15
Second Year
FallUnitsSpringUnits
COMPSCI 221, 220, or 2223COMPSCI 2233
MATH 2535COMPSCI 2713
PHYSCS 130, 140, or 1805MAGD 2723
CORE 140 or 1203CORE 1103
 COMM 1103
 16 15
Third Year
FallUnitsSpringUnits
MAGD 3723COMPSCI 3323
COMPSCI 215 or MATH 2803COMM 3513
Game Development Writing Requirement (English or PWP)3Advanced COMPSCI or related elective3
U.S. Racial/Ethnic Diversity Course (DV)3MAGD elective3
Elective (HA-A, HA-G, or HA-H)3Lab Science (NSWL), but not Physics4
 15 16
Fourth Year
FallUnitsSpringUnits
COMPSCI 4333COMPSCI 4763
MAGD 4873MAGD 4883
Advanced COMPSCI or related elective3Advanced COMPSCI or related elective3
MAGD elective3MAGD elective3
CORE 3903Elective (SBS-E or SBS-S)3
 15 15
Total Units: 122
1

The math and English courses you will take during your first year will depend on UW System placement exam scores or ACT/SAT subscores. This four-year plan reflects the math and English courses most common for students in this major. All students are encouraged to complete placement testing prior to attending Warhawks SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration). 

First Year: The Thinking In Code Learning Community is a great option for first-year students with a major in computer science or considering a major in computer science.

Joining a university-sponsored club and actively participating is strongly encouraged. Involvement in a club or activity will help you develop interpersonal skills, give you the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills, and adds to your resume.

*Student Organizations 

  • ISACA - students collaborate and develop skills in areas like IT auditing, cybersecurity, and data privacy 
  • GAMED - for students interested in designing their own games 
  • ACM - people with mutual interest and love for Computer Science  
  • Robotics - collaborate with other students to build and compete in robotics  

Watch for “COMPSCI Update” weekly emails for more information about ways to get involved.

Second Year: Undergraduate research is recommended for students who have an interest in attending graduate school in the future. Completing a directed research project with a faculty mentor has many benefits: it develops a student’s critical thinking and writing abilities, signals to graduate school programs that a student is prepared for independent research of their own, and it can provide a student with financial support since many undergraduate research opportunities are paid.

Third Year: An internship is an experiential learning opportunity that provides students with hands-on experience in a potential career field, supervision and coaching from prospective employers, and the ability to learn professional norms and behaviors. In addition, completing an internship allows students to differentiate themselves in a competitive job market. Students should begin planning for an internship by the beginning of the junior year and can complete the internship in the junior or senior year. The internship course, COMPSCI 493, counts as an upper-level technical elective. 

Also, Career Information in Letters and Sciences, LSINDP 399, is a 1-credit course that focuses on career and graduate school opportunities; identifying skills, strengths, and work values; creating effective job search materials; developing a networking strategy; and planning to a successful post-graduation transition.

Fourth Year: All students must earn 120 credits to earn a bachelor’s degree and many students have the opportunity to choose additional courses in the fourth year to expand skills, explore interests, or try something new. 

Planning for Graduation: Students should apply for graduation one full semester prior to their intended graduation date. Information about commencement and the application for graduation are on the Registrar’s Office website.

Computer Science department hardware recommendations:  

  • Operating System. For Computer Science or Cybersecurity students a Windows-based laptop if possible, since most of the programs work well with this operating system.   
  • CPU. Intel i7/ AMD 7 or above is recommended for CPU
  • Memory. 16GB or above for RAM  
  • Hard Drive. SSD (Solid State Drive) with >= 512GB for hard disk.