Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Media and Game Development

Bachelor of Arts
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Design games and interactive worlds players love—blending art, story, and play—with a BA in interactive media and game development.

At a Glance

Proven Career Success

Average Starting Salary: $57,705 (bachelor’s degree graduates)*

Notable Employers: The Walt Disney Company, EPIC, Microsoft, Treyarch, Ubisoft**

*WPI First Destination Survey, Classes of 2020–25 **WPI First Destination Survey (2021–25)

Application Deadlines

Early Decision/Early Action I: Nov. 1 

Early Decision/Early Action II: Jan. 5 

Regular Decision: Feb. 1 

Explore This Degree

Options

Customize Your Path

Your WPI degree is yours to shape. Complement your major with a minor, or choose electives that interest you. Take your education even further by continuing into one of WPI’s graduate programs to deepen your expertise.

Potential Minors

Media Arts | Computer Science | Entrepreneurship | Psychological Science

 

View All Minors

Undecided? No problem. Apply now and explore before committing to a specific path. 

13:1

Student-to-Faculty Ratio 

270+

Student Clubs and Organizations

92%

Of First-Year Students Return for Their Sophomore Year (2026)

WPI Difference

Why Future Game Developers Choose WPI

Our project-based degree in interactive media and game development prepares you for the gaming, interactive media, and creative-tech challenges of tomorrow.  

Through distinctive seven-week terms and intensive project work, you’ll:

Create

2D and 3D digital art, animation, and visual worlds for original games

Craft

interactive narratives and game writing that pull players into living stories

Design

playable experiences across art, audio, and user experience disciplines

BUILD

a professional portfolio of completed projects at one of our 50+ project centers worldwide

CUSTOMIZE

your expertise by choosing a mix of electives or a concentration to match your interests

Collaborate

with teams across disciplines to develop solutions for today’s complex challenges

Resources & Tech You’ll Tap Into

Game development team talking through a project in front of whiteboards covered in sticky notes

Game-Production Studios

Design, build, and playtest original games in dedicated interactive-media workspaces shared across the art, design, writing, and audio concentrations.
Student painting a game environment on a pen display tablet

Digital Art and Animation Tools

Produce 2D and 3D assets, characters, and environments using industry-standard creative software and game engines that carry projects from concept to playable build.
Student in headphones playing a MIDI keyboard connected to music production software

Audio and Music Production Resources

Compose, record, and integrate sound and interactive music into games through the program’s audio coursework and creative facilities.

Research Opportunities 

  • Game design and playable systems
  • Interactive narrative and storytelling
  • Digital art, animation, and visual world-building
  • Game audio and interactive music
  • User experience and player interaction
  • Cultural and social dimensions of games and media

Project-Based Learning Experiences

Apply interactive media and game development theory and practice from day one. Build a professional portfolio with work that matters.

At WPI, learn in an immersive environment where classroom concepts transform into hands-on projects, thanks to our intensive, seven-week terms. Complete increasingly advanced projects for industry partners and community organizations, both local and global. Present your solutions directly to organizations that will implement what you create.  

Below, explore projects completed by interactive media and game development students at WPI.

Students gathered around a table demoing a rhythm game on tablets and phones
Global

📍Osaka, Japan

Shinsekai Arcade: An Arcade-Management Sim — Students designed Shinsekai Arcade, an arcade-management simulator game, at WPI’s Japan Project Center.

Global

📍Cuenca, Ecuador

Digital Engagement for a Historic Museum — Students reimagined a historic museum’s digital experience to draw in and engage more visitors.

Local

📍Worcester, Mass.

SPI-Glass: A Story-Focused AR Mobile Game — Students built SPI-Glass, a story-focused augmented-reality mobile game.

Local

📍Worcester, Mass.

Midnight Oil: A VR Horror Game — Students created Midnight Oil, an immersive virtual-reality horror game.

Industry

📍Worcester, Mass.

TerraForma: A Tactical Strategy Game — Students developed TerraForma, a tactical game built with an industry-standard game engine.

Industry

📍Worcester, Mass.

Raveling Dreams: A Puzzle-Adventure Game — Students crafted Raveling Dreams, a 2.5D isometric puzzle-adventure game in Unreal Engine.

Skills & Salary

Skills You’ll Gain

With WPI’s BA in interactive media and game development, you’ll create immersive worlds, design unforgettable characters, and craft the stories and visuals that make games come alive.

Explore opportunities to build skills such as:

Game Design & Level Design

 

Design engaging gameplay systems, mechanics, and player experiences using Unity and Unreal Engine to build worlds that players love to explore and master.

Craft balanced, fun levels through iterative playtesting, refining pacing, difficulty, and flow based on real feedback from actual players.
 

Digital Art & Animation

 

Create stunning 2D and 3D digital art using industry tools like Blender, Maya, and Photoshop to bring characters, environments, and props to life.

Animate characters and objects with believable movement, building animation pipelines that translate concept art into polished, game-ready assets players see in motion.
 

Interactive Storytelling & Narrative Design

 

Write branching narratives and dialogue systems that let players shape the story, designing meaningful choices that make every playthrough feel personal and alive.

Combine sound design, music, and audio cues with visual storytelling to create emotional, immersive experiences that pull players deep into your game’s world.
 

Technical Leadership & Communication

 

Lead cross-disciplinary studio teams of artists, designers, writers, and programmers to ship complete games through a major project that mirrors real industry production.

Pitch your creative vision to peers, faculty, and audiences while giving and receiving critique that strengthens both your work and your team’s work.

→ Explore the full interactive media and game development BA curriculum in the academic catalog.

#15

Best Career Placement

The Princeton Review (2026)
#18

For 40-Year Long-Term Return on Investment (ROI)

U.S. News & World Report (2025)
#22

Best Value College/Top Return on Investment 

PayScale.com (2024)
Career

Interactive Media and Game Development Career & Salary Outlook

Career Path 

Industry Sector 

Entry Level (0–5 years) 

Mid-Level (5–10 years) 

Senior Level (10+ years) 
Game Design Games Game Designer
$60K		 Senior Game Designer
$90K		 Creative Director
$140K
Game & Digital Art Games Game Artist
$58K		 Senior 3D Artist
$88K		 Art Director
$135K
Narrative & Interactive Media Media Narrative Designer
$58K		 Senior Writer/Designer
$85K		 Creative Lead
$125K
UX & Product Design Tech UX Designer
$68K		 Senior UX Designer
$105K		 Director of UX
$150K

Salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Tuition & Costs
Preview

Financing Your Future

College is a great investment in your future—and we’re here to help you plan for it. Explore WPI’s cost of attendance and learn how our Office of Financial Aid can guide you through options for funding your education. 

Financial Aid FAQs Cost of Attendance

Start Building Your Future Today

WPI’s simple formula helps students thrive: “Go to class. Do the work. Ask for help.” With our degree in interactive media and game development, you’ll gain the skills, experience, and connections to design the games and interactive worlds of tomorrow.

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Continue Your Studies

Want to continue your studies? WPI’s graduate programs let you go deeper in interactive media and game development—full-time, part-time, or online.

MFA in Interactive Media and Game Design
MS in Interactive Media and Game Development

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