Bachelor’s Degree in Interactive Media and Game Development

Bachelor of Science
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The interactive media and game development BS blends art, design, code, audio, and story—with hands-on studios, portfolio projects, and top career outcomes.

At a Glance

Bachelor’s + Master’s Program

BS/MS available: Earn both degrees in five years.

STEM-Designated Degree

Qualifies international students for extended U.S. work authorization through Optional Practical Training (OPT)

Proven Career Success

Average Starting Salary: $85,080*

Notable Employers: Amazon, Dell Technologies, Contemplation Games, Onward Robotics, Visual Technologies*

*WPI Class of 2025 First Destination Survey, Bachelor’s Degree Graduates

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. Specialize with a concentration to go deeper into the area driving your curiosity. Complement your major with a minor, or choose electives that interest you. Take your education even further with the accelerated BS/MS, which allows you to earn both your bachelor’s and master’s in as few as five years.

 

Concentrations

Visual Art

Build the look of games — characters, environments, illustration, and animation that bring virtual worlds to life.

Design

Shape how games play—systems, mechanics, level design, and the choices that define player experience.

Technical Art

Bridge art and code—shaders, tools, pipelines, and the tech that moves visual ideas onto the screen.

Audio & Music

Compose, score, and design sound—from interactive music systems to the audio that makes a game feel alive.

Writing

Craft worlds and characters—narrative design, branching dialog, and the stories that drive interactive play.

Potential Minors

Computer Science | Media Arts | Psychological Science | Entrepreneurship

 

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

95%

Of First-Year Students Return for Their Sophomore Year (2025)

WPI Difference

Why Future Game Developers Choose WPI

Our project-based curriculum prepares you for the games and interactive media challenges of tomorrow. 

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

Ship

original games as multiterm studio teams of artists, designers, writers, and programmers

 

Prototype

with industry-standard game engines, motion capture, and audio production pipelines

 

Present

playable builds to industry mentors, faculty, and the public, then iterate on their feedback

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

A researcher observes and takes notes as a participant wearing motion-tracking sensors walks through a PracticePoint research lab.

Motion Capture Studio

Direct actors, capture performance data, and integrate animation into real-time game engines through the program’s mocap course pipeline.
A person operates a digital audio mixing console and laptop surrounded by multiple screens in a dimly lit production space.

Game Audio and Sound Design Studios

Record, edit, mix, and master interactive audio for stereo, surround, and virtual reality formats using digital audio workstations.
Students work at computers in a classroom, including one student creating a 3D character model on a pen display.

3D Art, Animation, and Digital Painting Studios

Model characters, rig assets, animate sequences, and build environments using industry-standard pipelines for game and cinematic production.
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Research Opportunities 

  • Game design and playtesting research with faculty in the IMGD program
  • Artificial intelligence for non-player characters and procedural game systems
  • Human-computer interaction and novel input devices for immersive experiences
  • Game studies, narrative design, and the social and ethical dimensions of interactive media
  • Serious games for health, education, training, and behavior change
  • Generative AI applied to art, animation, audio, and interactive storytelling

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.

WPI students building project wood prototype
Global

📍Cuenca, Ecuador

Enhancing Engagement at el Museo de las Conceptas through Digitalization — Students designed interactive media experiences to deepen visitor engagement with a heritage museum’s collections.

Global

📍Berlin, Germany

Lake Stechlin Education — Teams created interactive educational content about freshwater ecology for the Leibniz Institute.

Local

📍Fitchburg, Mass.

Nitrogen Cycle Public Outreach and Game Development — Students built an educational game on the nitrogen cycle for the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster.

Local

📍Worcester, Mass.

Fretology — Open-Access Guitar Research and Education — Project teams developed interactive education resources for WPI’s Electric Guitar Innovation Lab in partnership with Quinnipiac University’s Radiologic Sciences program.

Industry

📍Worcester, Mass.

SPI-Glass: Story-Focused Augmented Reality Mobile Game — Students designed a narrative-driven AR mobile game exploring augmented reality storytelling.

Industry

📍Worcester, Mass.

Memoria Altera — IMGD/CS Major Project — Teams shipped a complete game blending interactive media and computer science from concept through release.

Skills & Salary

Skills You'll Gain

Through WPI’s interactive media and game development degree, you’ll ship original games, design immersive interactive media, and build the technical-creative skills that game studios, animation houses, and tech companies hire for.

Explore opportunities to build skills such as:

Game Design & Development

 

Design and ship original games as part of multi-term studio teams, prototyping mechanics, building levels, and iterating on player feedback in industry-level game engines.

Use industry-standard tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, and Adobe Creative Cloud to take your game from concept to release.


 

Visual Art, Animation & 3D Asset Creation

 

Model characters, environments, and props in industry pipelines, then rig and animate them for real-time game engines and cinematic sequences.

Build textures, shaders, and lighting that bring digital worlds to life across PC, console, mobile, AR, and VR platforms.


 

Audio, Writing & Narrative Design

 

Compose interactive music, design sound effects, and mix audio for stereo, surround, and VR using digital audio workstations and game audio middleware.

Write branching narratives, dialog, and world-building lore that turn gameplay systems into stories players remember.


 

Technical Leadership & Communication

 

Lead cross-functional teams of artists, designers, programmers, writers, and audio specialists through the full game-production cycle from pitch to post-release.

Present playable builds to industry mentors, faculty, and the public—and use feedback to ship work you’re proud to put in front of recruiters.


 

→ Explore the full curriculum in the academic catalog.

Student Voice

“Project-based learning gave me more confidence in myself. I didn’t know that I could create online user experience models in seven weeks with ten other students. We created a functioning hospital workflow app.”

#15

Best Career Placement

The Princeton Review (2026)
#3

Top Game Design Schools & Colleges in Massachusetts

Animation Career Review (2024)
#3

Of the 25 Best Bachelor’s in Game Design Degree Programs

Bachelor’s Degree Center (2023)
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) 

Software Engineering 

Software 

Software Engineer 
$85K 

Senior Software Engineer 
$120K 

Principal Engineer 
$185K 

Engine & Graphics Programming 

Games 

Engine Programmer 
$90K 

Senior Engine Programmer 
$130K 

Principal Engine Architect 
$190K 

Gameplay Programming 

Games 

Gameplay Programmer 
$78K 

Senior Gameplay Programmer 
$110K 

Lead Gameplay Programmer 
$155K 

Systems Engineering 

Tech 

Game Systems Engineer 
$82K 

Senior Systems Programmer 
$118K 

Director of Systems Engineering 
$175K 

Full-Stack & Web Development 

Web & Digital 

Full-Stack Developer 
$70K 

Senior Web Developer 
$100K 

Director of Web Engineering 
$150K 

Salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Tuition & Costs
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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. 

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Start Building Your Future Today

WPI’s simple formula helps students thrive: “Go to class. Do the work. Ask for help.” With our interactive media and game development degree, you’ll gain the skills, experience, and connections to ship games and interactive experiences that move and surprise players.

Continue Your Studies

MS in Interactive Media & Game Development
MFA in Interactive Media & Game Design
PhD in Computational Media

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