Professional Certificate in Game Design

Unlock future-ready skills to build a career in game design

Explore financing options available for this program. Learn more

Prerequisites: Participants should have experience with basic coding concepts. Some assignments require the use of the Unity game engine (C#). Links to tutorials in Unity are provided.

Who Is This Program For?

Recent graduates or postgraduates

in fields such as information technology (IT), information technology-enabled services (ITeS), technology, or game development who are aiming to start a career in game design by demonstrating their capabilities through a program designed by renowned faculty from the MIT Game Lab

Early career game professionals

looking to expand their career opportunities by gaining exposure to game design as a way to advance in a fast-growing field

Creative professionals

such as graphic or UX designers, sound engineers, production artists, or art directors who have a passion for games of any type and wish to build upon their creative backgrounds to break into the game design industry

Prepare for These Future Job Titles:

Content Designer
Game Programmer
Narrative Designer
User Experience Designer

Game Designer
User Interface Designer
Level Designer
Producer

Program Highlights

Distinguish yourself with a certificate from MIT xPRO, and earn 36 continuing education units (CEUs)

Gain insights from MIT Game Lab instructors and industry experts

Compile a Game Diary, a portfolio of your work you can share with potential employers

Complete a capstone project by applying your knowledge and skills to develop a functional game

Receive one-on-one career support from Emeritus

Key Takeaways

Understand the intricacies of game design by gaining in-depth knowledge of every stage
Learn how to communicate effectively with a game design team by clearly outlining your vision and correctly scoping projects
Future-proof your career by learning how to design games of tomorrow that are culturally responsive and accessible to all
Demonstrate your skills to potential employers by creating a Game Diary, a portfolio that highlights your expertise
Learn from MIT expert instructors who actively practice game design and conduct research in MIT's Game Lab

Program Topics

This program is organized into four parts, all focused on the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in today’s game design market.

Part 1: The Foundations of Game Design

Part 2: Tabletop and Low Fidelity Prototyping

Part 3: Using a Game Engine

Part 4: Putting It All Together

Career Preparation and Guidance

Game designers or those in a related role need both hard and soft skills to succeed. This program offers you guidance for navigating your career path, from crafting your elevator pitch to perfecting your interview skills. These services are provided by Emeritus, our learning collaborator for this program. The program support team includes program leaders who will help you reach your learning goals. The primary goal is to give you the skills necessary to be prepared for a job in this field; however, job placement is not guaranteed.

Career guidance in this program includes:

Navigating your job search
Preparing for interviews
Negotiating your salary
Crafting your elevator pitch
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile
Writing resumes and cover letters

Exercises specific to building your game design career include:

Building your personal brand and promoting your skills
Understanding the roles and workflow of game design
Job searching and interviewing for game design or related positions
Communicating game design concepts through a capstone project
Reflecting on your skills to determine how to solve problems and become an efficient leader

Program Instructors

PHILIP TAN

Research Scientist, MIT Game Lab

Philip Tan teaches courses in game design and production at MIT. His research translates the joy of expert challenge in scientific, professional, and competitive fields into p...

MIKAEL JAKOBSSON

Research Scientist, MIT Game Lab

Mikael Jakobsson’s interest in game development began in the 1980s, the age of early home computers. With a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and a Master’s in Informatics, he we...

Guest Speakers

Heather Albano

Senior Narrative Designer, Deep Silver Volition, Freelance Fiction Writer

Eitan Glinert

Founder and President, Fire Hose Games

Richard Ludlow

Audio Director and Cofounder, Hexany Audio

Jessica “Jynnie” Tang

Product Manager and Game Developer, Multiverse

Certificate

Get recognized! Upon successful completion of this program, MIT xPRO grants a certificate of completion to participants and 36 CEUs. This program is graded as pass or fail. Participants must receive 75% to pass and obtain the certificate of completion.

FAQs

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Financial Options

We offer several options to help you afford tuition for the Professional Certificate in Game Design Program.

Available opportunities to lower tuition fees include:

Referrals – You and a colleague can each receive $745 off your tuition when you enroll together. Refer now

Group enrollments – A discount of up to 20% is available for group enrollments. For more information, email group-enrollments@emeritus.org

Climb Credit

Immediate repayment, interest-only repayment, and deferred payment options are available. Click here to know more

Sallie Mae

Learn more and apply.

(Select ‘Student’ and ‘Undergraduate Student’ to proceed)

Flexible Payment Options

Monthly payments as low as $1090. Click here to know more.

Financing Details: Sallie Mae

Financing Details: Climb Credit

Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at learner.success@emeritus.org or Schedule a call with one of our Program Advisors or call us at +1 315 640 4846 (US) / +44 141 673 6416 (UK) / +65 3138 2327 (SG)

Early Registrations Are Encouraged. Seats Fill Up Quickly!

Flexible payment options available.

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