Certificates
The Certificate in Computer Game Development is a joint certificate between the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science and is open to the entire University community. The certificate is intended to complement discipline-specific studies with courses that give opportunities to work in multidisciplinary teams, build complete small and medium-scale games, and interact with industry.
Eligibility
The certificate is available to the entire undergraduate University community. This means as long as you are enrolled in a bachelor degree program at the University of Alberta and you fulfill the requirements for this certificate, you will receive the certificate in addition to your bachelor's degree upon graduation.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to pursue the certificate, although individual courses may have departmental prerequisites. Students are not guaranteed space in any specific course.
Curriculum
CMPUT 250: Computers and Games ★3
The certificate begins with CMPUT 250. It is designed for second-year students, and serves as the entry point for the certificate. It is focused on interdisciplinary teamwork and provides a broad view of all aspects of game development, using guest lectures from many departments as well as industry. This course explores games as interactive entertainment, their role in society, and how they are made. Teams composed of students with diverse backgrounds (e.g. English, Art and Design, and Computing Science) follow the entire creative process: from concept, through pitch, to delivery, of a short narrative-based game using a commercial game engine. The course culminates in an annual award ceremony where games from both terms compete in several categories.
*To achieve the required mix of backgrounds and experience, students must apply for admission to this course.
Intermediate Courses ★12
Following CMPUT 250, the certificate requires four courses to be taken from among a set of intermediate courses. These courses are offered across the Faculties of Science, Arts, and Education and are designed to take more focused explorations into specific aspects of game development, and allow students to specialize the certificate to their discipline and interests.
INTD 450: Computers and Games ★3
The culmination of the certificate is CMPUT 450, an advanced, interdisciplinary capstone course that returns to a focus on teams developing a complete game, using all of the skills learned in the intermediate courses and courses from their own discipline. Teams composed of students with diverse backgrounds follow the entire creative process: from concept to pitch, prototype, testing, and delivery. Game post-mortems and industry lectures provide context for the team projects.
*To achieve the required mix of backgrounds and experience, students must apply for admission to this course.
Application
To apply for the certificate, fill out a certificate application through the Faculty of Science. This should be done within the term prior to completing all of the course requirements.
