Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts announced that it will expand its interactive media and game development (IMGD) undergraduate degree programs with a new master of science degree in the fall of 2011.
WPI introduced its bachelor's IMGD program in 2004, with courses offered jointly by the departments of Computer Science and Humanities and Arts. The Institute was recently ranked by The Princeton Review as the sixth-best place to study game design in the United States.
The program prepares students for a career in game development, and emphasizes the technical, serious games, and management focus areas. Undergraduate IMGD majors at WPI will now be able to earn a master's degree by completing a fifth year of study.
"Computer and video game software have been growing by about 10 percent a year for the past half-decade -- much faster than the economy as a whole -- generating more than $10 billion in sales in 2009 alone," said WPI computer science professor and IMGD program director Mark Claypool. "Employment opportunities in these fields have been growing rapidly, as well."
Claypool continues: "As games and interactive media come to play ever greater roles in entertainment, education, art, and scientific research, we can expect to see a great demand for professionals with advanced training in the creative and technical aspects of these fields -- particularly professionals who can also formulate a high-level and cohesive design vision. This is exactly the type of graduate who will emerge from our new degree program."
