Game Programming Major

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Game programmers combine technical skills with creativity in order to create dynamic and functional games with the teams they work in.

As a Game Programming student, you will gain cutting-edge computer science skills and experience while also diving head first into how to program great games and work as part of a game development team. By graduation, your skills and experience will make you an outstanding candidate for a position as a programmer in the game industry-or you can take your skills into other computer science and programming-related career paths.

Why Study Game Programming at Champlain College?

Champlain's Bachelor of Science degree in Game Programming-one of the first bachelor's degrees of its kind in the nation-puts the intellectual challenge of software creation in the context of game development to produce a highly versatile, in-demand skill set. You'll gain the technical skills and professional experience to produce games that will enchant and engage audiences.

The Game Studio at Champlain College is a unique feature that gives you hands-on experience in your field, working with peers from our other game majors to complete game projects from start to finish. This parallel to real-world professional studio work is what makes Champlain game programmers stand out from the crowd; you'll have firsthand experience working with other departments to bring a project to completion.

Learn More on Our Game Studio Website


JUST THE FACTS

THE BEST


The 2021 Fiske Guide to Colleges selected Champlain as one of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain.

THE MOST


Champlain was named a "Most Innovative School" by U.S. News & World Report (for the seventh consecutive year!) in its "America's Best Colleges" 2022 rankings.

#1


Burlington, Vermont, our hometown, is ranked the #1 Best College Town by Travel + Leisure magazine.

WHAT SETS US APART

The Game Studio Experience at Champlain College

The unique Game Studio Experience at Champlain College gives you start-to-finish game-building experience in a professional environment. You'll collaborate with your peers in each of our game majors to create playable games in a studio that parallels the processes of the industry. By the end of your four years, you'll be ready to work in a professional studio.

Students demonstrate and play video games at the Champlain Game Studio Senior Show

Annual Game Studio Senior Show

You will have the opportunity to present the game you create with your Game Studio team—as well as your own demo reel—to recruiters from all over the United States and Canada. Recruiters often come to the Senior Show to scout new talent, from companies like:

Insomniac Activision/Vicarious Visions
Behaviour Hidden Monster Games
Otherside Entertainment Sony Bend
Trivium Interactive Ubisoft
Velan

Champlain students attending the Game Developers Conference in San Fransisco

Game Developers Conference

Champlain College sends a cohort to the world's largest game developers conference each year in San Francisco. Game Studio faculty, students, alumni, and the Game Studio Career Coach attend the conference for professional development and networking. The Career Coach facilitates exclusive networking meetings for Champlain students with top recruiters from companies such as Ubisoft, ArenaNet, Crystal Dynamics, Survios, Insomniac, Rockstar, and Sony.

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Our Upside-Down Curriculum ensures that you are taking key courses in your major in your first semester. This means you'll be ready for internships sooner than most students, allowing more time for you to build relevant professional experience.

Through your project-based courses, you will:

  • acquire the foundation of mathematics, physics, computer science, and software engineering necessary for game development;
  • master contemporary technology for 2-D and 3-D graphics; and
  • design and build artificial intelligence, physics engines, and networking systems. 

Champlain's campus in Montreal, Canada, provides extraordinary opportunities to live and study in a cosmopolitan global center for technology. Champlain has close relationships with some of the biggest companies in gaming, which are based in Montreal.

EXPLORE STUDY ABROAD

YOUR FUTURE

Build Your Career in Game Programming

Champlain College was one of the first institutions to offer a bachelor's degree in Game Programming, and we continue to offer one of the best in the world. Our reputation for producing high-caliber industry professionals is substantiated by the extraordinary success of our graduates. Champlain Game Programming grads often work with companies like Behaviour Interactive, Sony Bend, Ubisoft, Velan Studios, and Vicarious Visions.

You'll be prepared to...

Write clear and efficient code in the programming languages relevant to professional game development, following appropriate coding standards and industry practices.

Build systems that employ common approaches to game AI, game physics, game networking, game graphics (2-D and 3-D), operating systems, and file formats.

Communicate effectively (through the use of written material and visual presentations) to both technical and non-technical game developers.

Build interactive software as part of a development team (including artists, animators, designers, producers, and/or other programmers).

See all program learning outcomes.

Recent grads are in positions such as:

Software Engineer // Amazon // Seattle, WA

Game Engineer // Schell Games // Pittsburgh, PA

Software Engineer // Idemia // Billerica, MA

UX/UI/Networking Programmer // Reification // Oakland, CA

Associate Gameplay Engineer // Proletariat Inc. // Boston, MA

Sign Up To Get Stickers + Helpful Info

Student working on a laptop covered in Champlain stickers

Ready to be inspired? Fill out the form and sign up to receive helpful information about Champlain College—plus, we'll send you a full sheet of high quality stickers designed by one of our recent Graphic Design & Visual Communication graduates.

Nice to meet you!

Thanks for getting in touch—stickers and information will be on their way shortly. Please reach out anytime if you have any questions about Champlain; you can call or text us at 802.625.0201 or email us at admission@champlain.edu.

In the meantime, check out our list of majors, schedule your visit or event, and enjoy The View, for the latest news and updates from the College!

Latest Game Studio News from The View