Introduction
The Bachelor of Science in Software and Game Development (BSGD) program uses a hybrid curriculum which focuses on the core concepts of building both business application software and video games. Students will learn the software development process, design and coding practices, and quality assurance metrics that are applicable to all types of software development. Students will focus on technologies that are used by the top employers in the information technology industry as well as those used to create today's most popular video game titles. Students are exposed to different areas of software and game development including project management and planning, game play design, UI design, best practices, software methodologies, test-driven development and other QA techniques, asset creation and tracking, and overall game and software production. Students then delve into more technical areas such as game engines, physics, mobile and console development, and computer graphics.
The curriculum in the Bachelor of Science in Software and Game Development degree focuses on individual and team-based projects. This project focus culminates with Enterprise Projects where students develop software under the direction of industry-leading organizations.
Graduates will be prepared for various software development oriented positions including: software engineer, software designer, quality assurance, and software architect. Additionally, graduates will be equipped to succeed as video game developers in the entertainment industry.
Program Overview
Students participate in courses which are taught using active learning methods. Teaching techniques include lectures, class discussions, debates, student presentations, individual and group activities, creative assessments, various labs and assignments, and more. Additionally, students work individually and in teams on supervised projects in which they apply related concepts. The program is 12 quarters in length and requires a minimum of three years to complete.
Program Objectives
Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Software and Game Development (BSGD) degree are expected to be able to:
- Model best practices and processes involved in all aspects of the software development life cycle
- Design software and system architectures
- Develop software using modern languages and integrated development environments
- Develop video games and simulations using current technologies and standards
- Employ a variety of algorithms and data structures
- Use advanced game development techniques and tools including path-finding, artificial intelligence, game mechanics, game engines, and asset creation and integration
- Compare various hardware platforms and analyze deployment strategies for web, desktop, console, and mobile devices
- Demonstrate an understanding of established and emerging software standards
- Create software using a variety of software development methodologies
- Prepare software applications for deployment using a variety of techniques
- Recognize the impact of business decisions and implications in software development
- Effectively communicate in a professional setting
- Produce professional-quality specifications, models, and other documents
- Utilize technical and non-technical expertise in team-based, collaborative environments
- Demonstrate effective problem solving and critical thinking skills
Graduation Requirements
(Students enrolled in the BSGD program beginning Fall Quarter 2015)
To qualify for graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Software and Game Development, students are required to accomplish the following:
- Complete a minimum of 180 quarter credit hours with an average grade of 'C’ (Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.0) or higher for all courses taken at the University
- Complete a minimum of 118 credit hours in required degree courses, including projects
- Complete a minimum of 62 credit hours in required general education courses
- Abide by all University rules and regulations
- To earn credits for a course, a student must earn a passing grade. For General Education required courses, and for all Core courses, a passing grade is a ‘C’ or better. For General Education elective courses including General Education courses selected from a “choose one/two from the following” category, a passing grade is a ‘D-' or better.
- No unresolved judicial matters
- No outstanding financial obligations to the University
Students enrolled prior to Fall 2015 should refer to the prevailing Catalog during their initial period of enrollment.
BSGD Program Plan
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Minimum General Education Credits Required
|
62 Credits
|
|
Minimum Software and Game Development Credits Required
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118 Credits
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Total Required for BS in Software and Game Development
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180 Credits
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General Education (62 credits)
Foundational Courses (16 credits)
| BUS101 | Personal Finance | 3 credits |
| BUS110 | Principles of Finance | 1 credit |
| FAC105 | Leadership & Problem-Solving | 3 credits |
| FAC299 | Marketing Your Personal Brand | 2 credits |
| HUM106 | Freshman Seminar | 4 credits |
| HUM150 | Logic | 3 credits |
Communications (6 credits)
| FAC120 | Spoken Communications | 3 credits |
| FAC125 | Collaborative & Interpersonal Communications | 3 credits |
English (8 credits)
| ENG110 | Introduction to English Composition | 4 credits |
| ENG210 | Persuasive & Professional Writing | 4 credits |
Mathematics (12 credits)
| MAT105 | College Algebra | 3 credits |
| MAT110 | Sets, Probability & Number Systems | 3 credits |
| MAT250 | Calculus | 3 credits |
And choose one of the following
| MAT125 | Geometry | 3 credits |
| MAT150 | Trigonometry | 3 credits |
| MAT200 | Math-Based Codes, Cyphers & Secrets | 3 credits |
| MAT210 | Linear Algebra | 3 credits |
| MAT260 | Statistics | 3 credits |
| MAT305 | Problem Solving | 3 credits |
Social and Behavioral Science (8 credits)
| HUM205 | Ethics | 3 credits |
| SSC250 | Human Relations & Personality Development | 3 credits |
And choose one of the following
| SSC150 | Introductory Psychology | 2 credits |
| SSC272 | United States Government | 2 credits |
| SSC311 | Law & the Legal System | 2 credits |
| SSC321 | Introduction to Group Dynamics | 2 credits |
| SSC322 | Conflict & Negotiation | 2 credits |
| SSC351 | Introduction to Intellectual Property | 2 credits |
Physical and Biological Science (2 credits)
| PSC226 | Introductory Physics | 2 credits |
Health and Physical Education (2 credits)
Choose one of the following
Humanities (2 credits)
Choose one of the following
| LNG110 | Survey of Foreign Language | 2 credits |
| LNG120 | Languages & Linguistics | 2 credits |
| LNG130 | Artificial Languages | 2 credits |
| HUM130 | Myth, Folklore & Popular Culture | 2 credits |
| HUM160 | Ancient Mythology | 2 credits |
| HUM170 | Modern Entertainment Mythology | 2 credits |
Industrial Technology (2 credits)
Choose one of the following
| IND150 | Tangible Product Design | 2 credits |
| IND200 | 3D Printing | 2 credits |
| IND220 | Manufacturing | 2 credits |
| IND230 | Survey of Robotics | 2 credits |
| IND240 | Electrical Circuits | 2 credits |
| IND250 | Aviation & Airpower | 2 credits |
Literature (2 credits)
Choose one of the following
| ENG250 | Poetry | 2 credits |
| ENG311 | Principles of Creative Writing | 2 credits |
| HUM200 | The Imagination of Horror in Media | 2 credits |
| LIT110 | Science Fiction Through Literature | 2 credits |
| LIT120 | Comics as Literature | 2 credits |
| LIT130 | Literary Masters | 2 credits |
Fine Arts (2 credits)
Choose one of the following
| FAC101 | Art Appreciation | 2 credits |
| FAC130 | Character Design | 2 credits |
| FAC150 | Animated Narratives in Modern Entertainment | 2 credits |
| FAC210 | Music Composition | 2 credits |
| FAC220 | Animation in Art | 2 credits |
| MTM140 | Basics of Film | 2 credits |
| MTM150 | Film Production | 2 credits |
Software and Game Development Courses (118 credits)
Introductory Core Courses (18 credits)
| BIT120 | Business & Information Systems Practices | 4 credits |
| CSC110 | Introduction to Computer Science | 4 credits |
| CSC150 | Object Oriented Programming & Design | 6 credits |
| CSC210 | Introduction to Web Presentation & Development | 2 credits |
| ITH215 | Networking I | 2 credits |
Advanced Core Courses (64 credits)
| CSC130 | Principles of Software Engineering | 4 credits |
| CSC195 | C++ Programming I | 3 credits |
| CSC196 | C++ Programming II | 3 credits |
| CSC250 | Algorithms & Data Structures I | 4 credits |
| CSC252 | Algorithms & Data Structures II | 4 credits |
| DBT130 | Databases I | 4 credits |
| GAT120 | Topics in Game Development | 2 credits |
| GAT160 | Game Libraries | 4 credits |
| GAT180 | Mobile Game Development | 3 credits |
| GAT310 | Advanced Game Physics | 3 credits |
| GAT350 | Computer Graphics | 3 credits |
| GAT360 | Game Programming & Production | 4 credits |
| GAT420 | Artificial Intelligence | 3 credits |
| MTM230 | Digital Art I | 3 credits |
Choose one set of courses from the following:
| CSC160 | Application Development | 4 credits |
| CSC260 | Dynamic Web Programming | 4 credits |
| CSC180 | Open Source Platforms Development | 4 credits |
| CSC280 | Developing Scalable Web Applications | 4 credits |
And choose nine additional credits from the following:
| CSC140 | Dynamic & Scripting Languages | 3 credits |
| CSC160 | Application Development | 4 credits |
| CSC171 | Mobile Application Development | 3 credits |
| CSC180 | Open Source Platforms Development | 4 credits |
| CSC185 | Development in Third Party Frameworks | 3 credits |
| CSC230 | Computational Theory | 3 credits |
| CSC260 | Dynamic Web Programming | 4 credits |
| CSC280 | Developing Scalable Web Applications | 4 credits |
| CSC270 | Solution Stack Software Development | 3 credits |
| CSC330 | Programming Languages | 3 credits |
| CSC340 | Computer Architecture | 3 credits |
| CSC360 | Software Design Principles | 3 credits |
| CSC370 | Process Modeling | 3 credits |
| CSC380 | Distributed Systems | 3 credits |
| CSC391 | Operating System Design & Implementation | 4 credits |
| MTM282 | Interactive Web Development | 4 credits |
| MTM320 | Advanced Web Scripting | 4 credits |
| MTM370 | Front-End Implementation | 4 credits |
Project Core Courses (36 credits)
| PRO100 | Introductory Software Projects | 2 credits |
| PRO150 | Web-Based Software Projects | 2 credits |
| PRO200 | Software Projects in Emerging Platforms | 2 credits |
| PRO230 | Digital Art Projects | 2 credits |
| PRO250 | Software Projects in Existing Code | 2 credits |
| PRO310 | Digital Portfolio Projects | 2 credits |
| PRO385 | Game Engine Projects | 2 credits |
| PRO390 | Capstone Project | 4 credits |
| PRO490 | Enterprise Projects I | 6 credits |
| PRO491 | Enterprise Projects II | 6 credits |
| PRO492 | Enterprise Projects III | 6 credits |