What are the student requirements for the program?
Students need a working knowledge of computer and internet usage. There is no expectation that students have any programming experience although it is welcome.
Students must be 18+ years of age.
Is the program part-time, full-time or self-paced? How many hours per week?
The program is part-time. We meet once per week in the evening. Class is usually held from 6:00PM until 8:30PM or until all the students have completed their labs.
In total, how long is the course in weeks?
The course is one year long. We accept a new cohort every two months. There are holidays that school is closed.
We have segmented lectures and then tasks to complete through our online learning system. The code is turned in through git and graded by faculty. At the very beginning students will write simple programs as exercises. Later each task will build on their final project.
At what point do students graduate? Is there a milestone or assessment that marks graduation?
When the course is complete, the student's capstone project will be reviewed by faculty. The projects are expected to be complete working games that meet our minimum requirements. There are also milestones along the way that need to be completed before continuing. Students that don't complete a milestone are given remedial training to get them caught up.
What kind of career assistance or job placement services do you provide?
Students that complete the program will be encouraged to apply game companies that the faculty have personal connections with. We help our students to network with people in industry. One event we attend is Quakecon in Dallas. Our students often start with contract/temporary tasks before the program is complete. Many students choose to continue to be indie game developers and start their own companies.
How many students are in each cohort?
Classes will never have more than 50 students. This ensures each student will get one-on-one help from faculty.
What credentials does the faculty have? Are they currently working in the industry?
All faculty have at least a Masters degree in the field they teach in. They also work full time in the industry to maintain their professional edge.