Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Games and Emerging Media Degree (B.S.)
A Nationally Ranked Game Design Program with Hands-On, Real-World Experiences
APPLY NOWThe Games and Emerging Media program at Marist University prepares students to design, develop, and publish interactive experiences across games, digital media, and emerging technologies. Working in collaborative studio teams, students take projects from concept through design, programming, art, testing, and production while building professional portfolios that showcase their technical and creative skills. Industry-standard software, dedicated game development spaces, and interdisciplinary collaboration prepare graduates for careers in game design, development, user experience, interactive media, and related creative technology fields.
Recognized among the top game design programs in the United States by The Princeton Review, with consistent national rankings over more than a decade, including placement among the top 50 nationwide.
Interdisciplinary program spanning the School of Communication and the Arts and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, combining game design, programming, storytelling, UI/UX, and the business of games.
Hands-on, project-based learning through collaborative studio courses and applied experiences where students design and produce games, interactive media, and digital experiences
Access to state-of-the-art facilities, including a new esports lab with high-performance gaming stations, competition rooms, and streaming capabilities, supporting both creative production and competitive play
A Games and Emerging Media major offers a comprehensive education that combines game design, storytelling, programming, technology, art, and business. Students are prepared for a variety of careers in the gaming and interactive media industries. Students acquire the skills needed to design, develop, write, and launch games and interactive experiences, blending creative and technical expertise.
At Marist University, students begin by building strong foundational skills that expand through unique electives and interdisciplinary tracks, including Technical Development and Programming and Design, Writing, and Culture.
The Games and Emerging Media program provides all students with the basics in programming, art, game design, UI/UX, game writing and storytelling, and the business of games. This ensures a solid foundation upon which to start your career.
In addition to your concentrated courses, you’ll expand your skills further with unique electives including “Storytelling Across Media,” “3-D Modeling,” “Human-Computer Interaction,” and other topics designed to prepare you for an impactful career in the Games Industry.
The Technical Development and Programming students focus on the programming and software development side of game creation, taking courses like “Software Development I,” “Game Programming,” and “Artificial Intelligence.”
Design, Writing, and Culture students take a customized mix of courses in writing, game design, and the social aspects of gaming. In this track, you’ll take courses like “Writing for Media,” “Ethics and Gaming,” and “Advanced Unity.”
Marist’s approach to curricula is interdisciplinary, flexible, and able to be geared specifically toward your unique career goals. The Games and Emerging Media Major levels up this approach by being a genuine hybrid of distinct but interwoven tracks. Facilitated by both the School of Communication and the Arts and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, this degree offers concentrations in:
Master State-of-the-Art Technology
Marist provides a distinctive and unique learning environment for all our majors. While you’ll enjoy the close-knit community of a traditional liberal arts college, you’ll also have the opportunity to harness the technological power of a major tech institute. Students of the Games and Emerging Media major gain exclusive access to state-of-the-art computer and game prototyping labs. We also directly involve our students in our Cloud Computing initiatives and our valuable partnership with IBM.
The Marist learning experience is focused on creating the ideal balance of theory and practice, and the Games degree is no exception. All of your classes will be project-based and involve student and faculty collaboration to create games, apps, websites, prototypes, VR/AR experiences, mobile games, board games, and other design projects. We host frequent workshops, lectures, and Q&As with industry professionals to gain in-depth understanding of the industry. Marist is the official location of the annual Hudson Valley Undergraduate Games Conference where students present research presentations as well as game demos. You’ll also be encouraged to participate in Play Innovation Lab, where you’ll have the opportunity to design and research games, as well as help organize and participate in games-related events.
Build the creative, strategic, and professional skills employers value most. Through hands-on projects and real-world experiences, you'll gain the confidence and expertise to stand out in a competitive industry. Student Learning Outcomes >
Game Design Ranked Top Program in the Nation for 11th Consecutive Year
Marist University is leveling up once again. Recognized by The Princeton Review’s 2026 rankings, Marist’s Games and Emerging Media program has earned its place among the nation’s top game design programs—highlighting its commitment to creativity, innovation, and hands-on learning. Ranked in the top 50 nationwide and top 10 in the Northeast, Marist continues to shape the next generation of game designers ready to make their mark in a rapidly evolving industry.
In an industry as evolutionary and revolutionary as game and media design, it is essential that faculty can keep up with the change. That is why Marist’s Games and Emerging Media faculty are all actively-engaged and highly-recognized members of the Game Design industry. Our faculty take their real-time experience in the field and apply it to their classrooms, ensuring that you are one step ahead when you take your place in the industry. View all Games & Interactive Media faculty >
Dr. Karen "Kat" Schrier is the Founding Director of the Games & Emerging Media program. She has over 20 years of experience in games and media production, design, and writing, at places like Nickelodeon, Scholastic, PBS, and the World Health Organization. She is a top expert on games, empathy, and ethics. Her latest book is called We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics and Civics (Oxford University Press).
As a full-time lecturer at Marist University, Matthew has taught a wide variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including game programming, computer graphics, analysis of algorithms, and more. From 2016 to 2022, he served as Chair of the Computing Technology department. He also helped develop Marist's interdisciplinary B.S. in Games and Emerging Media and has volunteered as a Unity/C# game programmer and consultant for P1 Games.
Dr. John Dunham is a career programmer with over 10 years of professional experience at organizations such as IBM. Applying his professional experience and passion for games to his academic pursuits, he specializes in locative media and designed affordances in games and emerging media. His research has been published in high-impact venues in the HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) space, such as CHI and TOCHI. In addition to his academic research, Dr. Dunham has worked in the games industry professionally as both a developer (1st Playable) and a user experience researcher (Niantic Games).
Among the many colleges and universities in the Northeast known for strong game design and development programs, Marist University stands out for its interdisciplinary Games and Emerging Media program, combining elements of computer science, design, writing, and storytelling with emerging technologies and hands-on experiences.
The Princeton Review's 2026 rankings placed Marist among the Top 50 Game Design Programs nationwide and among the Top 10 Game Design Programs in the Northeast, marking the program's continued national recognition. (Read More)
Why Marist is considered one of the top game design colleges in the Northeast:
When considering a future in game design, students should consider factors such as curriculum, faculty expertise, industry partnerships, technology, internship opportunities, and national rankings. Marist University's Games and Emerging Media program excels in each of these areas, making it a strong choice for students seeking careers in game design, game development, interactive media, and emerging technologies.
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