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Game & Interactive Media Design

Types of Degrees Game & Interactive Media Design Majors Are Earning

Those studying Game & Interactive Media Design can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	169
Associate’s Degree	565
Bachelor’s Degree	1,142
Master’s Degree	1,105

What Game & Interactive Media Design Majors Need to Know

Studies in Game & Interactive Media Design emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Game & Interactive Media Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Game & Interactive Media Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 5.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Game & Interactive Media Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Game & Interactive Media Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Game & Interactive Media Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.8 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Game & Interactive Media Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Autodesk SketchBook Pro	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Autodesk Alias Surface	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Chaos Group V-Ray	Video creation and editing software	—
Inivis AC3D	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Sunflow Render System	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Satori Paint	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
DAZ Productions Bryce	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Maya Embedded Language MEL	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Game & Interactive Media Design graduates include:

• University Teacher
• Teacher
• Survey Research Teacher
• Interdisciplinary Professor
• Foreign Student Adviser Teacher
• Science Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Metal Crafts Teacher
• Military Science Instructor
• Project Management Professor
• Naval Science Teacher
• Computer Technology Instructor
• City Planning Teacher
• Labor Relations Teacher
• Humanities Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Game & Interactive Media Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	52.8%
Some college courses	39.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.7%
Master’s degree	0.3%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Game & Interactive Media Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 72.6% of Game & Interactive Media Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	819	27.4%
Men	2,167	72.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Game & Interactive Media Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,551	51.9%
Asian	201	6.7%
Hispanic or Latino	552	18.5%
Black or African American	328	11.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	11	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	126	4.2%
Race Unknown	92	3.1%
International Students	121	4.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Game & Interactive Media Design Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Game & Interactive Media Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,054
4 years	$41,389
5 years	$46,982

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,982 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Game & Interactive Media Design Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Game & Interactive Media Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	6
Bachelor’s	6	7
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Game & Interactive Media Design Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Game & Interactive Media Design graduates earn a median of $41,389 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Design and Applied Arts	50.04
Commercial and Advertising Art	50.0402
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Design and Applied Arts, Other	50.0499
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Fashion/Apparel Design	50.0407
Graphic Design	50.0409
Illustration	50.0410
Industrial and Product Design	50.0404
Interior Design	50.0408

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.