Art Institute of Pittsburgh Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh has been providing quality education to students since 1921. The school’s online division means that students can take courses from anywhere they can get online. They are no longer required to attend classes at a set time and have the flexibility to work on their course materials at a time that is convenient for them.
The Game Art and Design program offered by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh focuses on the artistic portion of developing video games, as opposed to programming. This is a good choice for students who want to develop their existing artistic abilities and learn how to apply them to the computer and video games industry. Students do take some programming courses as part of the program, and are well prepared for the following types of careers:
- 2-D Conceptual Artist
- 3-D Character Builder
- 3-D Object Modeler
- Background Artist
- Game-play Tester
- Interactivity Designer
Curriculum
Students enrolled in the Game Art and Design program will take the following courses:
- 2D Animation for GAD
- 3D Camera & Lighting Techniques
- Advanced Character Animation
- Advanced Game Production Team
- Advanced Level Design
- Advanced Life Drawing
- Animation Layout and Scene Design
- Character and Object Animation
- Character Modeling
- Color Theory
- Composition and Language
- Computer Literacy
- Designing Interior Spaces & Worlds
- Digital Image Manipulation
- Digital Storytelling
- Drawing
- Drawing and Perspective
- Fundamentals of Design
- Game Design & Game Play
- Interactive Game Prototyping
- Interface Design
- Intro to Game Development
- Life & Drawing Gesture
- Logic
- Low Polygon Modeling and Animation
- Mapping for Digital Media
- Modeling/Animation
- Physics
- Principles of 3D Modeling
- Project Management for GAD
- Storyboard Rendering for Animation
- Strategies for Online Learning
Admission Requirements
Prospective Game Art and Design students must have completed the requirements for a high school diploma with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Individuals who have a GED with a score of at least 257 or a Bachelor’s degree are also eligible to apply.
Since this program requires a certain level of artistic ability, applicants are asked to submit a portfolio of between 10-20 drawings. The drawings should indicate figures, as well as the applicant’s ability with shading and texture, as well as the use of color.
Students who would like to enroll in the online Game Art and Design program are required to have the following software to complete their course work:
- Adobe Acrobat Professional
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Flash Professional
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Autodesk 3ds Max
- Autodesk Maya Complete
- DigiCel FlipBook Studio
- Game Maker
- Microsoft Office Professional
- Norton Antivirus
- QuickTime Compatible Video Editing Software
- Unreal Editor
How to Apply to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh accepts applications from prospective students online. The school offers an online demo so that interested individuals can get an idea of what distance learning is like before committing to the program.