Affiliated Courses
In addition to the core game design courses, Cornell offers many courses that are extremely useful to anyone interested in pursuing a career in the game industry. Here is a selection of some of the current offerings.
Computer Science
As the primary sponsor of GDIAC, the Cornell computer science department offers a wide variety of courses for students interested in software development for computer games. The Cornell program in computer graphics is highly regarded by academia and industry alike. In addition, several faculty members pursue research in online gaming. The following is a list of the higher level courses offered by the department that are most relevant to game development.
- CS 3300: Data-Driven Web Applications
- CS 3410: Computer System Organization and Programming
- CS 4620: Introduction to Computer Graphics
- CS 5625: Interactive Computer Graphics
- CS 5643: Physically Based Animation
- CS 4700: Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
- CS 5414: Distributed Computing Principles
- CS 5420: Parallel Computer Architecture
- CS 5430: System Security
Information Science
Information science is another important department for our program. Many of the most talented designers in the program chose information science as their primary major. The Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) group at Cornell is highly regarded. Even the "pure CS" students in the game design program typically take the HCI courses in the information science department. The principles taught in these courses have a wide variety of applications, beyond gaming.
- INFO 2450 - Communication and Technology
- INFO 3450: Human-Computer Interaction Design
- INFO 3561: Computing Cultures
- INFO 3660: History and Theory of Digital Art
- INFO 4320: Introduction to Rapid Prototyping and Physical Computing
- INFO 4400: Advanced Human-Computer Interaction Design
Art
The school of Art, Architecture, and Planning offers several courses in digital art and interactive digital media. These courses are offered through both the art and the architecture departments. Below is a list of the most popular offerings.
- ART 2107: Visual Imaging in the Electronic Age
- ART 2701: Introduction to Digital Media
- ART 3704: Interactive Digital Media
- ART 3707: Digital Video and Sound
Music
The music department has a strong digital music program which includes everything from basic audio design to music composition and scoring. Below is a list of several of the more popular offerings for game design students.
- MUSIC 2421: Performing with Computers
- MUSIC 3421: Scoring the Moving Image
- MUSIC 3431: Sound Design and Digital Audio
Other Departments
There are several other departments on campus that teach game-related courses, or incorporate game design as a part of their course. These courses are typically offered on a less regular basis, and so we recommend that you check the course catalogue for the latest offerings. Here is a just a partial list of current offerings.