Program Overview

Game Design, Development & Innovation Program Overview

Games and Beyond

Best-in-Class Student Experience

The program offers a hands-on approach, where students learn and are challenged by doing authentic industry-sponsored work. It is multidisciplinary, allowing students to learn from faculty and students from various fields such as history, art, medicine, business, psychology, physical education, engineering, and others, all while working on fun and meaningful projects. The program is also explorational, innovating with serious games as a solution path to societal challenges.

Connected to Industry

In a Region Bursting with Industry Leaders

The program allows students to interact with AAA and indie studios in the growing Research Triangle Region, including companies such as Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Red Storm Entertainment (Ubisoft), Virtual Heroes, Squanch, Funcom, Elephant Mouse, BitMonster, Prologue, Puny Human, Spark Plug, iMagic, Mighty Rabbit, and Imangi Studios. Students can build a strong professional portfolio by working on industry-sponsored projects and creating industry-quality work.

Industry Insights

The game industry has seen tremendous growth, including rapid expansion across new platforms and diverse markets. There is a critical need for well-trained and experienced talent. Game development requires a complex mix of creative and technical abilities. This graduate program provides a foundation of skills and hands-on experience to create a talent pipeline well-positioned to thrive in this complex ecosystem.

Faculty and Staff

• Ernesto Eduardo Escobar: Executive Director, Game Design, Development & Innovation Master’s Program
  • Profile: Leads the program with expertise in game design and development.
• Josef Spjut: Adjunct Associate Professor in the Engineering Graduate and Professional Programs
  • Profile: Teaches with a focus on engineering and game development.
• Augustus Wendell: Assistant Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History & Visual Studies
  • Profile: Contributes to the program with expertise in art and visual studies.

Institute for Enterprise Engineering

The Duke Cybersecurity Master of Engineering program, offered by Duke Engineering’s Institute for Enterprise Engineering, provides cutting-edge education to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving industries. The institute leverages expertise in:

• Computing Fundamentals
• AI and Machine Learning
• Cybersecurity
• FinTech, including Blockchain
• Engineering Management

Program Details

• The program focuses on game design, development, and innovation, offering a comprehensive curriculum that includes hands-on projects and industry interactions.
• Students can expect to develop a strong professional portfolio and gain industry-quality experience.
• The program is designed to meet the critical need for well-trained and experienced talent in the game industry, which has seen tremendous growth and expansion across new platforms and diverse markets.
• Developers in the game industry can earn a salary of $108,000, with the industry being a fast-growing $2 billion market.