Applications to Game Design and Development - Computer, Communication and Information Sciences, Master of Science (Technology) are evaluated based on the following criteria:
Suitability, 1st phase
What is evaluated? |
Applicant’s overall applicability to the study option, based on background, experience, motivation, and commitment for studies. |
What we look for in an applicant?
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- Strong professional interest towards game design and/or game development
- Insight into design and/or research related to games
- Demonstrated competence in a technical discipline relevant to making games, e.g., game programming, software engineering, computer graphics, audio signal processing, machine learning, human-computer interaction.
- Fluent English (both oral and written)
|
Method of demonstrating competence |
Introduction video, CV, and other materials (e.g. links to an online portfolio, videos of completed games, Github, Artstation) will be evaluated as a whole. Note, however, that the evaluators have limited time per applicant - thus, materials should be carefully curated, e.g., to only include the applicant’s best work that is the most likely to make the applicant stand out. At the same time, multidisciplinarity is valued, so if an applicant can, e.g., create high-quality game art in addition to game programming, examples are appreciated. |
Academic performance
What is evaluated? |
Grades of the previous degree(s) and pace of studies |
What we look for in an applicant? |
Overall good grades and excellent grades in one or more areas relevant to game development, e.g., computer graphics, software engineering, mathematics, machine learning, artificial intelligence. The recognition and quality of the applicant’s home university affects the final interpretation of the academic performance.
The minimum GPA for applicants from Finnish universities of applied sciences is 4.0. Meeting the minimum GPA does not guarantee admission to the programme.
|
Method of demonstrating competence |
Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s) |
Relevance of previous studies
What is evaluated? |
Contents and scope of previous studies compared to demands/contents of study option applied to |
What we look for in an applicant?
|
A bachelor’s degree in a technical area related to game development, e.g., computer science, media computing, human-computer interaction, mathematics. In particular, all applicants are expected to have completed university-level courses in mathematics (e.g., linear algebra) and computer programming and/or software design. |
Method of demonstrating competence |
Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s) |
Suitability, 2nd phase
What is evaluated? |
Applicant’s capability for independent creative work, analytical thinking, and communicating the results. |
What we look for in an applicant?
|
- Insight into game design
- Creative ideation and problem solving
- Analytical thinking and critical reflection
- Capability to document and communicate one’s work clearly and efficiently
- Fluent written English
|
Method of demonstrating competence |
2. phase assignments. The assignments are revised each year, but it is reasonable to expect, e.g., a board/card game design exercise with a given theme and writing a short essay. |
Suitability, 2nd phase
What is evaluated? |
Applicant’s further suitability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies, communication skills. |
What we look for in an applicant?
|
- Strong professional interest towards game design and/or game production
- Insight into new media design and research related to games
- Demonstrated competence in a skill relevant to making games, e.g., programming, visual art, sound design, creative writing.
- Fluent English (both oral and written)
|
Method of demonstrating competence |
Interview, portfolio |
The selection process for those who meet the general eligibility criteria comprises of two phases:
Phase I
In Phase I, the applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Suitability
- Academic performance
- Relevance of previous studies
These criteria will be assessed based on the materials sent by the applicant, including a CV and an introduction video.
Only the applicants who are ranked the highest in the preliminary evaluation will be invited to Phase II in the selection process. The invitation to Phase II is sent to the applicants 7 days in advance at the latest.
Phase II
In Phase II, the evaluation is based on the following criteria:
- Suitability (assignments)
- Suitability (interview, portfolio)
In this phase the applicants are asked to complete a set of preliminary assignments sent to them before the interview. To be interviewed, the applicant must return the preliminary assignments, otherwise the interview time will be cancelled. During the interview, the applicants should be prepared to present and discuss a portfolio of their previous work and projects. There will also be other questions presented to the applicant.
The final selection decisions will be made based on the evaluation conducted in Phase II.
In addition to obligatory application documents, applicants are requested to provide the following programme-specific documents:
- Portfolio
- A portfolio is not needed in the first phase, but if the applicant has one, it’s good to provide a link or upload a .pdf for us, in case we want to get more information about the applicant.
- Maximum size of an uploaded .pdf portfolio is 1.0 GB. Name the file Portfolio-lastname-firstname.pdf.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Applications must include the applicant’s CV (a single PDF-file) indicating personal data, educational background, work experience, exhibitions, publications and articles, awards and grants, study trips and positions of trust. As a game applicant, please also add a portfolio link, or links to videos or other audiovisual documentation of your games or related work such as interactive computer graphics. Note that we will not be able to download and test executable software binaries or source code.
- Name the file CV-lastname-firstname.pdf
- Introduction video
- Each applicant should submit a short video (max 2 minutes) where they tell about themselves, their background and interests in English. Please include at least one shot where you introduce yourself speaking to the camera. You can film this using a smartphone camera - we do not expect applicants to own professional video production equipment. Additionally, you may edit in other content such as gameplay clips of games you have made. Note that the video is required in place of a more traditional motivation letter because such a letter is easy to create using tools such as ChatGPT.
- The video should be submitted as a link in a pdf file named Introduction-video-lastname-firstname.pdf. The link can be to an unlisted or private YouTube video, for instance. If the video is password-protected, the password must be included in the pdf. Please make sure that the link is clickable or can be easily copied from the pdf.
Note that if you provide links in a .pdf file, the links may be broken when the files are processed by the admission system. Thus, full URLs must be visible to ensure that the evaluators can access them. Please note also that the evaluators will not be able to download and install any software.