As the gaming industry evolves at breakneck speed, powered by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, a new breed of professional has emerged as essential: the tech-artist. There is a strong demand for professionals that can transcend art/technology boundaries and enable efficient communication and collaboration: Programmers with art and design thinking competence and skills, artists with programming knowledge and abilities. The modern artist needs to be fully capable of adapting to new tech, tools and understand the science as well.

These hybrid specialists bridge the creative and technical divide, translating artistic vision into interactive experiences while leveraging cutting-edge technology to push creative boundaries. The Master of Game Design, Art and Technology (GDAT) programme at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) offers a pioneering curriculum that merges artistic creativity with technological innovation to meet this critical industry demand.

Revolutionary courses such as Art-Tech Collaboration and AI Generative Art provide deep understanding of the tools and techniques reshaping game development. A project-based learning approach coupled with industry collaborations ensures our GDAT students transition seamlessly from academic exploration to professional practice.

In an unprecedented collaboration between the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) and the College of Computing and Data Science (CCDS) at NTU, our GDAT programme delivers industry-relevant education where world-class faculty from both creative and computing domains equip you to master the interdisciplinary skills essential for modern game development.

You can complete the GDAT programme in one year on a full-time basis.

Why the Master of Science in Game Design, Art and Technology

As interactive entertainment becomes increasingly sophisticated, the demand for professionals who can seamlessly navigate both artistic and technological domains has never been greater.

The gaming industry's evolution requires developers who can harness AI tools, understand emerging platforms and translate creative concepts into compelling interactive experiences.

The GDAT programme is designed to eliminate the traditional divide between art and technology, preparing graduates who can lead innovation in an industry where creative vision and technical expertise are inseparable.

Our aim is to prepare you for leadership in next-generation game development with a groundbreaking programme built on the following foundations:

World-Class Dual Expertise

Our GDAT programme combines top tier-expertise from both creative and technological fields, ensuring you learn from leading professionals who understand the evolving demands of the gaming industry. Students learn from ADM, ranked 19th globally in the 2025 QS Art and Design rankings, while simultaneously accessing the expertise of CCDS, ranked 5th in the world for Data Science and AI in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject. This presents a globally unique opportunity that will equip graduates with an unparalleled qualification, strongly in demand with creative industries.

Industry-Responsive Curriculum

Our curriculum evolves with the rapidly changing gaming landscape, featuring cutting-edge modules that address emerging technologies like AI-assisted creation, real-time rendering and immersive media design, preparing you for the technologies that will define tomorrow's games.

Project-Driven Learning

Working with real industry challenges and using professional-grade tools, our GDAT programme emphasizes hands-on creation.

This practical approach ensures you graduate not just with knowledge, but with a portfolio that demonstrates your ability to create innovative interactive experiences.

Powered by NTU's Academic Excellence

Built on the collaborative strengths of two internationally recognized schools within NTU, our programme leverages world-leading research in both creative practice and technological innovation. NTU as a whole is ranked 12th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026.

This positions you at the forefront of an industry defined by the convergence of art and technology.

This GDAT programme is specifically designed for creative professionals, technologists, game developers, digital artists and other related professionals who wish to equip themselves with interdisciplinary expertise spanning both artistic creativity and technological innovation to lead in the rapidly evolving interactive entertainment industry.

We Welcome Diverse Backgrounds: Applicants from various academic and professional backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including computer science, art, design, media, engineering and other related fields. No prior artistic education is required. Our interdisciplinary programme is designed to accommodate learners with different starting points who share a passion for game design and technology.

For applicants whose first language is not English, you must provide an IELTS score of ≥ 6.5 or a TOEFL score of ≥ 90. This requirement is waived if you completed your Bachelor's degree at a university where English was the medium of instruction. All test scores must be less than 2 years old at the time of application.
Submission of a personal statement outlining your reasons for pursuing the GDAT programme and your career aspirations in game design and technology.
Submitting an artistic portfolio and/or reel is entirely optional but not mandatory. If you choose to submit one, it should showcase your creativity, technical skills and understanding of game design principles and/or visual development for games. Include your best work such as game prototypes, level designs, 3D models, animations, concept art or process documentation. Please disclose any use of generative AI in your work.

Technical Requirements:

Portfolio: PDF format (A4), maximum 20 pages with 1-4 images per page, under 20 MB
Reel: Maximum 3 minutes in .avi, .mov, or .m4a format, under 80 MB
Combined file limit: 100 MB total
Alternative: Include direct links to online videos or your website in a PDF (must be accessible without passwords across all major browsers)

GDAT Portfolio Submission

*Completion of the online submission form is mandatory for all GDAT applications.

Complete Your Submission Online

Submit at: https://submission.ntu.edu.sg/gdat

Before You Begin

Registration - Register for an account at https://submission.ntu.edu.sg/gdat/registration
Single submission only - You cannot resubmit once completed
Prepare all materials in advance - Test files work on both PC and Mac
Check file formats and sizes as specified in the portal
Submit by the application deadline for your qualification category

Required Components

Personal Statement (PDF, max 2 pages) - Mandatory
Introduction Video (3 minutes max) - Mandatory
CV/Resume Link - Mandatory
Portfolio - Optional but strongly recommended

Key Reminders

Personal Statement: Explain your motivation, career goals and fit for GDAT
Introduction Video: Show your personality and passion authentically
CV/Resume Link: Ensure accessible without password requirements
Portfolio: Showcase your best creative/technical work
Disclose any AI use in your portfolio work and describe your role

Academic Integrity

All submitted work must be original. For collaborative projects, clearly specify your contribution.
Plagiarism results in disqualification.

Need Help?

Technical issues: Log out and back in if you encounter errors
Questions: Contact [email protected]

This is your opportunity to demonstrate your potential in game design, art and technology.

	Minimum Candidature (Term of study)	Maximum Candidature (Term of study)
Full-Time	1 year	3 years
Part-Time	2 years	4 years

To graduate, students have to earn a total of 30 Academic Units (AU). The course structure is as follows:

5 core courses
5 electives

Summary of Graduation Requirements

A minimum CGPA 2.50 is required for graduation.

Compulsory courses	15 AU
Elective courses	15 AU
Total graduation requirement	30 AU

Academic Calendar

Semester	From	To	Courses to Complete
Semester 1 (13 weeks)	August	November	2 core courses 3 electives
Semester 2 (13 weeks)	January	April	3 core courses 2 electives

ADM has one intake per academic year in August.

Intake	Application Period
August 2026	Applications open from 1st November 2025 to 31st March 2026

Core

Name of Course	AUs	Semester	Remarks
Principles of Game Design	3	1
Art-Tech Collaboration	3	1	Pre-requisite for capstone project
Games for Society	3	2
Human Computer Interaction Theory and Practice	3	2
Capstone Project	3	2

Principles of Game Design (Semester 1)

Principles of Game Design refers to the development of a game’s playable context – its visual language, player engagement, rules and systems and game dynamics. In this course you will be introduced to the core terminology that forms the central principles for an engaging game. You will work with fundamental game mechanics such as goals, feedback, user interface, player agency, progression, balance, loops and player reward. A comprehensive understanding of these principles will provide you with a skillset to develop original games and equip you with a strong vocabulary to communicate and collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines on game design projects.

Art-Tech Collaboration (Semester 1)

Across all disciplines within the games industry, the ability to collaborate effectively is paramount to successful game development, enhancing innovation, problem solving and production efficiency. In this course you will work with one or two colleagues from differing disciplines, employing teamwork principles towards a common goal of completing a game pitch for a potential capstone project. Drawing on the skills learned from other courses, all team members will assume appropriate responsibilities, such as conceptual design, visual style, game mechanics, user interaction, programming and game demo assembly. The course culminates with a team presentation of a viable game concept that could be continued as a capstone project.

Games for Society (Semester 2)

As communications within society become increasingly digital and screen-based, so does the game nature of these interactions. From gamification of an interface to the use of game mechanics as the core experience, game thinking is fast becoming embodied in all digital interactions. In this course you will examine a range of roles that digital games play in society, such as education, training, simulation, health and well-being, raising awareness, lobbying, social services and social innovation. You will use this research to develop a prototype concept of a game that responds to a need in society. The learning in this course will provide an expanding awareness of the social aspects of game design that can be applied to all future game projects.

Human Computer Interaction: Theory and Practice (Semester 2)

This course introduces you to the principles and practices of designing interactive digital systems that are user-friendly, accessible and aligned with user needs. You will learn foundational theories in human-computer interaction, including cognitive models and interaction paradigms, and apply them through hands-on projects involving task analysis, interface prototyping and usability evaluation. The course aims to equip you with both conceptual understanding and practical skills for creating effective and meaningful user experiences. It is suitable for students interested in computing, design or product development, and serves as a strong foundation for careers in user experience (UX) design, interface development or further studies in human-centered computing and interaction design.

Capstone Project (Semester 2)

The capstone project provides the opportunity for students with differing skillsets to work together to create an original playable game prototype that culminates all the learning from this programme. Expanding from the game pitch in semester one, your team will move into the production phase, applying the game concepts, art, asset creation, mechanics, systems, programming and assembly into a production pipeline. You will work in small teams comprised of members from differing disciplines. This capstone project will provide the full experience of teamwork and game production, giving you a taste of how a professional production pipeline operates.

Electives

Course Descriptions

Name of Course	AUs	Semester
Foundation for Art and Creativity	3	1
Foundation for Technology and Coding	3	1
Modelling and Animation for Games	3	1
Emerging Trends in Game Design	3	1
Game AI	3	1
AI Generative Art	3	1
Visualization	3	2
AI-Driven Computer Graphics and Visualization	3	2
Modelling for Metaverse	3	2
Virtual Reality and Neural Rendering	3	2
Immersive Design Environment	3	2

Electives (Semester 1)

Foundation for Art and Creativity

A creative professional in the game development pipeline needs to possess the ability to effectively communicate original ideas through compelling visuals. Every game is defined by its unique artistic style and the artist’s creative expertise plays a pivotal role in determining the visual identity and experience of the game. This course will introduce you to the essential principles of artistic ideation, creative thinking, visual development and motion principles. Through exploration of a range of mediums and techniques, you will cultivate your artistic talent, focusing on foundational art skills, fostering creativity and originality, applied to the context of art and creativity for games. The skills learned in this course will enhance your capability as a game artist, an important component of game design and development.

Foundation for Technology and Coding

This course is designed to help you build a strong foundation in coding and computational thinking, with a particular focus on applications in game design. It is intended for students new to programming who are keen to explore how technology powers interactive digital experiences. Through engaging hands-on practice, you'll develop the skills and confidence needed to design algorithms, write codes and solve problems using programming languages—essential tools for your future projects and studies in game development.

Modelling and Animation for Games

All of the original visual assets that make up a game are designed, modelled and prepared for animation before importing into the game engine. In this course you will explore essential techniques and processes for creating 2D sprites, 3D models, textures, basic animation, use of motion capture, fundamentals of environment design, principles of efficiency and basic assembly inside a game engine. You will create a portfolio of modular art assets for a game proposal situation. The techniques and processes acquired from this course will enable you to build capable assets for any game project.

AI Generative Art

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to accelerate creative workflows and enable outcomes that would be difficult to achieve through traditional methods. In this course you will explore the principles of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) art, where digital systems are manipulated to produce creative results. You will investigate key concepts, techniques and tools as you learn to shape and refine visual and textual outputs. You will also examine the broader implications of generative AI, critically analyzing its integration into artistic workflows, advantages, limitations, originality, ethical considerations and industry practices. You will explore the role of input methods, particularly the role of language in guiding generative systems and how this programming influences the final result. As you develop a critical and practical understanding of generative AI’s potential, you will be able to apply these processes judiciously to other creative areas of game design.

Emerging Trends in Game Design

The digital game industry is constantly evolving as a consequence of technological advancements, new business models and changing consumer preferences. These dynamic trends can pose a challenge for any individual seeking employment in the game industry. In this course, you will investigate these trends, the state of the industry now and projected trends for the future. You will gain insights into game-changing trends, such as generative AI, new production pipelines, new monetization models, immersive technologies, platform preferences, genre trends and the embodiment of games as part of a changing consumer society. You will also investigate game genre trends, such as ambient games, adaptive storytelling, competitive formats, portable formats and games embedded into social media. This course will provide you with a greater awareness of your own potential to create opportunities within the games industry.

Game AI

This course focuses on concepts and techniques related to game artificial intelligence. It highlights design, deep learning, mathematical and programming issues related to the creation of artificial intelligence, character modelling, physics, animation and navigation. A game engine is used for hands-on sessions and assignments. It requires familiarity with linear algebra, calculus, programming and 3D computer graphics.

Electives (Semester 2)

AI Driven Computer Graphics and Visualization

Automation and AI processes have revolutionized digital game development by enhancing speed, efficiency and creativity while delivering unique experiences for players. In this course you will explore procedural generation techniques to create game assets and behavior from algorithms and datasets as well as integrate AI to visualize data in real time using a contemporary game engine. You will learn workflows for automating content creation, generating synthetic renderings and designing immersive visualizations. The skills and techniques learned in this course can be applied to any game project.

Immersive Design Environment

All games aim to engage players by fostering deep engagement, resulting in highly immersive experiences. This sense of immersion enhances player satisfaction, their sense of achievement and long-term loyalty, which are key factors that collectively drive a game’s success. In this course you will investigate principles of immersive game design, such as style, genre, narrative, sound, ambience, feedback, challenge and reward, with the goal to create high engagement to fully immerse a player in a game, whether this be a mobile handset, augmented reality or virtual reality. You will apply these principles and demonstrate proficiency by building a digital 3D immersive environment using a game engine.

Virtual Reality and Neural Rendering

This course covers concepts and mathematical foundations of virtual reality to model and experience immersive and simulated worlds in computers. An understanding of the hardware, software and algorithms for virtual reality allows you to push the limits to design and develop useful applications. It requires familiarity with linear algebra, calculus, programming and 3D computer graphics.

Modelling for Metaverse

This course aims to equip you with advanced knowledge and practical skills in 3D modelling techniques specifically designed for immersive environments within the metaverse. Through the integration of theoretical foundations, algorithms, software tools and hands-on practice, you will learn to design, develop and optimize complex 3D assets and environments suitable for real-time rendering in virtual and augmented reality platforms. The course emphasizes core modelling approaches, including polygonal modelling, NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) and subdivision surfaces, to ensure the creation of detailed, efficient and interoperable assets. In addition, you will learn emerging methods in computer vision and generative AI for 3D modelling, fostering critical engagement with data-driven and algorithmically generated content. Upon completion of the course, you will be well-prepared to contribute both creatively and technically to metaverse development across diverse domains and platforms.

Visualization

Visualization is important for effective data analysis, data exploration and insight communication. With visualization techniques and tools, everyday data analysts from various disciplines such as business, gaming, sociology, economy and public policy can convert data into visual representations and derive insights from massive, dynamic and complex datasets in an intuitive and interactive manner, making data analysis and insight discovery reliable, trustworthy and full of fun.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of visualization principles, practices and techniques for effective data analysis and communication. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of visualization concepts, human visual perception principles, visual design guidelines and their applications in game design and development. The course introduces the advanced visualization techniques for displaying different types of real-world data that students may deal with, such as high-dimensional data, time-series data, geospatial data and network data. Through hands-on tutorials, projects and case studies, students will develop practical skills and technical competency in creating, evaluating and interacting with data visualizations, particularly those related to gameplay mechanics, user behaviour and production pipelines, while also gaining insights into the latest advancements in the field of data visualization.

A Master of Science in Game Design, Art and Technology (GDAT) degree, with its unique blend of artistic and technical skills, opens doors to a vast array of career opportunities, particularly in rapidly evolving digital industries. Graduates are highly sought after for roles that require a comprehensive understanding of both creative vision and technical implementation.

For more information on career prospects, go to https://bit.ly/GDAT-careerprospects

For enquiries on the GDAT programme, email [email protected]

Fees

Fee Payment in Summary (AY2026)

Fees (in SGD)
Description	All Students (irrespective of nationality)
Application Fee	$50 (inclusive of GST)
Deposit Fee	$7,500 Deposit fee can be used to offset the first tuition fee payment.
Tuition Fees	$49,050 (inclusive of GST)
Miscellaneous Fee	Please access the link here for miscellaneous fee payable.
Payment Schedule	Full-time students will be billed per semester for a period of one year, whereas part-time students will be billed per semester for a period of two years.
Note	Fees shown here are applicable to AY2026 intake only. All Singapore Citizens (SC) and Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) are eligible for a $5,000 tuition fee subsidy. Additional fee subsidy is available for qualifying needy SC/SPR students. All NTU alumni are eligible for a 10% tuition fee subsidy. Terms & conditions apply

- The University reserves the right to revise its fees every academic year without notice.
- Students are advised to check back for the latest fee details.
- All fees listed are in Singapore dollars (S$).

Application Fee

Applicants are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of $50 inclusive of GST.

Deposit Fee

A $7,500 non-refundable fee deposit is required upon the acceptance of the offer. This deposit fee can be used to offset the first tuition fee payment.

Tuition Fee

The tuition fee for the programme is $49,050 inclusive of GST for all students (Singaporean Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and International Students). Students will have to bear additional University-level miscellaneous fees.

Miscellaneous Fee

The miscellaneous fee is payable for all students.

Withdrawal of Candidature & Refund Policy

Withdrawal of Candidature	Request for withdrawal from a programme of study must be submitted to the School formally in writing.
Refund Policy	Request for refund must be made in writing and subjected to approval. In the event that a student wishes to withdraw from the programme, the application fee and deposit fee are non-refundable.

Students who withdraw from the programme within 2 weeks after course commencement shall not be liable for the payment of tuition and miscellaneous fees.

Students who withdraw 2 or more weeks after course commencement shall be liable for the full tuition and miscellaneous fees.

International Students

International applicants are advised to look up important information such as student pass, cost of living and accommodation at NTU Graduate Coursework Admissions webpage

Contact Us

Nanyang Technological University, School of Art, Design and Media
81 Nanyang Drive, Level 3,
Singapore 637458

Tel: (+65) 6316 8946
Email: [email protected]

Master of Science in Game Design, Art and Technology