Admission Requirements

The Guildhall at SMU seeks to admit students with a strong academic background and the talent potential to become professionals and future leaders in the digital game development industry.The admission requirements for the Master’s degree  include  general admission requirements along with a portfolio submission specific to the applicant’s chosen specialization (art creation, level design, production or software development). The general admission standards for the Master’s degree meet the admission standards for enrollment in a graduate program at SMU.

Admission Requirements

The admission requirements for the Master’s degree program include the following:

• A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning, with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• A portfolio consisting of examples that showcase the applicant’s aptitude and preparation in their intended field, as well as satisfactory completion of an assignment specific to the applicant’s chosen area of specialization. Applicants can receive additional instructions on the portfolio assignment by contacting The Guildhall.
  
  
  • Art Creation Portfolio – The portfolio will consist of a completed project assignment plus any other examples that showcase the applicant’s talent. These examples may be digitally based and/or original art executed in traditional media (drawing, charcoal, clay, etc.), showing a variety of subjects and styles.
  • Level Design Specifics – The portfolio will consist of a completed project assignment plus any other examples that showcase the applicant’s talents (playable levels, role-playing game campaign with supporting materials, playable map, etc.)
  • Production – The portfolio will consist of examples that showcase the applicant’s aptitude, problem solving skills, communication skills and leadership ability.  During the admission process, the applicant to the production specialization must choose one of the other three specializations as a secondary area of specialization and the applicant’s portfolio must include the satisfactory completion of the assignment for the chosen secondary area (art creation, level design or software development).  As a part of the portfolio assignment, applicants must submit a solution for producer case study problem assignment.
  • Software Development Specifics – The portfolio will consist of a completed project assignment plus any other examples that showcase the applicant’s talents. Code samples in any structured language will be acceptable; however, games are preferred.
    
    
• An essay describing the applicant’s motivation, interests and life experiences as they relate to an interest in pursuing a professional career in digital game development. (Applicants to the production specialization should  focus on why a career as a game producer and how the applicant would impact the industry as a producer.)
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A phone interview may be required for applicants to the production specialization.
• Test score from an internationally recognized English language test, such as the TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency tests, if the applicant is from a country where the predominant language of instruction is not English.
  
  
  • A score of at least 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer test) is required on the TOEFL for admission consideration.
  • A score of 6.5 or higher is required on the IELTS for admission consideration.
    
    

Admission requirements for the graduate professional certificate program mirror the requirements for the Master’s program in the art creation, level design, or software development specializations, except for the requirement for a minimum GPA and/or a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.  The graduate professional certificate program is not offered in the production specialization.

International Students

For students requiring a U.S. visa, it is mandatory that the following forms be completed and returned with the application to The Guildhall at SMU:

• Financial Certification for Study at SMU (form must be completed, notarized, converted in U.S. dollars) (PDF Format)
• F-1 Compliance Form (PDF Format)
• Health Care Info (PDF Format)

Forms must be mailed to:

The Guildhall at SMU
c/o Hart eCenter at SMU
Attn: Admissions
Southern Methodist University
5232 Tennyson Parkway
Plano, TX 75024

Further information can be found at the SMU International Office.