Games

The Master of Arts degree course in Games provides opportunities for interdisciplinary study and is aimed at holders of Bachelor’s or Diplom degrees (or equivalent) in a design-, tech- or media-related subject, such as game or media design, computer science or information technology, media systems, communication design, graphic design/illustration, interaction design, visual design, media studies, or similar.
During the course, you’ll acquire a solid set of design and tech skills to take you into a successful career in the games industry – maybe you’ll set up your own studio, work as a developer or designer, or get into academic research in the area of games studies.

This three-semester degree course centres around projects, linking academic, tech-led and design-focused views on games.
With lots of real world-type tasks, we’ll give you the ideal foundations for a career in the games industry – as an in-house or freelance developer, a designer, a project lead, the boss of your own studio, or a researcher.

You can choose to focus on:

• Creative and artistic aspects of games, such as storytelling, game design, level design, concept art, 2D/3D animation and 3D modelling
• Tech-related tasks for computer experts; your choices include computer graphics, game engines, AI, or hardware and software development
• Adjacent fields like entrepreneurship, law, project management or organising teams

You’ll have opportunities to realise your own ideas for projects, work across disciplines, and develop a specialism that suits you – always on a sound academic base, with strong relevance to real-world scenarios, and benefiting from close links to the digital media industry.

Our degree course’s Youtube channel features presentations and projects from previous years. Why not try out some of the games our students have created on our itch.io channel?

Essential:

• A completed Bachelor's (BSc, BEng or BA) or Diplom degree (or equivalent), worth at least 210 credit points, in media technology, media systems, computer science, IT (applicants with a degree in applied IT or with a specialism in media are welcome), communication design, illustration or a related subject
• Successful completion of the aptitude assessment:
  Part 1: Submission of a sample of your work
  Part 2: Interview, to which you will be invited if your performance in Part 1 merits it
• Admission will require proficiency in English at level B1, which will be tested during your interview.
• International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the German language at level C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Documents required when you register for the aptitude assessment:

• A copy of your first degree certificate or certificate of examinations (Prüfungszeugnis). If you did not do your first degree at HAW Hamburg, you will also need to submit your Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records
• Registration form for the aptitude assessment
• A sample of your work that provides a detailed and comprehensive demonstration of your interest in and your aptitude and potential for the degree course.

Documents required for the formal application stage (1 December-15 January):

• A copy of your first degree certificate, showing your overall final grade, and/or your certificate of examinations from your Bachelor’s degree (Bachelorzeugnis)
• Diploma Supplement/Transcript of Records
• Confirmation of successful completion of the aptitude assessment

Documents you may choose to submit to enhance your application:

• Any documents demonstrating practical experience, work or courses you have done which are related or relevant to the area of games
• A letter of recommendation

Important note for applicants with 180 credit points (ECTS): 
Applicants whose Bachelor's degree consists of 180 credit points (ECTS) must acquire another 30 credit points. Find out more.
The missing 30 credit points must be completed before starting the master thesis. 

This degree course welcomes new entrants in the summer semester only.

Please register in writing for the aptitude assessment with the Faculty of Design between 1 October and 31 October; don’t forget to submit your sample of work.
A link to information on applying for the Games branch is here: http://www.gamesmaster-hamburg.de/bewerbung.

If you pass the aptitude assessment, you can submit your formal application for a place online between 1 December and 15 January.

Applications and admissions are managed by the Student Admissions and Registration Office (Studierendensekretariat) and the Examinations Office (Prüfungsamt).

You can find more information on the application process for Master’s degrees at Applying for a Master's degree course.