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computer game programming

Types of Degrees computer game programming Majors Are Earning

People majoring in computer game programming have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	14
Associate’s Degree	40
Bachelor’s Degree	414
Master’s Degree	24

What computer game programming Majors Need to Know

Coursework for computer game programming emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that computer game programming graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in computer game programming emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a computer game programming program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Programming — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to computer game programming careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, computer game programming graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.9 / 7
Processing Information	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by computer game programming professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Selenium	Program testing software	✓
Quest Erwin Data Modeler	Metadata management software	—
Microsoft Visual C# .NET	Object or component oriented development software	—
Backbone.js	Web platform development software	—
KornShell	Operating system software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	—
A programming language APL	Development environment software	—
Relational database management software	Data base management system software	—
Microsoft PowerShell	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Azure software	Development environment software	✓
Bash	Operating system software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for computer game programming graduates include:

• Beta Tester
• Malware Analyst
• Bug Bounty Hunter
• Application Programmer
• Computer Programmer Analyst
• Graphic Engineer
• Automation Programmer
• Object-Oriented Programmer
• Program Analyst
• Operating System Programmer
• Statistical Programmer
• Computer Language Coder
• Developer Analyst
• Web Programmer
• Application Programmer Analyst

What Can You Do With a computer game programming Degree?

Graduates with a degree in computer game programming commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Computer Programmers	11.7%	$109,892	$85,812–$133,972
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	-1.7%	$80,062	$66,401–$93,722
Software Developers	13.5%	$76,447	$61,199–$91,695

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to computer game programming graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	77.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.3%
Some college courses	3.9%
Postsecondary certificate	2.7%
Master’s degree	1.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in computer game programming?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 80.9% of computer game programming degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	94	19.1%
Men	398	80.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of computer game programming graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	240	48.8%
Asian	46	9.3%
Hispanic or Latino	54	11.0%
Black or African American	48	9.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	24	4.9%
Race Unknown	11	2.2%
International Students	67	13.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do computer game programming Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of computer game programming graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$55,537
4 years	$60,237
5 years	$68,349

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,349 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online computer game programming Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for computer game programming. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	0
Bachelor’s	4	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in computer game programming Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, computer game programming graduates earn a median of $60,237 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Computer Science	79,857
Information Technology	42,322
Computer Programming	15,336
Computer Programming/Programmer, General	11,341
Informatics	3,067
Computer Programming, Specific Applications	2,813
Artificial Intelligence	1,653
Cloud Computing	1,229
Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation	1,028
Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification	420
Computer Programming, Other	229
Computer Programming, Specific Platforms	41

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.