The University of Utah’s No.1- ranked video game program, Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE), and the David Eccles School of Business announce the creation of the nation’s first dual master’s degree combining a Master of Business Administration with a Master in EAE in game development. This unique degree for graduate students is designed to prepare them for all facets of the growing $91 billion video game industry, from designing and producing games to publishing them in a competitive market.
The University of Utah’s No.1- ranked video game program, Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE), and the David Eccles School of Business announce the creation of the nation’s first dual master’s degree combining a Master of Business Administration with a Master in EAE in game development. This unique degree for graduate students is designed to prepare them for all facets of the growing $91 billion video game industry, from designing and producing games to publishing them in a competitive market.
“The new MBA/MEAE degree, as far as we know, is the very first of its kind,” said Robert Kessler, executive director and founder of EAE and professor at the University of Utah’s School of Computing. “Our graduates are already some of the best game developers, and now they will be equipped to start and run game companies. Professionals who know games and also have the knowledge gained from an MBA are rare and in high demand.”
EAE is an interdisciplinary program launched in 2007 and represents work between the University of Utah’s College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts. The MBA/MEAE program joins a successful group of other dual Master of Business Administration/Master of Science degrees offered by the College of Engineering and School of Business in disciplines such as bioengineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering.
The new three-year, 84-credit-hour curriculum will have students designing, creating, and ultimately publishing their games through EAE’s studio simulation program, but with the new MBA/MEAE degree, students will also acquire the necessary business skills to start or run game-centric businesses.
A.J. Dimick, a former student with the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering video game development program, shows off a video game he helped produced. The University of Utah’s No.1- ranked video game program, Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE), and the David Eccles School of Business announce the creation of the nation’s first dual master’s degree combining a Master of Business Administration with a Master in EAE in game development. This unique degree for graduate students is designed to prepare them for all facets of the growing $91 billion video game industry, from designing and producing games to publishing them in a competitive market.
“Our students have already launched successful games and started their own companies. While we think learning the hard skills of business and game development will be valuable, it’s the soft skills like leadership and collaboration that will help the students lead tomorrow’s companies,” said Corrinne Lewis, academic program manager and associate instructor for EAE.
EAE’s graduate program was ranked No. 1 in the nation for video game development schools, while its undergraduate program was ranked No. 2, according to the latest rankings from Princeton Review. In addition to designing entertainment-based video games, the program’s students also produce educational and instructional games for a wide variety of industries, including the medical field. The last two years in a row, EAE students won the coveted Best Student Game in the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge in Orlando, Fla.
The David Eccles School of Business offers eight undergraduate majors, four MBAs, five other graduate programs, a Ph.D. program and executive education curricula and is consistently one of the top schools in the nation for startup businesses based on university research.
