Bachelor's Degree in Digital Tech and Game Design Online
Turn your passion for gaming into skills you can build into a career. Take a game from concept art to a finished, playable project using 3D art, Unreal Engine Blueprint visual scripting and core mechanics. Graduate with a completed game and a professional portfolio website.
Beginning Fall 2026, Game Design and Animation & Motion Graphics students will complete 81 credit hours of major-specific courses (69 credit hours of core courses and 12 credit hours of emphasis courses).
Because these courses make up the full degree plan, there will be limited flexibility for electives. Careful planning and adherence to the required course sequence will help ensure timely graduation.
Program Overview
What our online B.S. in Digital Technology & Design – Game Design offers you
Move from playing games to making them. Arkansas State University’s online B.S. in Digital Technology & Design offers a concentration in Game Design, where you will learn to create a game from concept to completion. Whether you are starting college or changing careers, you can build creative and technical animation skills applicable to work in the game industry and beyond.
The full game development pipeline
You will start with concept art and ideation, then translate that 2D artwork into 3D through character, prop and environment development, including rigging and skinning. After building core game mechanics, you will use Blueprint visual scripting in Unreal Engine instead of traditional coding to create in-game motion. By the end of the program, you will have built one complete game.
Experienced faculty guide you with a hands-on approach and bring industry expertise across game development, AI and digital technologies, with a primary focus on 3D art. In-person and virtual office hours are available around your busy schedule. Every assignment earns detailed feedback from your instructors, and biweekly reviews help you troubleshoot issues, including errors inside the game engine. You will learn to give honest, critical feedback rather than empty praise, and practice collaboration in game jams — virtual events where you team up with other students in friendly competitions.
Each semester, one to two industry professionals meet with online students to offer portfolio feedback and hiring guidance, creating valuable connections in an industry where networking is crucial. You can also join the Game Design Club, open to online and campus students. Members collaborate on game projects, share feedback, and compete in public Game Jam events to build skills and portfolio-ready experience.
You will develop your own concept art, typically by hand, and strengthen your 3D modeling skills, so you are not reliant on AI. You may use AI for inspiration or reference, but the focus is discernment: knowing the fundamentals so you can work with AI responsibly.
You will build your work throughout the program and graduate with a completed game and a professional portfolio website to share with employers. From there, you can pursue work at an indie studio, freelance, or continue to a master’s program. Your 3D and production skills also open doors beyond games, including CGI, medical visualization and architectural and construction visualization.
In this program you will:
- Learn the full game development pipeline, from concept art and ideation to a completed game
- Create 3D characters, props and environments, including rigging and skinning
- Use Unreal Engine Blueprint visual scripting to build gameplay and in-game motion
- Give and receive critical peer feedback to sharpen your skills and craft
- Graduate with a completed game and a professional portfolio website
- Learn the full game development pipeline, from concept art and ideation to a completed game
- Create 3D characters, props and environments, including rigging and skinning
- Use Unreal Engine Blueprint visual scripting to build gameplay and in-game motion
- Give and receive critical peer feedback to sharpen your skills and craft
- Graduate with a completed game and a professional portfolio website
Land these top jobs:
- Video Game Designer
- 3D Artist (character, prop or environment)
- Level Designer
- CGI Artist
- Medical Visualization Artist
- Architectural/Construction Visualization Artist
- Freelance 3D Artist
- Video Game Designer
- 3D Artist (character, prop or environment)
- Level Designer
- CGI Artist
- Medical Visualization Artist
- Architectural/Construction Visualization Artist
- Freelance 3D Artist
Gain these in-demand skills:
- Game design, development and analysis
- Concept art and ideation
- 3D modeling, rigging and skinning
- Unreal Engine Blueprint visual scripting
- Gameplay and core game mechanics creation
- Game design, development and analysis
- Concept art and ideation
- 3D modeling, rigging and skinning
- Unreal Engine Blueprint visual scripting
- Gameplay and core game mechanics creation
Also available:
A-State offers a variety of undergraduate programs in a convenient online format. Explore our full range of online undergraduate programs.
Tuition
Pay for your online B.S. degree by the course
Our B.S. in Digital Technology & Design – Game Design online program offers the same affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition to all U.S. residents. All fees are included. Tuition may be subject to change on a yearly basis.
Tuition breakdown:
Transfer your credits for lower tuition
Use our Tuition Estimator to see how affordable your degree could be. Slide the notch to the number of credits you've already earned—which may qualify for transfer credit—to get an estimate of what your degree might cost.
Transcripts sent from other colleges and universities will be evaluated, and accepted credits will be added to the student's A-State record. The Tuition Estimator is not a guarantee or predictor of the number of credit hours that will be accepted.
You may be closer to Graduation than you think!
A-State-approved credit for prior learning recognizes your previous accomplishments, reducing your tuition costs and time to graduation.
Calendar
Dates and deadlines to keep in mind
Designed to be flexible for your schedule, the B.S. in Digital Technology & Design – Game Design online program features multiple start dates and accelerated courses.
| Term | Program Start Date | Application Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Payment Due | Last Class Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2 | 10/12/26 | 9/28/26 | 9/28/26 | 10/8/26 | 10/9/26 | 12/4/26 |
| Spring 1 | 1/11/27 | 12/28/26 | 12/28/26 | 1/7/27 | 1/8/27 | 2/26/27 |
| Spring 2 | 3/8/27 | 2/22/27 | 2/22/27 | 3/4/27 | 3/5/27 | 4/30/27 |
Now enrolling:
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Admissions
Review the details for admission to A-State
Review the admission requirements for the online B.S. in Digital Technology & Design – Game Design program and take the next step toward earning your degree.
Applying to A-State Online is simple. Our streamlined process and dedicated enrollment specialists are here to help you complete your application quickly and confidently.
Admission Requirements:
- Online application
- Official transcripts
- 2.0 GPA for transferring credits
Admissions Requirements Details
Arkansas State University offers multiple admission pathways for undergraduate students, based on your academic background and prior college experience.
Transfer Students (13+ College Credits)
You may be admitted as a transfer student if you:
- Have 13 or more transferable college credit hours
- Earned a 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher on all transferable coursework
First‑Time Freshmen (0–12 College Credits)
All freshman applicants are required to submit official ACT or SAT scores.
Recent High School Graduates (within the last 5 years)
You may be automatically admitted if you meet one of the following criteria:
- 3.0 cumulative high school GPA (or equivalent GED score), or
- ACT 19+ (super score) or SAT 990+, or
- Top 20% of your high school graduating class
Applicants who do not meet automatic admission criteria may still be considered through an admissions appeal process.
Non-Traditional Students (Out of High School 5+ Years)
If you have been out of high school five years or more and have completed 12 or fewer college credit hours, you may be admitted if you:
- Hold a high school diploma or state‑approved equivalent
- Submit official Accuplacer, ACT or SAT scores
- Have not previously enrolled at Arkansas State University
High school GPA is not considered for this admission pathway. Applicants are admitted based on diploma status and test scores.
Note: Regardless of admission type, if you have 0-12 transferable college hours, test scores will still need to be submitted for reporting purposes to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). Although test scores are not needed for an admission decision, they are needed to register for your first course. Accuplacer test scores are an acceptable alternative to ACT/SAT scores and must be dated within the past five years.
Application Submission Requirements
Submitting your application takes three easy steps: filling out the application, submitting your documents and paying the application fee.
- When completing the online application, select 100% online student and then complete all the steps on the online application.
- Pay $30.00 non-refundable application fee.
- Submit all official college transcripts.
- Submit official high school transcripts (if applicable).
- Submit official ACT/ SAT test scores (if applicable).
If you have any questions along the way, call us at 866-621-8096 and we’ll be happy to help answer questions.
Document Submission Address
Submit all documents to:
A-State Online
P.O. Box 2520
State University, AR 72467
Fax: 870-972-3548
Email: [email protected]
For Non-US Postal Mail Overnight Delivery Only:
A-State Onlinec/o Central Receiving
2713 Pawnee St.
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Courses
Topics you will study in your online B.S. in Digital Technology & Design – Game Design program
Students in the B.S. in Digital Technology & Design – Game Design online program must complete a total of 120 credit hours of coursework. The program includes 38 credit hours of general education courses, 25 credit hours of major courses, 12 credit hours of concentration courses and 45 credit hours of elective courses. Students can finish faster by transferring previously earned credit hours. Transfer credit hours will be evaluated during the admission process.
You can view your schedule of courses for this degree through the Course Smartsheet:
View the AOS Course Smartsheet
How to Use the Course Smartsheet
You must complete 40 credit hours of electives to satisfy the 120 credit hours required for this program. Courses must be chosen with the assistance of an advisor and per your degree plan. Electives can come from any courses offered as long as prerequisites are met.
Students must take the following courses.
First-year course - Students must take the following Making Connections online course. If you transfer in more than 12 credit hours, you will not be required to take the Making Connections course. You may replace that 3-hour course with a 3-hour elective course.
First-year course (3 hours)
UNIV11033
Departmental (3 hours)
SPCH10003
Communication Requirement (6 hours)
ENGL10103
ENGL10203
Mathematics Requirement (3 hours)
Students must take MATH11003 or any MATH course that requires MATH11003 as prerequisite.
Arts and Humanities Requirement (6 hours)
ARHS10003
MUSC10003
THTR10003
Social Sciences Requirement (9 hours)
MCOM22603
PLSC20003
PSYC11003
Life Science Requirement (4 hours)
Students must complete BIO 1003 with BIO 1001 lab.
Physical Sciences Requirement (4 hours)
Students must complete CHEM12103 with CHEM12101 lab.