Game Production Management (B.S.)
Build games. Build businesses. Build your future at Chicago’s leading tech-focused university.
The video game market in the United States is huge—estimated at more than $96 billion annually in 2023—and growing on a projected path to double by 2030.
The Bachelor of Science in Game Production Management degree is designed to prepare students for careers in this exciting industry by developing their expertise and technical skills in creative media and business.
In this unique, interdisciplinary program you will learn from world-class faculty at Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart School of Business and Lewis College of Sciences and Letters. The curriculum includes:
- Courses in game design and experiential media that cover the fundamentals of game design, interactive storytelling, web development, and open-source application development in a project-based environment
- Business courses in marketing, leadership, analytics, accounting, finance, strategic management, and business law
- An experiential capstone project in which you develop a game, from concept to demo to publication and release in the market
Through Illinois Tech’s one-of-a-kind Elevate program, you are guaranteed access to hands-on experiences—such as internships and group projects—where you can connect your learning with real-world practice. You also receive individualized mentorship to guide your academic studies and build your career readiness.
Chicago is an international center for business with a diverse metro area economy that is home to a growing array of tech companies. Illinois Tech’s connections provide you with exceptional access to internships, networking, and job opportunities.
STEM-Designated Program
This is a STEM-designated program, and international graduates of the program are eligible to apply for an extension for Optional Practical Training, which allows selected students to stay and work in the United States for up to three years after graduation.
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Game Production Management is a unique, interdisciplinary degree designed for students who are interested in developing expertise in both the business and creative media fields. This program provides excellent preparation for exciting careers in the growing field of game development and management.
Career Opportunities
Game production management is an established professional field and Illinois is one of the top 10 markets for game design job postings. Potential job roles for graduates include:
- Associate game producer
- Creative project manager
- Game designer
- Marketing manager
- Localization producer
- Game developer
- Community manager
- Technical director
- Creative director
Current starting salaries in the game design field average $77,879 for those with two or fewer years of experience, increasing to $89,630 for those with three to five years of experience, and then $99,021 for those with six or more years of experience—indicating strong earnings potential for graduates of this program
In the B.S. in Game Production Management degree you will develop a strong foundation of creative, technical, and analytical skills and expertise to launch your career in the games and experiential media industries. This hands-on, interdisciplinary program culminates in the two-semester Game and Interactive Media Design Capstone course in which you’ll put your learning into practice by producing a market-ready game project.
This degree requires a minimum total of 120 credit hours, including 39 credit hours of business requirements and electives, 27 credit hours of game design and experiential media (GEM) requirements and electives, and three to five credit hours of mathematics requirements. Courses are three credit hours each unless otherwise noted.
Business Requirements (36 credit hours)
These courses are required:
- BUS 100—Introduction to Business and Economics
- BUS 102—Introduction to Business Analytics
- BUS 211—Financial Accounting
- BUS 212—Managerial Accounting
- BUS 221—Business Statistics
- BUS 301—Organizational Behavior
- BUS 321—Analytics for Optimization
- BUS 351—Financial Decision Making and Capital Budgeting
- BUS 371—Marketing Fundamentals
- BUS 480—Strategic Management and Design Thinking
- ECON 211—Introduction to Economics
- ECON 382—Business Economics
Business Electives (three credit hours)
Choose one from the following courses:
- BUS 305—Operation and Supply Chain Analytics
- BUS 311—Strategic Cost Management
- BUS 341—Business Law
- BUS 361—Topics in Entrepreneurship
- BUS 472—New Product Development
- BUS 473—Marketing Analytics
- BUS 475—Sales Management and Analytics
- BUS 476—Consumer Behavior
- BUS 484—Data Analytics and Visualization
- ECON 383—Sports Economics
GEM Requirements (21 credit hours)
These courses are required:
- GEM 100—Game Design and Experiential Media Intro to the Professions
- HUM 371—Fundamentals of Game Design
- HIST 373—History of Video Games
- ITMD 361—Fundamentals of Web Development
- ITM 313—Introduction to Open-Source Application Development
- HUM 400—Game and Interactive Media Design Capstone 1
- HUM 401—Game and Interactive Media Design Capstone 2
GEM Electives (six credit hours)
Choose two from the following courses:
- COM 424 —Document Design
- HUM 372—Interactive Storytelling
- HUM 374—Game Design Level 2
- ITMD 362—Human-Computer Interaction and Web Design
Mathematics Requirement (three to five credit hours)
Choose one from the following four courses:
- MATH 148—Preparation for Calculus (four credit hours)
- or MATH 151—Calculus I (five credit hours)
- or MATH 191—Business Calculus (four credit hours)
- or MATH 192—Finite Mathematics (three credit hours)
In addition to the business, GEM, and mathematics courses shown above, the requirements for this degree include Illinois Tech core curriculum requirements plus free elective courses to fulfill the minimum required total of 120 credit hours.
Admission to Illinois Tech is required to enroll in the B.S. in Game Production Management program. Current Illinois Tech students should consult with their academic adviser to transfer into the program.
Do You Have Questions?
We’re here to help you learn more about the program and the opportunities it offers.
- For questions about the game design and experiential media (GEM) curriculum, contact Professor of Digital Humanities and Media Studies Carly Kocurek.
- For questions about the business curriculum, contact Stuart Director of Recruitment Claire Johnson.
Why Study Game Production Management at a Technology-Focused University?
Studying game production management at Illinois Tech uniquely prepares students to launch their careers in the tech industry. Game production management majors are working alongside engineers, computer scientists, entrepreneurs, and researchers every day in preparation to excel in both the business and creative media fields.
You’ll also have opportunities to connect with students across the university through on-campus networks such as Illinois Tech Esports and the Illinois Tech chapter of the International Game Developers Association.
Featured Faculty
Meet your professors! Here are some of the faculty from Stuart School of Business and Lewis College of Science and Letters who teach courses in this program.
Carly A. Kocurek
Xiaoyun “Aarn” Cao
Arlen C. Moller
Charles T. Hamilton
Kristina N. Bauer
Ghazale Haddadian
Mark Roman Miller
Andrew Kumiega
Bo Rodda
John Twombly
