The School’s three departments — Computer Science, Informatics, and Statistics — fuel a wide range of instructional and research efforts, including: design of algorithms and data structures; computer architecture and embedded computer systems; networked and distributed systems; systems software; social and mobile computing; artificial intelligence, machine learning and data mining; computer games and virtual worlds; databases and information retrieval; computer graphics and visualization; bioinformatics, computational biology and genomics.

The vibrant Bren School community continues to explore innovative topics ranging from building complete computer systems on chips smaller than a human fingernail to developing user-interface systems that allow workers on opposite sides of the world to collaborate effectively. 

Bren School research continues to focus on how computing and information technology can be used to solve a broad set of real-world problems, such as improving how first responders communicate during a crisis, optimizing transportation systems, analyzing data to expedite biological research, and improving network security.

The Computer Game Science major gives students a strong foundation in introductory information and computer science, an extensive education in technologies and design practices associated with computer games, and an opportunity to focus in two areas of particular interest to the student. Students who complete the major will be able to create interactive and human-centered game designs; implement games using skills in modeling, graphics, software engineering, hardware architectures and human interfaces.

Career Paths:

A wide variety of careers and graduate programs are open to Computer Game Science (CGS) graduates. The video game industry is comparable in size to the film and music industries, and job growth projections are strong for people with strong technical backgrounds. Many other fields, including mobile software development, interactive entertainment, and training and education software have demand for similar skill sets and knowledge.