Students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines embark on a two-year journey of collaboration, creativity, and game development.

Now in its fifteenth year, the University of Utah’s Division of Games has grown from a scrappy, pioneering program of a few dozen students into one of the nation’s largest and highest-ranked games programs. This fall, 90 new graduate students— the largest ever class of programmers, artists, technical artists, producers, and designers—joined Utah Games’ top-ranking Master’s of Entertainment Arts and Engineering at the University’s City Centre campus in Salt Lake City.  Cohort 16 joins the record number 7,700 new students arriving at the U this year.

These students form Cohort 16 in Utah Games’ nationally recognized graduate offerings. Coming from universities and professional experiences across the U.S. and the world, the members of Cohort 16 represent a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds—including computer science, fine arts, design, media studies, engineering, and business. This diversity of origins and expertise reflects the collaborative nature of the games industry itself and brings a richness of perspectives to the program’s classrooms and studios.

The Master’s of Entertainment Arts and Engineering degree offers a 4-semester, targeted curriculum that integrates tracks in game art, technical art, design, production, and programming with project-based learning. Over the course of the program, students are immersed in intensive studio work, collaborative prototyping, and full-scale game development. Alongside faculty mentorship and peer collaboration, they build the team-centric technical and creative skills needed to succeed in an industry that values innovation, teamwork, and adaptability.

By the time they graduate in May 2027, Cohort 16 will have developed polished portfolios, industry-ready resumes, and hands-on experience working in multidisciplinary teams. Their training positions them for success not only in the video game industry but also in fields such as film, simulation, and emerging technologies that increasingly rely on game development expertise.