Utah Games College of Architecture and Planning

ORIENTATION QUESTIONS

When do I sign up for classes?

Incoming students cannot sign up for classes until they have completed New Student Orientation (NSO). During NSO you will meet with your academic advisor to discuss the degree and register for you first semester classes. During this time, your advisor will also review your degree audit and account to make sure any transferred credits are there. 

How do I complete NSO?

You can register for a New Student Orientation here. If you are unable to attend any of the listed dates, please contact The Office of Orientation directly for options. 

I'm doing a virtual NSO, when do I meet with an advisor and register?

Virtual NSO's are open for 1 week, we recommend you schedule a 1:1 meeting with your designated advisor for sometime during then. During that meeting we will discuss how to run a degree audit, go over the degree, and plan out classes for Fall. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES UNTIL YOU COMPLETE YOUR NSO.

If you are not sure how to schedule a meeting or who your advisor is, please reach out to Gamesadvising@utah.edu and we can provide you the correct info.

Did Games switch colleges? What does that mean?

Yes we did! Beginning July 1, 2024 the Division of Games will be moving from the College of Engineering to the College of Architecture + Planning (CA+P). This move does not change the structure or format of our degree is anyway; our major requirements are still the same. 

This does mean orientation will be a little different for Games students this summer. As we will be split between colleges, Games students completing FY NSO will be with CA+P one day and Engineering another.

Day One: First-Year students will go with College of Architecture + Planning for the college welcome.

Day Two: Students will go with College of Engineering for first semester course planning.

Transfer students only have a single day orientation and will be going with Engineering as they have reserved rooms for our students this summer.

Incoming students will also receive an email from Games advisors before their NSO detailing this process.

I want to program/code for Games, is this the right degree?

If your passion is in code, then you will want to go to Computer Science and get a CS EAE degree. It is a hybrid degree across both our degree and the Computer Science degree. More information can be found here.

Are General Education requirements changing?

Yes, beginning this Fall, incoming and non-declared students will be held to a new set of General Education requirements. These will be discussed during NSO in depth. Check out this link for an overview of theses changes, as well as a look at the previous requirements.

What's Writing Pre-Orientation?

Part of the gen ed change includes the requirement of WRTG 1010 or equivalent. This can be fulfilled through concurrent enrollment courses, AP and IB scores, as well as completing the Writing Pre-Orientation. This assessment can be completed here. The writing department suggests completing it at least 5 days prior to your orientation date. More information regarding this requirement can be found here.

We HIGHLY recommend completing this as WRTG 1010 and 2010 (which are both required) fill up VERY fast.

Answers to more frequently asked NSO questions can be found on the Orientation page here.

Post-Orientation Questions

Do I need to buy a computer/tablet for the program?

We do not require students to purchase laptops or tablets. We have an open use lab in BLG 72 for undergrads to use as well as a tablet lab. All software that students would need are loaded onto these computers. Students just need to be enrolled in Games courses to access these.

If a student does want to purchase a device, we have suggested spec listed below.

• • No model or brand requirement
  • 10th Gen i5 or i7 processor
  • 16 GB of RAM
  • Discrete graphics with 8BG of VRam

How do I get my Umail to work?

Here is the U's new student tech guide. It goes over how to activate and access a variety of accounts as well as how to download the free software you get as a student.

I forgot how to....

It's ok, a lot of information was given out at NSO, it's ok if you forgot or can't remember how something works. The academic advising center created video guides on how to do a variety of things from setting up your FERPA pin, to registering for classes. These can be found here.

I need help with things, who do I meet with?

There are two options: you can meet with a peer advisor or academic advisor.

Peer Advisors are here for basic questions about student life, class selection, and program details. More information on PA's can be found here.

Academic Advisors are here to assist with more high level or detailed needs like, having transfer courses fixed, getting a referral to the counseling center, or creating an academic road map. Advisors are split based on last name, you can find your advisor and schedule a meeting with them here.

For additional questions or concerns please contact us at GamesAdvising@utah.edu