Interactive Media and Game Development- C and D Terms
Course Planning Specifics: Interactive Media and Game Development
You will register for C and D term classes in November.
WPI’s Interactive Media & Game Development (IMGD) program provides a basic education in the theory and practice of both the technical and creative aspects of digital media production, together with complimentary instruction in the physical and social sciences, mathematics, humanities and the arts. It is intended to serve as a solid foundation for an IMGD-related professional career and/or post-graduate studies.
The program offers two separate majors:
- The IMGD Technology major is focused on the development of software engineering skills, and leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. This major’s strong emphasis on programming encourages many students to earn a double-major or minor in Computer Science.
- The IMGD major explores the creative aspects of digital media production, and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. This flexible, multidisciplinary major offers optional concentrations in Visual Art, Design, Writing, Audio/Music and Technical Art, and is designed to readily accommodate a double-major or minor in a wide variety of related fields.
In addition to the course recommendations below that are specific to your major, each student must complete 4 PE courses in their four years at WPI. You are welcome to add a Physical Education and Wellness course to any term. PE courses are worth 1/12 unit, unlike major subjects discussed in course recommendations which are worth 1/3 unit, and can be taken in addition to the 3 courses recommended below.
For more information on the degree requirements for your major click here.
Bachelor of Science Degree
C Term Recommendations
Taking an IMGD course is recommended for all IMGD majors in C term.
Students looking to pursue the technical side of IMGD should take Computer Science Courses before the end of their first year.
The Computer Science introductory curriculum emphasizes program design; as part of this focus, the order in which languages are introduced is Racket/Scheme, followed by Java and then C/C++.
Most students should take: CS 1101 Introduction to Program Design in A term. Students having substantial previous programming experience (e.g. AP credit in computer science) are encouraged to consider: CS 1102 Accelerated Introduction to Program Design (offered in Term A only), CS 1102 doesn’t assume experience with any particular programming language.
Your third course should be a GPS, Humanities and Arts, or Math course. More information is available about these courses below.
GPS stands for Great Problems Seminar is a course that is exclusively for first year students and allow students to learn about a problem in the world and work with a group on how to fix it. These courses are helpful with the transition to college as well as useful for students when preparing for projects such as IQP and MQP in junior and senior year. GPS courses run for both A and B term, so you will only need to choose one. For more information click here.
Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:
- Art (AR)
- Music (MU)
- Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
- Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
- For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
- For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
- For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
- For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
- For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
- Literature (EN)
- Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
- International Student English (ISE)
- History (HI)
- International Studies (INTL)
- Philosophy (PY)
- Religion (RE)
IMGD Majors should consider taking courses in English, Philosophy, Religion, or AR 1100/1101 as this will be helpful for future coursework.
IMGD Majors are required to take one Math course. You are welcome to take any Math course as your third course.
D Term Recommendations
IMGD 1002 Storytelling in Interactive Media and Games is recommended for IMGD majors in D term.
Students looking to pursue the technical side of IMGD should complete two computer science courses by the end of their first year.
Most students follow CS 1101 or CS 1102 with CS 2102 Object-Oriented Design Concepts (offered in Terms B and D), but again students with previous experience may elect to follow with CS 2103 Accelerated Object-Oriented Design Concepts (Offered in Term B only).
IMGD students can also take CS 2011: Machine Organization and Assembly Language.
Your third course should be a Humanities and Arts, or Math course. More information is available about these courses below.
Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:
- Art (AR)
- Music (MU)
- Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
- Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
- For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
- For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
- For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
- For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
- For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
- Literature (EN)
- Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
- International Student English (ISE)
- History (HI)
- International Studies (INTL)
- Philosophy (PY)
- Religion (RE)
IMGD Majors should consider taking courses in English, Philosophy, Religion, or AR 1100/1101 as this will be helpful for future coursework.
IMGD Majors are required to take one Math course. You are welcome to take any Math course as your third course.
Bachelor of Arts Degree
C Term Recommendations
Taking an IMGD course is recommended for all IMGD majors in C term.
Students looking to pursue a BA in IMGD should consider taking CS 1004, a Math course, a Science course, or an Engineering Science course as their second class.
CS 1004 is Intro to Programming for Non-Majors. This course will give IMGD majors a background in Programming as they move forward in their major.
IMGD majors are required to take one Math course in their time at WPI. This math course can be in any subject.
Science courses are defined as courses in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or Physics at WPI. IMGD majors are welcome to take a course in any of these subjects.
Engineering Science courses are defined as any course with the following prefixes: AE, AREN, BME, CHE, CE, ECE, ES, EVE, ME, RBE
Your third course should be a GPS, Humanities and Arts, or Math course. More information is available about these courses below.
GPS stands for Great Problems Seminar is a course that is exclusively for first year students and allow students to learn about a problem in the world and work with a group on how to fix it. These courses are helpful with the transition to college as well as useful for students when preparing for projects such as IQP and MQP in junior and senior year. GPS courses run for both A and B term, so you will only need to choose one. For more information click here.
Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:
- Art (AR)
- Music (MU)
- Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
- Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
- For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
- For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
- For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
- For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
- For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
- Literature (EN)
- Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
- International Student English (ISE)
- History (HI)
- International Studies (INTL)
- Philosophy (PY)
- Religion (RE)
IMGD Majors should consider taking courses in English, Philosophy, Religion, or AR 1100/1101 as this will be helpful for future coursework.
D Term Recommendations
IMGD 1002: Storytelling in Interactive Media and Games should be taken in D term for students considering a major in IMGD.
Students looking to pursue a BA in IMGD should consider taking CS 2301, a Math course, a Science course, or an Engineering Science course as their second class.
CS 2301 is Systems Programming for Non Majors. This course will give IMGD majors a background in Programming as they move forward in their major.
IMGD majors are required to take one Math course in their time at WPI. This math course can be in any subject.
Science courses are defined as courses in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or Physics at WPI. IMGD majors are welcome to take a course in any of these subjects.
Engineering Science courses are defined as any course with the following prefixes: AE, AREN, BME, CHE, CE, ECE, ES, EVE, ME, RBE
Your third course should be a Humanities and Arts course. More information is available about these courses below.
Every student at WPI must complete the Humanities and Arts (HUA) Requirement. This consists of 6 courses in HUA subjects. The subjects available for HUA are:
- Art (AR)
- Music (MU)
- Drama/Theatre (EN/TH)
- Foreign Language- Spanish (SP), German (GN), Arabic (AB), Chinese (CN)
- For Spanish Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Angel Rivera (arivera@wpi.edu)
- For German Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Daniel DiMassa (ddimassa@wpi.edu)
- For Arabic Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Mohammed El Hamzaoui (melhamzaoui@wpi.edu)
- For Chinese Placement Information, Please Email: Professor Wen-Hua Du (wdu2@wpi.edu)
- For English Language (International Students) Information, Please Email: Professor Althea Danielski (amdanielski@wpi.edu) and Professor Esther Boucher-Yip (efboucher@wpi.edu)
- Literature (EN)
- Writing/Rhetoric (WR, RH)
- International Student English (ISE)
- History (HI)
- International Studies (INTL)
- Philosophy (PY)
- Religion (RE)
IMGD Majors should consider taking courses in English, Philosophy, Religion, or AR 1100/1101 as this will be helpful for future coursework.
Once you go through the above recommendations, please be sure to review Registration Information so you know how to register on November 15th.
Registration Information
To build your schedule you should use the Course Listings page and the WPI Planner. Below are instructions on how to use the Planner tool and how to search for courses before inputting this information into Workday, WPI's registration platform.
- Navigate to the WPI Planner.
- On the first tab, select the class subject area you are interested in (ex. Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences). Note: Great Problems Seminars are listed under First Year.
- Once you select the subject, the available courses will appear. As you select courses, they will appear in the box at the bottom right.
- You should select three courses for each term. It is also a good idea to identify some back-up schedules in case your first choices are full when you register.
- You can also select a Physical Education course, and 1/6 unit music courses, as an additional fourth course in addition to your three courses. This is common for first year students.
- ROTC Members: please select your Military Science course in addition to your three courses. Your Physical Training will count towards your physical education requirement, so you do not need to select PE courses.
- On the second tab, Time, you can eliminate times of day you do not want classes. Note: This may limit your course options, so use this one sparingly.
- The third tab, Schedules, shows all the possible schedules that can result from your course selections. Make sure you are looking at the correct term, and look to see if there is any overlap between class times. You can change the term you would like to take the course by clicking on the term bubbles.
- When you are satisfied with how your schedule looks it is time to identify the sections of the classes you plan to register for.
- At the top of the Schedules tab, you will see two boxes, one labeled “Grid” and another labeled “Detail.” Click the “Detail” box to see a listing of selected courses with information including course name, course section, professor, location, and meeting days and times.
PRE-REGISTRATION PREP
- Watch the 10 min. overview video
- Login to Workday
- Use Find Course Sections to build at least one Saved Schedule for C-Term, D-Term, and if you're taking any 10 or 14 week classes, Spring Semester (instructions)
November 15, 7AM ET: REGISTER
- Login to Workday
- Open a browser tab or window for C-Term, D-Term, and Spring Semester (if you have any 10 or 14 week classes) and View My Saved Schedules for each
- [Optional] Open tabs for alternate course sections from other Saved Schedules or search results
- When registration opens, click Start Registration, then click Register (instructions)
- Open View My Courses, scroll right to Drop or Swap (instructions)
- Waitlisted? If a spot opens, a notification will be sent to your WPI email asking you to login to Workday and take action
