Applying for the Serious Games Graduate Certificate
If you are not an MSU student, and would like to enroll in the Serious Games Graduate Certificate, that’s great! You must have completed a BA or BS degree.
Here’s how to apply:
Applying for the certificate program if you are not an MSU graduate student resembles a badly designed game. Our apologies for the tortuous instructions.
We have bolded things you DO or DO NOT need to do as part of the application process Please pay attention or you will end up doing much more than is needed.
After you start your application, you will need to have your undergraduate transcript sent directly from the college or university where you graduated to MSU. The undergraduate transcript is required even if you have completed a PhD.
Have questions about the Serious Games Graduate Certificate?
Certificate Tuition and Fees
Visit this page for an estimate on tuition and fees. The Certificate requires 9 credits to complete.
How to Apply
You DO NOT need to take the GREs.
If you are an international student and English is not your first language, you will need TOEFL scores (submitted electronically).
All three graduate certificate courses can be taken as fully online classes.
Details For Enrolling in Our Certificate Program
Go to Apply and apply as a “graduate certificate” student.
On the >Application & Request Info page, choose your status (Domestic or International) and choose Graduate Certificate. Complete applicat
IMPORTANT: The application
- When it asks for Current Visa Application, say “On-line certificate”
- When it asks for intended visa classification for study at MSU also say, “On-line certificate”
- There is no need to enter the name of the parent or guardian nor their address
- For your major preference say 1497 (that’s the code for serious game design)
- You do not need to enter the number of credits for your prior degrees.
- You do not need to answer whether you have taken or planned to take any courses in any college before entering MSU.
- You do not need to answer how many college credits will you have attempted before entering MSU.
- You DO NEED a personal statement
The personal statement is your opportunity to tell the M.A. Director and Director of the Serious Game Graduate Certificate program about yourself, your background (e.g., cultural, ethnic, etc.), your passion and professional interests and aspirations including why you are interested in the serious game design and research graduate certificate program. In addition, this is the opportunity to communicate to the M.A. Committee any factors that may have contributed to any prior academic underperformance and you would wish for the M.A. Committee to take into consideration during the review of your application.
- You DO NEED an academic statement
Your academic statement should indicate that you are applying to the Serious Games Graduate Certificate, and why you believe this certificate is a good fit to the professional goals and career paths of interest.
- You do not need to enter dependent information
After you have completed your Admissions application, you should automatically be taken to GAMS (Graduate Admissions Management System), where you will create an account, select the Serious Games Graduate Certificate code option, and fill out the GAMS app as instructed. If you are NOT automatically taken to GAMS, follow this link.
Note that, like the university admissions form, there is a prompt asking students to submit letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are NOT required for admission into the Serious Games Graduate Certificate program. As a workaround, please click the optional statement “letters sent to the Department directly” which will override that part of the application.
If the “letters sent to the department” option does not appear, put the Program Director’s email (acote@msu.edu) for all letters of recommendation.