Entry Requirements:
The admission requirements for the Game Development and Research (Master of Arts) program are as follows:
- The successful completion of a university degree with the degree “Bachelor of Arts” or “Bachelor of Sciences” or with an equivalent or higher degree such as Diplom, Magister, Master or Staatsexamen in any field.
- Proof of at least 12 months of professional experience relevant to the course of study, completed after earning the first university degree. This experience should be accumulated by the start of the program. It can, however, be acquired cumulatively. The professional experience should have been gained within the last five years prior to the application In exceptional and justified cases, an extension of the deadline for submitting the 12-month work record until the end of the first semester may be requested if only a few missing months are involved.
- Proof of special study-related suitability for the “Game Development and Research” degree program. This includes a portfolio that documents the applicant’s creative and scholarly achievements. The portfolio can encompass a variety of works such as art, code, musical compositions, written material, or game prototypes.
- English language proficiency (minimum B2-level).
Application Steps:
Step 1 (international student only):
Validation of the first higher education degree by Uni-Assist. (s. further information below)
Step 2 (all applicants):
Application for the program / artistic-scientific aptitude test, which consists of the following elements: the submission of all necessary application documents (degree documents and application tasks).
(Step 3 (individual applicants)):
In some cases, the committee may invite applicants to an individual online-interview (approximately 10 minutes) on May 21, 2025. The interview is an additional method to evaluate an applicant’s language skills. An invitation to an interview does not indicate automatic acceptance or rejection; it is simply used when the rest of the application materials do not provide sufficient information to assess the applicant’s language proficiency.
Application Timeline:
The MA Game Development and Research program admits new students every winter semester. The application tasks are always published on March 1st. The application deadline is always March 31, at 23:59 CEST.
After all applications have been reviewed, the successful applicants will be notified in June, in order to make it possible to start studying in September.
Application Documents:
To apply for the program / artistic-scientific aptitude test, you will need to submit the following documents:
- Completed application task; published anew on March 1st of each year
- All applicants to the MA Game Development and Research program are required to submit a project idea, an application video (maximum of 10 minutes), and three short written assignments. These submissions are designed to help the committee evaluate each candidate’s motivation and unique skill set. Detailed instructions for these tasks will be provided as soon as the application portal opens on March 1st.
- CV
- Portrait photo
- Scans of academic certificates, degrees
- Proof of 12 months professional experience; please refer to our FAQs for acceptable documentation
- Portfolio; please refer to our FAQs for acceptable documentation
- Optional: English language certificate; please refer to our FAQs for details about the MA GDR’s English language assessment
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS WITH NON-GERMAN DIPLOMAS
Please be aware that CGL does not check the formal validity of your documents. International applicants have to submit their documents to the validation agency Uni-Assist parallel to the CGL application procedure. The deadline for Uni-Assist submissions is also March 31.
All application documents must be submitted to Uni-Assist as officially certified copies. If your documents are issued in a language other than English or German, you are required to submit a German or English language translation from a state certified translator.
For the winter semester 2025/26 you can apply in digital form at uni-assist, you do not have to send any documents by post. TH Köln reserves the right to check these documents during the enrollment.
We would generally recommend you to prepare and submit your Uni Assist materials early on. The evaluation process by Uni-Assist can take up to four weeks during peak times even longer. Your final admission, however, depends on the result of the evaluation.
Please find further information on the Uni-Assist procedure here: