A very important admission requirement is an applicant’s creative academic qualification. It may demonstrate not only artistic skills and creativity, but also media and computational literacy, problem-solving abilities and a capacity for teamwork. We are well aware that not all applicants can be equally talented in all mentioned areas. We welcome applications from people with a strong talent in art and design as well as those more focused in other areas of study such as technology and media studies. Applicants’ creative academic qualifications are checked in an application procedure which takes place once a year between February and May. Furthermore, students need a good command of the English language. Applicants’ English language proficiency is checked throughout the application procedure. A formal certificate is not required.

In the first stage of the application process applicants are asked to send work samples. These do not need to be works in game design, since we do not require that applicants have previous experience in that field.

Applicants have to send works they have created in the past. We accept everything from analogue to digital works. The work samples can be sent in a PDF document, as link to a Dropbox or Google Drive folder or an online portfolio, among other options. Analogue works need to be scanned or photographed and sent in digital form.

Some CGL students have created a Discord channel to assist you with any questions about preparing your portfolios. As successful applicants, the students contributing to this group can give useful advice on how to create an impressive portfolio. Curious? – This way, please!

A game development portfolio, which covers game design, game arts, and game programming, can include various elements to showcase the developer’s or artist’s skills and experience. Here are examples for each of these areas:

Game Design:

• Game Concept and Documentation: Present detailed game concepts, including storyboards, character designs, and game mechanics.
• Level Editor Drafts: Show drafts of game scenes and level layouts to demonstrate your understanding of game design and structure.
• Ruleset development: Document the rulesets of your games to show your game design skills.
• Written Analysis: Share written analyses of existing games to demonstrate your critical thinking in game design.

Game Arts:

• 2D/3D Artwork: Showcase your skills in creating characters, environments, and objects.
• Texturing and Mapping: Showcase examples of texturing and mapping in 3D models.
• Storyboard and Animation: Showcase storyboards and animations to emphasize your visual storytelling skills.
• Concept Art: Share concept art that illustrates your game ideas’ creative process and development.
• 2D/3D Artwork: Showcase your skills in creating characters, environments, and objects.

Game Programming:

• Source Code Examples: Provide examples of your source code to show your programming skills. This can include both gameplay code and system code.
• Project Management: Present how you organized and documented projects to show efficient game programming.
• Implemented Features: Show working features you have programmed to demonstrate your technical skills.
• Optimization and Debugging: Document situations where you optimized code and fix problems.

Samples of other Audiovisual Artwork:

• Audio Work: If you have sound design or music composition skills, present examples.
• Video Production: If you have video production experience, share videos you have created, especially those related to game development.
• Interactive Media: Showcase projects or applications outside of games that demonstrate your interactive media skills.

The application tasks are published on CGL’s website in the beginning of March.

Each study program has a particular task or set of tasks:

Applicants to the MA in Game Development and Research receive an assignment to do a practical task concerning non-linear audiovisual media. Together with this task, applicants need to provide their motivation and share their thoughts with us by completing three other written assignments.

The exact details concerning these tasks can only be disclosed with the official tasks’ document.

Additionally to preparing the application task, MA GDR applicants have to upload a CV, a portfolio, their high school diploma and their Bachelor’s degree. The application form also requires applicants to fill in some fields with personal information and to provide a passport photo. Non-German diplomas must by checked by Uni Assist. Diplomas issued in any language other than German or English require a translation from a court-certified translator.

Every student has to pay a so called “semester fee” that includes a public transport pass for the whole semester as well as different administrative fees. Currently it is 276,60€ per semester. For more information please visit the TH Website.

Additionally, there is a tuition fee of 1.500 € for EU citizens or 2.500 € for non-EU citizens per semester.

Master of Arts:

• Prof. Björn Bartholdy >
  
• Prof. Dr. Gundolf S. Freyermuth >
  
• Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Guardiola >
  
• Prof. Dr. Greta Hoffmann >
  
• Prof. Dr. Roland Klemke >
  
• Prof. Odile Limpach >
  

In addition, a wide range of tutors coming from different fields of the gaming industry frequently deliver specialized lectures and seminars.

International applicants need to have their qualifications pre-validated by the German academic service “Uni-Assist” before applying to CGL. Non EU students should be aware of higher tuition fees.

Suppose you attended school or pursued studies outside Germany. In that case, it is imperative to complete the application form on our website and submit a set of documents to the Uni-Assist service in Berlin. Uni-Assist is responsible for validating the authenticity of your secondary school leaving certificate and, if applicable, your university degree in Germany.

For more detailed information visit the following websites:

• http://www.uni-assist.de/index_en.html
  
• http://www.th-koeln.de/en/academics/uni-assist-document-review_8553.php
  
• https://www.th-koeln.de/en/academics/admission-requirements_5982.php
  

If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact our International Office.

You can pre-check whether your secondary school or university diploma qualifies you for studying in Germany at anabin.kmk.org (in German language).

Choose “Schulabschlüsse mit Hochschulzugang”, your country and then the diploma you have obtained in order to check if and where it enables you to study. If you have studied at a university before, you also need to check whether or not your university is accredited. To check that, choose “Institutionen” on the left, your country and then the university where you studied at. There you should see the university’s “status”. If it says “H+” your university is accredited. “H-” means it is not accredited.

More information on the formal requirements for studying in Germany can be found here. 

Scholarships:
For specific questions about scholarships, please contact stipendienberatung@th-koeln.de.

If you have questions about the End of Study-Scholarship, please contact Lis Dagny Ohlsen (lis.ohlsen@th-koeln.de). Students with refugee background can apply for a special grant program.

The following websites offer information on scholarships:

For German students:
www.mystipendium.de/

For international students:
www.daad.de/scholarships

For example: daad.de/go/en/stipa57135742

www.applicaid.org

Yes. All degrees are accredited by the German Accreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat) and granted by TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences. Graduates complete the MA “Game Development and Research” with 120 ECTS.

The major challenge of game design programs is to meet the demands of the constantly shifting world of the games industry in both the shorter and longer term. Job descriptions, which outline the specific competencies required for a position, vary from company to company. Whilst individual skill sets will vary according to the individual ́s blend of creative and technical skills, graduates from CGL programs will be qualified for various roles in game development, e.g.:

• Game Designer
• Game Artist
• Game Programmer
• Interactive Designer
• Concept Author
• Stage Director
• Project Manager

Furthermore, the broad interdisciplinary education at CGL might qualify graduates for game-related positions in related fields of interest such as journalism, communication, education, and applied research.

The table below provides an overview of the main differences between the two programs. You can find further details about each program here >MA Digital Games or here >MA Game Development & Research

*The 12 months of work experience count from the moment the applicant obtained their Bachelor’s degree until the start of classes at CGL in September.

**In both cases a general student fee of approximately 265 EUR per semester applies. This fee provides students with a ticket for public transportation in the area of North Rhine-Westphalia, including the cities of Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf. In the case of the M.A. in Game Development and Research, this general fee is added to the tuition fee mentioned in the table.

Once you have passed the artistic-scientific aptitude test and Uni-Assist has greenlit your degree documents, you will receive a letter of admission from the Students’ Office of TH Koeln. You can use this letter of admission for the visa application process.

As the visa appointment situation in most countries is very competitive, we would generally advise you to make the appointment as early as possible – at best once you are invited to the interview stage. You can still cancel the appointment if you do not need it any longer.

More information on the visa process can be found on the homepage of the German embassy in your country or on the homepage of TH Koeln’s International Office: https://www.th-koeln.de/en/international_office/visa_66058.php

In Germany you do not automatically receive a spot in student housing, once you are admitted into a study program. You are required to find a place by yourself in student housing or on the private market.

If you are interested in student housing, apply early for a spot. The current processing time is 6 months and more. So, if you want to have a spot in the fall, you need to apply in spring to have chance. You can apply here: https://tl1host.eu/SWK/index.html#admission

The International Office of TH Koeln provides further pointers in your search for a place to stay: https://www.th-koeln.de/en/international_office/accommodation_54136.php

The costs of living for your stay in Cologne largely depend on your personal needs. Overall, we recommend calculating at least around € 934 per month, including health insurance, as this is the amount the German government calculates as basic need for German students within their Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (BAföG). We have compiled a document with Average Cost of Living for Cologne Students, including rent and utility costs as well as food items, mobile contracts or leisure-time events for your information.

That means for the whole MA Game Development and Research program, if you study within the 4 semesters, you should calculate at least:

€ 200 + € 1,240 semester fee + € 10,000 (non-EU) / € 6,000 (EU) tuition fee + € 22,416 cost of living.

(Non-EU citizens must prove the € 22,416 to the Immigration Office in order to get their residence permit.) Please understand that these costs are probably the absolute minimum you should estimate.

The study program Game Development and Research has been designed to be combinable with a part-time job. Please note: We do not recommend working more than 20 hours per week so as not to interfere with the progress and success of your studies.

Please note: International students with a residence permit according to §16b Residence Act are allowed to work as employees or do voluntary internships for 140 whole days, 280 half days or any combination of both per year without explicit permission from the Immigration Office. Alternatively, employment of up to 20 hours per week is also permitted. This amount of work will be noted by the Immigration Office on your residence permit. More information can be found on TH Köln’s Website: https://www.th-koeln.de/en/international_office/working_51056.php