Reading CS and game-design degree listings

People writing game software often ask whether a formal degree is required. This note does not answer that. It records a practical way to read a program listing when you are comparing computer science and game-design courses, including listings for universities in Thailand.

Start with the required courses, not the faculty slogan. For this kind of work you want evidence of programming that goes past an introductory term, some discrete mathematics or equivalent, and, for game-design tracks, a place where students actually ship a small playable piece (even a card or board prototype counts). A graphics or interaction course is useful. A long list of tool names in an advertising paragraph is not a substitute for those items.

Then look at the language of instruction, the length of the program, and whether the listing states tuition for a given year. Those three facts are often harder to pin down than the course titles, and they belong in the same notebook line as the curriculum. If a page does not give a year for the fee, treat the figure as unverified.

When the programs under comparison are in Thailand, start from a current public directory of universities or from names you already have, then open the university's own course page to confirm what is still current. A directory is not an admissions office. Always read the official program page before you treat a requirement or a fee as settled.