At Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada, HD in Game Development is offered as a higher diploma in Digital Media & Game Development programme. The programme runs for 3 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English.
At a glance
Degree:Higher Diploma
Field:Digital Media & Game Development
Duration: 3 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet.
— it helps other students.
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Overview Apply your computer programming talent to launch a career creating games of strategy and skill. The three-year Game - Development Ontario College Advanced Diploma program prepares you to enter the increasingly competitive profession of game development with confidence. This program provides you with hands-on learning and a team-oriented environment that simulates the work setting found in large game studios. Throughout the program, you learn the design and critical thinking skills needed to find employment in the game development industry. As a student, you learn how to create games of strategy and skill in an applied setting. During your first year, you gain knowledge in basic programming syntax and game development software tools. You enhance your skills with courses in: game design and development traditional and digital imaging authoring animation programming For your final project, you work with your classmates to conceptualize, design and implement a complete 3-D game title. After graduation, you have the skills to demonstrate you are ready to start your career in this highly competitive field. There are numerous career opportunities for graduates from this program. The game development profession has increased in demand to now include industries such as entertainment, education, government and consumer products. You may find employment as a/an: game developer game programmer software developer game play programmer game designer game artist asset modeler texture artist game animator indie game producer Most opportunities in this industry exist outside of the Ottawa area.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: College Eligibility requires an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or Mature Student status for applicants 19 or older without a diploma. Program Eligibility adds Grade 12 English (ENG4C or equivalent) and Grade 12 Mathematics (MAP4C or equivalent); senior Physics is recommended, and basic computer skills and problem-solving aptitude are expected, though prior programming experience is not required. International applicants must meet Algonquin's English Language Proficiency requirement: IELTS Academic overall band 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band, the Duolingo English Test at 110 overall with no component below 95, or TOEFL iBT at the score Algonquin publishes for the test's current format. Where qualified applicants exceed available places, Algonquin selects on English and mathematics proficiency.
Application Details
Start Date:Intake terms Algonquin lists for this program, read from its own availability table on 6 September 2026: Fall 2026 (AC Day 1 orientation 8 September 2026; Fall term classes start 9 September 2026); Winter 2027 (most classes start 11 January 2027). Term start dates come from the Registrar's Important Dates page, which also gives 11 January 2027 for the Winter 2027 term and 10 May 2027 for the Spring 2027 term. Availability changes as seats fill and an intake already under way may be closed, so check the program page before applying. Algonquin's academic year runs September to August.
Application Deadline:DOMESTIC APPLICANTS (Canadian citizens and permanent residents). Algonquin publishes no deadline unique to this program; the dates below are the college-wide Ontario colleges cycle and apply to every full-time day program. Applications go through ontariocolleges.ca, where 1 February is the equal consideration date each cycle: apply by then and your application is assessed alongside every other one received by that date, while applications arriving later are handled first-come, first-served for as long as places remain. For entry in Fall 2027 the ontariocolleges.ca application opened on 26 September 2026, colleges may begin issuing offers on 1 November 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027 and an offer must be accepted by 1 May 2027. The equal consideration date that governed the Fall 2026, Winter 2027 and Spring 2027 intakes was 1 February 2026 and has already passed, so those three starts are now first-come, first-served while seats last.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS. Apply directly to Algonquin on the International Application Form in its International Application Portal (AC360) rather than through ontariocolleges.ca, with a CAD 135 application fee. There is no single fixed international deadline: Algonquin asks you to confirm the program is open before applying, warns that a program's status can change to waitlisted or closed before an admissions officer reviews the file, and publishes a closing-date sheet for each intake. For the Fall 2026 intake that sheet gives this program's own dates: 16 September 2026 is the last day to apply on the International Application Portal and receive an acceptance, and 21 September 2026 is the last day to register.
