- Community of interest
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 31284.02AS
- Department
- Comp Anim/Game Dev
- CIP code
- 11.0701: Computer Science.
- TOP code
- 0706.00 - Computer Science (Transfer)
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 31284.02AS
- Department
- Comp Anim/Game Dev
- CIP code
- 11.0701: Computer Science.
- TOP code
- 0706.00 - Computer Science (Transfer)
Next Steps
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
course details
This course is an introduction to the skills, techniques and tools to produce computer generated graphics. Areas of study will include: the basics of computer drawing and design, adding text to graphics, converting and exporting graphics into multiple formats for print and online, and modification and transformation techniques.
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
General Education: Area 2
about Area 2
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Select one option:
Art Studio option (Select one):
Communication Design option
Term 2
Class Schedules
course details
This course is an introduction to the concepts, technologies, and techniques of game design and development. The course covers the history of games, basic game theory, the phases of game development, the use of computers and other media in the development of games, and game testing and analysis. Students will explore the ethical and social issues associated with the design, production, and marketing of games. The course emphasizes the importance of teamwork in, and the interdisciplinary nature of, the games industry.
course details
This course introduces students to the use of software techniques to create and animate three-dimensional environments and objects. Students will learn to create photo-realistic models and scenes enhanced by lighting, shadows, reflection, and textures, and will learn to produce camera fly-throughs and basic character animation sequences.
Select one option:
Art Studio option
Communication Design option
General Education: Area 5
about Area 5
Physical and Biological Sciences
The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.
Elective (any course numbered 1-199 or C1000-C2999)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Term 3
Class Schedules
course details
This course is an introduction to the discipline of computer science, with a focus on the design and implementation of algorithms to solve simple problems using a high-level programming language. Topics include fundamental programming constructs, problem-solving strategies, debugging techniques, declaration models, and an overview of procedural and object-oriented programming languages. Students will learn to design, implement, test, and debug algorithms using pseudocode and a high-level programming language. (C-ID COMP 122).
course details
This course introduces students to visualization techniques, ideation processes, and the tools and materials used in professional concept studios in the video game and entertainment industries. Students will be introduced to the history of concept art and its evolution from industrial design and architecture to modern day use in video games, entertainment, and toy design. Students will learn how to develop concepts from the sketch phase through final presentation drawings, brainstorming and teamwork, reading and adapting project briefs, and creating professional presentation boards. This is an essential foundation course for programs and careers in concept art, video games, animation, digital design, graphic design, and industrial design.
Select one option:
Art Studio option
Communication Design option
General Education: Area 4
about Area 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.
General Education: Area 3
Only necessary if not already met.
about Area 3
Arts and Humanities
How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.
Term 4
Class Schedules
course details
This is a software engineering course, focused on the application of software engineering techniques for the design and development of large programs. Topics include data abstraction, data structures and associated algorithms, recursion, declaration models, and garbage collection. Students will learn to design, implement, test, and debug programs using an object-oriented language. (C-ID COMP 132).
Prerequisite: CSCI 20
course details
This course prepares a student to apply basic acting theory to performance and develops the skills of interpretation of drama through acting. Special attention is paid to skills for performance: memorization, stage movement, vocal production, and interpretation of text. (C-ID THTR 151).
Art Studio option
General Education: Area 1B
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)
Elective (any course numbered 1-199 or C1000-C2999)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Career Connections
2-Year Degree Paths
Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.
Example roles: 1
- Computer Programmers
4-Year Degree Paths
Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.
Example roles: 7
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Software Developers
- Information Security Analysts
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.
Local Job Market
Computer ProgrammersSOC 15-12513 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Superior Court of California, County of Butte 3
Where the postings are
- Chico, Butte County 1
- Oroville, Butte County 1
- Thermalito, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and TestersSOC 15-1253no nearby openings indexed
No nearby openings matched any of: software quality assurance analysts and tester, software quality assurance analyst. Browse this occupation on Adzuna for postings outside the mapped keyword set.
Software DevelopersSOC 15-125213 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Bank of America 3
- Genie Healthcare 3
- Superior Court of California, County of Butte 3
- Golden State Farm Credit 1
- Monte Christo Communities 1
Where the postings are
- Chico, Butte County 4
- Pennington, Sutter County 3
- Thermalito, Butte County 2
- Butte Creek, Butte County 1
- Durham, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Information Security AnalystsSOC 15-12121 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- DecisionPoint Corporation 1
Where the postings are
- Marysville, Yuba County 1
Sample current postings
Database ArchitectsSOC 15-12436 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Oracle 3
- Amazon 1
- Sierra Nevada Company, LLC 1
- Sierra Nevada Corporation 1
Where the postings are
- Sacramento, Sacramento County 4
- Sparks, Washoe County 2
Sample current postings
Computer and Information Systems ManagersSOC 11-30211 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- Bank of America 1
Where the postings are
- Pennington, Sutter County 1
Sample current postings
Computer and Information Research ScientistsSOC 15-1221no nearby openings indexed
No nearby openings matched any of: computer and information research scientist, information research scientist. Browse this occupation on Adzuna for postings outside the mapped keyword set.
Computer Network Support SpecialistsSOC 15-1231no nearby openings indexed
No nearby openings matched any of: computer network support specialist. Browse this occupation on Adzuna for postings outside the mapped keyword set.
Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 90 days within up to 100 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.
Source Notes
Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.
Career Connections shows 8 of 13 occupations mapped by the NCES/IPEDS crosswalk.
Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.
Last generated 2026-07-05T16:52+00:00