Session 1: June 22 – July 19, 2024
Session 2: July 22 – August 17, 2024

Design for Play

Our 4-week sessions offer the chance to take a Stanford computer science course for credit in a condensed format. The short session allows students to dive into the very popular multidisciplinary area of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and also to get a taste of life on-campus. Your small cohort will live and study as a community, adding Stanford to your university experience and connecting with peers from around the world.

About the Course

CS 247G - Design for Play

A project-based course that focuses on advanced methods and tools for research, prototyping, and user interface design. Studio-based format with intensive coaching and iteration to prepare students for tackling real-world design problems. This course takes place entirely in studios; please plan on attending every studio to take this class. The focus of CS 247G is an introduction to theory and practice of game design. We will make digital and paper games, do rapid iteration, and run user research studies appropriate to game design. This class has multiple short projects, allowing us to cover a variety of genres and game design concepts, from narrative to pure strategy.

About Human Computer Interaction

HCI is a multidisciplinary track that studies how people interact with computational devices from the largest computing machines to handheld devices to tiny, ubiquitous computers. The HCI group teaches user-centered design thinking with a focus on ubiquitous computing, novel interaction techniques, tools for enhancing designers' creativity, and rapid prototyping. These skills are applicable to areas such as collaborative work, information visualization, and tangible computing.

Dates and Deadlines

Application submission deadline: May 1, 2024 (9 p.m. PDT)
Decision release date: May 15, 2024

Tuition and Costs

The $8,000 fee includes:

• Application fee
• Tuition for the 3-unit course
• Housing and Dining for the duration of the program
• Access to dorm-based activities, academic programs, and unique programming only for Short Session participants
• Stanford Summer Session resources and academic support through the Summer Academic Resource Center

How to Apply

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age by the start of the program.
• Have graduated from high school, secondary school, or an equivalent.
• Be a current university student or have some university or post-secondary experience.
• Stanford is not able to sponsor F-1 student visas for the Short Sessions. International students who already have a study-eligible visa may still participate.

Application requirements include:

• Transcripts
• Proof of English proficiency (if necessary)
• Two short essays:
  • In no more than 3-4 sentences, tell us why you are interested in taking this course. 
  • Please respond to ONE of the following questions in 250-300 words:
    • Tell us about an innovator, scholar, creative, or boundary-breaker that has inspired you. 
    • Tell us about one of your recent projects or assignments that made you excited about learning.