The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events Specialist
Build cutting-edge AR and VR experiences for long-term career success
Download Brochure
January 24, 2024
7 months, online
15-20 hours per week
Our participants tell us that taking this program together with their colleagues helps to share common language and accelerate impact.
We hope you find the same. Special pricing is available for groups.
The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events Specialist
Explore financing options available for this program.
Learn More
The rapid growth in the development of commercial applications for extended reality (XR) has led companies from every industry to seek out experienced or trained developers and engineers with AR/VR experience and skills that they can bring into XR development.
Developed by a team of XR professionals associated with NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, the seven-month Professional Certificate in AR/VR Development and 3D Graphics provides the skills and knowledge that companies such as Apple, Wayfair, Google, and Verizon value as they make the shift to XR development.
Traditional software engineers and developers (or those with computer science-related degrees) can learn the XR essentials needed to build experiences in a game engine, use scripting to create, navigate, and customize 3D graphic assets to construct virtual environments, and create a presentable prototype.
The average salary for an AR/VR developer in the US in 2022
Of software engineers predict we will see the full impact of AR/VR within the next 5 years
The global XR market is expected to reach approximately $393 billion by 2025, a CAGR of 69.4% throughout the forecast period
This comprehensive program is designed for professionals or students with a computer science degree or equivalent development background who want to learn XR essentials and fundamentals to build AR and VR experiences in Unity. It is also geared toward technical artists, who have created art in a tool like Maya but want to start making their own games and create animations and riggers. Participants in this program will have a foundational understanding of mathematics (i.e., Algebra I, at a minimum) and scripting language experience, so they can advance to the next level and sharpen their scripting skills to create, navigate, and customize 3D graphic assets to construct interactive, virtual environments.
It is ideal for:
The seven-month program is divided into five sections that explore the foundations of XR, 3D math and Unity development, construction of virtual environments, and high definition XR. It culminates in a project development phase and capstone project.
Get an overview of the past, present, and future of extended reality.
Explore the design principles essential for effective XR development, and consider the roles, interactions, and workflows within an XR project.
Recognize the role that game engines play within XR architecture, and set up Unity for successful development.
Develop knowledge of the Unity GUI, learn how to import assets and GameObjects to utilize in project development, and create a Rube Goldberg machine. Explore the use of vector mathematics in Unity.
Utilize C# to create custom Unity components. Apply the concepts of prefabs, transform API, materials, vector multiplication, and projection in Unity to create an obstacle in a third-person platformer scene.
Explore the Input System Package to create a character controller. Apply C# scripting, physics, rigidbodies, colliders, matrix mathematics, and Unity coroutines to GameObjects to create interactivity and to create your own roll-a-ball scene.
Use tools within Unity to create a functioning UI with a scene. Add animations to and interactions between GameObjects, and apply matrix mathematics to Unity development.
Utilize Unity’s physics engine to apply raycasting to inform interactions, and explore how Unity employs quaternions and matrices to represent rotations in 3D space.
Get an overview of AR development frameworks and learn to develop image tracking-based AR using Vuforia with Unity.
Create AR experiences leveraging object-recognition techniques and interactions.
Learn about SLAM and AR Foundation and use Unity's AR Foundation to detect surface types and create code to load on a mobile device.
Explore Unity’s XR Interaction Toolkit with its powerful library that allows you to quickly prototype and build AR and VR experiences to improve user experiences. Use the XR toolkit, grey boxing, and 6 DoF room-scale VR to create an end-to-end XR experience.
Complex interactions between hand avatars and physical 3D interfaces create more immersive experiences for users. Create and customize interactive controls within a scene.
Get a crash course on computer graphics rendering and an introduction to writing shaders in Unity. Create a custom mesh and custom shader and apply these to objects in a scene. Apply matrix math and linear algebra to transform objects.
Explore scriptable rendering pipelines in Unity to create shaders using the shader graph. This graph-based approach is applicable to many tools in programming, 3D modeling, and more.
Conceptualize and construct a virtual lobby to link your VR environments using ProBuilder and other tools in Unity. Explore and implement lighting technologies in Unity’s Universal Rendering Pipeline.
Diagnose and solve lightmapping issues within virtual environments. Build and implement a system to manage scene loading and transitions, and deploy an application to the Oculus Quest.
Utilize Unity's High-Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) to kick technical artistry to the next level. Leverage the advanced materials and lighting workflows in the HDRP including probes, materials, lighting, textures, and more to create realistic scenes with stunning graphics.
Achieve more realism through rendering visuals for XR environments. Add interactivity through teleportation, configure the occlusion culling system and dynamic resolution to improve performance.
Work with Unity’s animation rigging package to create custom, dynamic hand poses for your hand avatars to increase the realism and immersion of XR experiences.
Use the VFX Graph technology in Unity to create visual effects and procedural animation that will add rich visuals to XR experiences. Also delve into particle systems to simulate a variety of effects within a scene.
Align your career and project production goals and think through your project in detail to build a production schedule. Practice trailer and documentation analysis, and learn to analyze and effectively communicate through documentation.
Explore project management tools to further organize your project plan. Apply lessons from case studies to your professional practice. Develop a styleframe, shot list, or storyboard as well as conduct a motion test to further define your project.
Consider user onboarding and UX design for your prototype. Design your own user survey to elicit user feedback and determine how user feedback impacts your project development.
Evaluate your project development schedule and dedicate time for development. Through case studies, consider how user experiences can shape project development.
Use feedback and other tools to re-examine the goals for the final stretch of project development. Hear real-world stories about the complexities and factors that can impact project development.
Identifying your target audience and what they care about impacts your communication and distribution decisions. Improve your project MVP and polish your curated assets and documentation for final project distribution.
Present and share your capstone project.
Get an overview of the past, present, and future of extended reality.
Explore scriptable rendering pipelines in Unity to create shaders using the shader graph. This graph-based approach is applicable to many tools in programming, 3D modeling, and more.
Explore the design principles essential for effective XR development, and consider the roles, interactions, and workflows within an XR project.
Conceptualize and construct a virtual lobby to link your VR environments using ProBuilder and other tools in Unity. Explore and implement lighting technologies in Unity’s Universal Rendering Pipeline.
Recognize the role that game engines play within XR architecture, and set up Unity for successful development.
Diagnose and solve lightmapping issues within virtual environments. Build and implement a system to manage scene loading and transitions, and deploy an application to the Oculus Quest.
Develop knowledge of the Unity GUI, learn how to import assets and GameObjects to utilize in project development, and create a Rube Goldberg machine. Explore the use of vector mathematics in Unity.
Utilize Unity's High-Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) to kick technical artistry to the next level. Leverage the advanced materials and lighting workflows in the HDRP including probes, materials, lighting, textures, and more to create realistic scenes with stunning graphics.
Utilize C# to create custom Unity components. Apply the concepts of prefabs, transform API, materials, vector multiplication, and projection in Unity to create an obstacle in a third-person platformer scene.
Achieve more realism through rendering visuals for XR environments. Add interactivity through teleportation, configure the occlusion culling system and dynamic resolution to improve performance.
Explore the Input System Package to create a character controller. Apply C# scripting, physics, rigidbodies, colliders, matrix mathematics, and Unity coroutines to GameObjects to create interactivity and to create your own roll-a-ball scene.
Work with Unity’s animation rigging package to create custom, dynamic hand poses for your hand avatars to increase the realism and immersion of XR experiences.
Use tools within Unity to create a functioning UI with a scene. Add animations to and interactions between GameObjects, and apply matrix mathematics to Unity development.
Use the VFX Graph technology in Unity to create visual effects and procedural animation that will add rich visuals to XR experiences. Also delve into particle systems to simulate a variety of effects within a scene.
Utilize Unity’s physics engine to apply raycasting to inform interactions, and explore how Unity employs quaternions and matrices to represent rotations in 3D space.
Align your career and project production goals and think through your project in detail to build a production schedule. Practice trailer and documentation analysis, and learn to analyze and effectively communicate through documentation.
Get an overview of AR development frameworks and learn to develop image tracking-based AR using Vuforia with Unity.
Explore project management tools to further organize your project plan. Apply lessons from case studies to your professional practice. Develop a styleframe, shot list, or storyboard as well as conduct a motion test to further define your project.
Create AR experiences leveraging object-recognition techniques and interactions.
Consider user onboarding and UX design for your prototype. Design your own user survey to elicit user feedback and determine how user feedback impacts your project development.
Learn about SLAM and AR Foundation and use Unity's AR Foundation to detect surface types and create code to load on a mobile device.
Evaluate your project development schedule and dedicate time for development. Through case studies, consider how user experiences can shape project development.
Explore Unity’s XR Interaction Toolkit with its powerful library that allows you to quickly prototype and build AR and VR experiences to improve user experiences. Use the XR toolkit, grey boxing, and 6 DoF room-scale VR to create an end-to-end XR experience.
Use feedback and other tools to re-examine the goals for the final stretch of project development. Hear real-world stories about the complexities and factors that can impact project development.
Complex interactions between hand avatars and physical 3D interfaces create more immersive experiences for users. Create and customize interactive controls within a scene.
Identifying your target audience and what they care about impacts your communication and distribution decisions. Improve your project MVP and polish your curated assets and documentation for final project distribution.
Get a crash course on computer graphics rendering and an introduction to writing shaders in Unity. Create a custom mesh and custom shader and apply these to objects in a scene. Apply matrix math and linear algebra to transform objects.
Present and share your capstone project.
Hear from a Medivis developer as he discusses being on the cutting edge of bringing AR and AI into the medical industry.
Develop and try out interactive environments and tools with this VR headset.
Explore the roles and responsibilities of XR developers within workflow ecosystems, as well as essential skills.
Follow a process to develop an idea from pitch to prototype as part of the capstone project.
Explore non-gaming industry XR applications.
Hear from a Scatter developer as he discusses the product development pivots and experiences for a room-scale VR experience that premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
Video Lectures
Assignments
Discussions
Real-World Tools & Technology
Capstone Project
Career Support & Mentoring
Dedicated Program Support Team
Mobile Learning App
Stepping into a career in XR development requires both hard and soft skills. The Professional Certificate in AR/VR Development and 3D Graphics program offers guidance for navigating a career path in XR development, including:
These services are provided by Emeritus, our learning collaborator for this program. Our program support team includes course leaders to help you reach your learning goals. It is our primary goal to give you the skills needed to be prepared for a job in this field; however we do not guarantee job placement.
Michael Allison
Alex Lotsos
Rui Pereira
David Lobser
Michael Allison
Senior Software Engineer, Scatter
Michael Allison is an XR developer and enthusiast hailing from the world of creative technology. After receiving his master’s degree in interactive telecommunications from NYU, he spent a year as a research resident at the university to continue to work on his graduate thesis: experiments in virtual reality performance art. He went on to work for years as a technical artist and creative technologist, building site-specific interactive experiences for the likes of Intel, AT&T, and IBM.
Michael later spent several years as the Head of Technology at a creative tech firm, where he was the technical lead on a wide range of projects from smart appliance prototypes and experimental retail products to XR experiences for experiential marketing. Michael is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Scatter Inc., a startup creating the next generation of volumetric capture and rendering technologies.
Alex Lotsos
Co-Founder and Lead Developer, Unseen Media
Alexandros Lotsos is a Brooklyn-based creative technologist and STEAM educator with a background in mathematics, philosophy, and digital media. He is a co-founder and XR developer at Unseen Media and a former adjunct faculty member of the Integrated Digital Media program from NYU Tandon where he taught courses in creative coding and game development with Unity.
Rui Pereira
Creative Technology Lead and Spatial Computing Consultant, (IDEO, Havas, Google, Microsoft)
Rui P.G. Pereira is a Creative (and) Technologist passionate about (dis)embedding technology in people's lives to make them better and happier. Previously, Rui worked at Google where he collaborated strategically with brands like Coca-Cola, HBO, and Procter & Gamble and their creative agencies on insight-driven interactive experiences and product innovation. Rui has also led the Innovation Lab at Havas Worldwide and has won the agency a CANNES LIONS Bronze Award: Innovation and Creative Data—Social Data.
Rui is a thought leader in the area of emerging technologies, Augmented and Mixed Reality and Spatial Computing frequently presenting his work and research publicly. He also teaches Magic Windows and Mixed-Up Realities, a course on thinking, sketching, and building mixed reality experiences in the Interactive Telecommunications program from NYU Tandon.
David Lobser
Lead Creative Technologist, Luxury Escapism, Creator, Cosmic Sugar
David Lobser is a designer, animator and XR developer. His VR work includes multi-user, location-based experiences such as Flock, developed at NYU’s Future Reality Lab. He taught animation and creative code at Harvard, NYU, SVA, CU, and Parsons. His work has been seen at Coachella, Burning Man, FoST, the Phi Center, Electric Daisy Carnival, SXSW, and more. Most recently, his work has focused on therapeutic VR and includes "Cosmic Sugar" and "Visitations."
Wenbo Lan
Upon successful completion of the program, participants will be awarded a verified digital certificate by NYU Tandon.
Download Brochure
After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated program advisor will follow up with you very shortly.
Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page and in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at learner.success@emeritus.org for assistance.
This is a graded program. You must complete a combination of individual assignments, quizzes, and a final project. Each component carries a certain number of points, and a cumulative score of 75 percent is required to pass and obtain your professional certificate.
The primary objective of this program is to give you the skills you need to be prepared for a job in this field. While eligible participants will receive career coaching and support and may receive introductions to our hiring partners, job placement is not guaranteed.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section and in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
You will divide your learning time between viewing recorded coding demos and video lectures; contributing to class discussions; completing assignments, projects, and knowledge checks; and attending optional live sessions with industry experts and program leaders.
The program is accessed through the custom learning portal. This portal will give you access to all program-related content such as video lectures, assignments, and discussions. Live office hours will be conducted using a webinar tool.
The video lectures and assignments are accessible weekly throughout the program. In the event you miss a live session, recording will be made available.
Faculty video lectures are recorded, allowing you to watch these on your own schedule. However, participation in optional live sessions and discussion boards is highly encouraged. Live sessions will give you the opportunity to draw on the coding experience of our industry-experienced program leaders to answer your questions and help reach your learning goals. The discussion boards are also an integral part of the learning experience, giving you and your peers the opportunity to learn together and receive guidance from the moderators.
You can download video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. However, the video lectures are only available for streaming and require an internet connection.
You can communicate with other participants through our learning platform. You will be able to form groups based on your interests and location. A direct messaging feature is also available through the platform.
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.
All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course.
A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what is required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section and in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life.
This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please contact us at learner.success@emeritus.org if you need further clarification of any specific program requirements.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, résumé, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program once grading is complete.
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.
You will have access to the learning platform and all program materials (videos excluded) for one full year following the program start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
To successfully complete this program online, you must have access to a device meeting the minimum requirements, found here. In addition, Microsoft Office or similar product and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts in all programs. Technical programs might have additional tech requirements. Please check the learning platform on the first day of class.
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet and video content is not available for download. You can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet and webinars and small group sessions will require an internet connection.
Yes, you can do the bank remittance in USD via wire transfer. Please contact your program advisor for more details.
Yes, flexible payment options are available for this program. We partner with loan providers to offer you flexible and transparent loan options. More information about loan financing is available here. Installment payments are also available; you can find the options here.
Yes, the program fee is inclusive of any taxes with the exception of GST for Singapore residents.
After a participant has withdrawn, they will no longer be able to attend live sessions or 1:1 sessions with course leaders, mentors, or career coaches; submit work for review; or access their programme dashboard or curriculum.
Participants who would like to cancel their enrollment should email ProgramSupport@Emeritus.org or visit the “Support” tab in the learning platform to obtain a copy of the Withdrawal Request Form. This form must be submitted by midnight UTC of the last day of the trial period to be eligible for a full refund. No cancellations will be processed unless this form is received. Refunds will be issued within 30 days after the effective date of withdrawal or dismissal.
Participants have the option to request a deferral to a future cohort within the first 30 days from their program start date. Cohort changes may be made only once per enrollment and are subject to the availability of cohorts and scheduled at the discretion of Emeritus. Participants requesting a deferral must be in good academic standing. Participants who would like to defer their enrollment should email ProgramSupport@Emeritus.org or visit the “Support” tab in the learning platform to obtain a copy of the Deferral Request Form.
We regret to inform you that the Professional Certificate in UX Design for AR/VR program is currently not accepting applications. Given your interest in emerging technologies, we encourage you to explore this program as an alternative. We believe the Professional Certificate in AR/VR Development and 3D Graphics program will help you learn the XR essentials needed to build experiences in a game engine and construct virtual environments.
We offer flexible and transparent payment option through our partner—Climb Credit
Immediate repayment, interest-only repayment, and deferred payment options available. Click here to know more.
Flexible Payment Options – Monthly payments as low as US$ 2,940.
Choose to pay in two, or three monthly installments for higher flexibility Click here to know more.
You can opt for any one of the financing options to cover up to the full cost of the program tuition. If you are considering financing your program through one of our partners, the enrollment process can only be completed with the assistance of your program advisor.
Please note that loan applications should be submitted no later than four business days prior to the enrollment deadline due to processing time.
Flexible payment options available.