Forbes
Top 25 Colleges And Graduate Schools To Study Game Design In 2016
By: Karsten Strauss
Want to learn how to create video games in the best training program in the world? According to a recent analysis by test prep and college admission services company, The Princeton Review, and gaming magazine, PC Gamer, that means you best score a spot at the University of Utah. The Salt Lake City-based school surpassed USC as the #1 game designing program, according to Princeton Review’s annual report.
Looking for the best graduate school in game design? That title belongs to The University of Central Florida, which jumped to the top of the pile from the #2 spot last year.
Gaming is big business. By “big,” I mean huge. Last year the world’s gaming revenue clocked in at more than $92.2 billion. The two largest markets – China, the U.S. – spent $22.2 billion and $22 billion respectively on game products. And these numbers are not static, they’re growing. This year the world market is expected to hit $99.3 billion.
So it’s no wonder that places of higher learning are making sure their technology departments offer programs for inspired developers and programmers who want to take their talents to the gaming industry. We took the Princeton Review’s overall results for top undergraduate game design programs and plugged them into a slideshow for you to flip through. (See Above) We also published its list of top graduate programs on the following page.
The two top schools can boast some impressive credentials, says David Soto, The Princeton Review Director of Content Development. Game design graduates at The University of Utah last year were hired by 37 different game companies and their average starting annual salary was $67,000. The Princeton review reported that 88% of the program’s faculty has either started or worked for game studios, that includes notable faculty member Joe Barns, whose resume includes work of Epic Mickey, NFL Blitz 2000 and Mortal Kombat.
The University of Central Florida’s program saw 93% of last year’s program grads get hired by 130 different developers, with average salaries of $63,000. All of the program’s faculty have either started or worked with game developers, including Ben Noel, who has worked on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
1. The University of Utah
2. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
3. Rochester Institute of Technology
4. DigiPen Institute of Technology
5. Becker College
6. The Art Institute of Vancouver
7. Hampshire College
8. Michigan State University
9. Drexel University
10. New York University
11. The University of Texas at Dallas
12. Northeastern University
13. Champlain College
14. Vancouver Film School
15. Bradley University
16. Ferris State University
17. Larence Technological University
18. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
19. Cogswell College
20. Shawnee State University
21. University of Wisconsin-Stout
22. Abertay University
23. The University of California (Santa Cruz, CA)
24. Savannah College of Art and Design
25. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
