Game universities

It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In , 24 Game Design students graduated with students earning 24 Bachelor's degrees. Full Sail University offers 2 Game Design degree programs. It's a very large, private for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb.

University of Southern California offers 2 Game Design degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In , 47 Game Design students graduated with students earning 31 Bachelor's degrees, and 16 Master's degrees. It's a very small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a outlying rural area.

In , 28 Game Design students graduated with students earning 19 Bachelor's degrees, 8 Master's degrees, and 1 Certificate.

Hinds Community College offers 2 Game Design degree programs. Located in the scenic Rocky Mountain region, the University of Denver was established in , making it the oldest independent private institution of higher education in the area.

The largest and most diverse unit at the school is the Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. More than 70 undergraduate or graduate degrees are available through the Division, and include the Emergent Digital Practices program and the Media, Film and Journalism Studies.

This degree requires a total of 60 credits for completion. Students enrolled in this program are required to have a minor, second major, or dual-degree in another discipline. UAT offers four degree options in game design.

All are available online and on-campus:. Students develop skills needed to create 3D art for video game platforms. Students learn artistic principles used in 3D video game art creation, which includes lighting, color theory, shading, anatomy, perspective, and 3D mesh topology, and others. Students build and create complete game design projects with faculty and fellow students. The program encourages collaboration with students and faculty across all gaming degree majors.

Students develop a broad coder skill-set and expertise in many platforms and languages. Students hone their abilities in game play interaction, game engine architecture, artificial intelligence, and networking.

This program consists of four modules. Students complete modules in Game Development and Game Production, and then can choose from 10 other options for the next two modules.

Students tailor their Master of Science in Game Production to their interests and goals. There are two academic tracks for students to choose from:.

Students will have ample opportunity for hands-on experience through the Center for Game Development, unique game labs for interdisciplinary team work on game prototypes, internships, and research projects. Students may also wish to participate in the LA program which allows them to intern at successful California gaming companies such as Electronic Arts, Blizzard, or Facebook. In the Bradley Polytechnic Institute was established and after years of growth and expansion the Institute was rededicated as a four-year college in and was granted University status in This undergraduate curriculum concentration exposes students to topics including gameplay, visual and audio media, and storytelling and conception.

Students may also have ample opportunity to participate in team work with other professional programmers and artists. The Nido R. Qubein School of Communication at High Point University creates a communal atmosphere with interdisciplinary research and networking between scholars within disciplines.

Within the credit hour Bachelor of Arts in Communication there are seven sequences, or areas of specialization, from which to choose:. North Carolina State is home to one of the oldest Departments of Computer Science in the nation, having established their department in The undergraduate Computer Science major offers the opportunity to further specialized in a game development concentration.

Students will use the core classes of the computer science degree to gain an understanding of the algorithms and technologies behind creating games. With a minimum requirement of credits, students study a variety of topics such as:. These include 40 credits for Core courses, credits for Major courses, a minimum of 12 credits for Digital Medial Electives, six to eight credits of Visual Art electives, and six to nine credits for General Electives.

These include 22 credits for Core courses, nine credits for Electives, and five credits for the Comprehensive Experience. Internships are necessary for both degrees. The interdisciplinary program features both practice and theory of game creation.

Topics include interface design, visual asset creation, game programming and character development. Undergraduate Minor:. This Game Design Minor is open to students who are enrolled in any major. Students can learn 3-D modeling, digital drawing, texturing, and engineering and programming for game creation and design, among other skills. Students can also learn to write code and understand the math that goes into programming game creation.

For admittance to the Certificate program, students must have an overall G. Additionally, students should already be enrolled in a degree program at the University of Michigan. If not already enrolled, applicants must apply as non-degree seeking. The Certificate consists of 12 credit hours, and is designed to provide theoretical and real world instruction in programming video games. Core classes will detail game programming methods. With nearly 30 electives to choose from, students may specialize in subjects including mobile games, software design, and world building.

Before graduation students must complete a two-quarter capstone course which requires a team effort in designing and implementing a new game from the ground up under the supervision of game designers from the local industry.

The available undergraduate degrees include:. An Associate of Science degree in Digital Media is also offered. Graduate level studies are not currently available in this field. Throughout their studies students will compile a competitive portfolio and gain internship experience with industry leaders. As standard four-year undergraduate degrees, students will be expected to complete a minimum of credits before graduation.

Woodbury University was founded n Its exponential growth and progressive outlook, among other factors, gained the school recognition as a National College of Distinction. There are more than 20 practice-based professional and liberal arts undergraduate and graduate majors available. There are two concentrations within the major: Game Art or Game Design. Students who study Game Art will focus on 2-D and 3-D character and environmental designs, while students studying Game Design will learn play mechanics, scoring systems, and prototyping.

Salary Information. Video Game Design generally falls into these two categories: the art and storyline side, and the technical programming and development side. If the degree is for the technical side of Game Design, such as programming or information technology, it will be a Bachelor of Science degree. Are you interested in the art animation and graphic design , or the computer science side programming and development?

Game Designers attend college to learn the tools and skills necessary for getting hired by professional Game Design developer companies, such as EA Sports. Professional Game Design requires technical abilities. Even game art majors learn how to use industry standard tools in digital animation. Given the many options for degrees in Game Design now offered by on-campus and online colleges, students can choose from a variety of specializations, such as Game Art, Animation, Graphic Design, Game Development, and Computer Science with emphasis in Games.

These degree options allow game design students to specialize in these game design fields, and potentially pursue for employment after getting a degree. Yes, in two ways: growth and salary. Concerning growth, there is a growing demand for game designers and game artists according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both are necessary for the game to be designed and completed. The story, animation, and graphics are usually Bachelor of Arts degrees BA.

The technical degrees are Bachelor of Science degrees BS. Animation and Graphic Design Game Designers: Students who want to work in animation and graphic design will study digital arts. This includes learning visual storytelling, learning to use digital graphics in 2D and 3D, and technical equipment that is used as the medium for animation and graphics. The answer to this question depends on your skill sets and capabilities. Then a bachelor of arts in Animation, or Graphic Design would likely be easier than the technical bachelor of science degrees.

However, if your skills are more technical, then the bachelor of science in Game Development would be easier. Generally speaking the bachelor of arts is considered the easier degree, given its lack of technical requirements.

Math is behind the programming and art at every level of game design. Math is used more directly by programmers. Kinds of math used in Game Design are algebra, applied mathematics, trigonometry, and calculus.

If the classes are difficult because of the nature of the subject matter and instruction, then yes, it will be difficult to become a Game Designer. If these classes are easy for a game design student, then it will not be hard to become a Game Designer. Game Designers who develop and code the games need computer science skills such as programming languages, math, and software development. These are the more tangible or measurable skills.

Intangible skills that would be helpful would be imagination, a love of video games, ability to devise compelling game concepts and storylines, and the ability to take abstract concepts and make them understandable to others, which is the ability to communicate well.

Full Sail University. DigiPen Institute of Technology. Clark University. Teach or Tutor for Us. College Readiness. All Rights Reserved. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. Recently viewed. Find Your Dream School. Top Rankings Back Top Game Design Schools We surveyed institutions and ranked the best undergraduate and grad schools for game design majors in