THE TOP 50 BEST GAME DESIGN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

5. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF 14. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL TECHNOLOGY FLORIDA 2019 Grads Hired: 97% Total Courses: 138 2019 Grads Salary: $64,500 Graduates: Richard Ugarte (Epic Games), Alexa Madeville (Facebook 6. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Games), Melissa Yancey (EA). 2019 Grads Salary: $72,662 Graduates: Doug Bowser (COO, 15. HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE Nintendo of America) and Nolan Faculty: Chris Perry (Pixar), Rob Bushnell (founder, Atari). Daviau (designer of Risk Legacy). 2019 Grads Hired: 60% 7. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF 2019 Grads Hired: 80% 16. CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE BECKER Fun Fact: MSU offers a west coast Total Courses: 119 1 SOUTHERN game industry field trip experience 2019 Grades Hired: 75% 2 COLLEGE each year, offering networking and learning opportunities. 17. RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE THE BEST SCHOOLS Total Courses: 230 Total Courses: 132 8. BRADLEY UNIVERSITY 2019 Grads Hired: 71% 2019 Grads Hired: 90% 2019 Grads Hired: 67% Faculty: Mark Hamer (art director, Faculty: Maurice Suckling (Driver 2019 Grads Salary: $65,000 2019 Grads Salary: $56,978 Telltale Games and ). series, Borderlands). Faculty: Marianne Krawcyzk Faculty: Jonathan Rudder (The Fun Fact: Game development teams FOR ASPIRING (writer, God of War series) Lord of the Rings Online). at Bradley are close to 50% male, 18. COGSWELL POLYTECHNIC Graduates: George Lucas Fun Fact: Becker College also 50% female. COLLEGE (creator of ) and features an Faculty Who Worked at Game (Journey director). management program.. 9. SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY Company: 96% GAME DEVELOPERS 2019 Grads Hired: 80% Faculty: Jerome Solomon (ILM, Faculty Who Worked at a Game LucasArts, EA), Stone Librande (Riot, Company: 100% Blizzard). Whether you’re taking your first 10. VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL 19. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS THE BEST GAME Graduates: Armando Troisi AT DALLAS steps or refining your skills, there’s (narrative director, Ubisoft). Total Courses: 208 Fun Fact: Focuses on coding, game Faculty Who Worked at Game DESIGN PROGRAMS, a game design program for art, and level design. Company: 80% anyone. Check out the 50 best RANKED BY THE 11. DREXEL UNIVERSITY 20. BREDA UNIVERSITY OF undergraduate and 25 best Total Courses: 85 APPLIED SCIENCES PRINCETON REVIEW. graduate programs out there. Graduates: Anna Nguyen (Schell 2019 Grades Hired: 75% DIGIPEN Games, NetherRealm), Glen Winters Faculty: David Wessman (Star Wars: Almost anyone who has ever played a game maybe the best classrooms and resources? NEW YORK (Rockstar Games). -Wing, Chronicles of Riddick), Chris has wondered what it would be like to make We’ve got you covered on all that and more. 4 INSTITUTE OF Rothwell (). their own, but childhood dreams don’t need to So take a moment to think about what kind 3 UNIVERSITY 12. WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC stay dreams. With a lot of hard work, and of game developer you want to be. One who TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE 21. HOWEST UNIVERSITY OF some guidance, you can help create new works with the broad strokes of design, or Faculty: (GDC APPLIED SCIENCES worlds that change the way we play forever. maybe the fine details in programming and Total Courses: 539 Total Courses: 409 co-founder, LucasArts), Keith Zizza 2019 Grads Hired: 70% awaiting new image First things first, though, you’ll need a good coding? Maybe you want to do business with 2019 Grads Hired: 39% 2019 Grads Hired: 69% (BioShock Infinite). Faculty: Alex van den Abeele and education to get there. the biggest brands, break free into the indie 2019 Grads Salary: $48,000 2019 Grads Salary: $75,425 Fun Fact: One of the first game Kevin Hoefman (Larian Studios). & cut out That’s where these awesome game design scene, or perhaps even the rapidly growing Faculty: Dr. Bennett Foddy (Getting Faculty: Claude Comair design schools in the U.S., offers college programs come in. The Princeton world of esports. Either way, your first steps Over It With Bennett Foddy). (Co-founder, Nintendo Software apprenticeship-style classes every term. 22. LASALLE COLLEGE Review has done all the heavy lifting of are often the most important ones, so read up Fun Fact: The NYU Game Center Technology). VANCOUVER determining and ranking the best to learn a thing or two before adventuring out. Incubator helps students turn projects Fun Fact: Graduates include Kim 13. ABERTAY UNIVERSITY Faculty Who Worked at Game undergraduate and graduate game design Want to know more? Check out The into fully funded and published games, Swift (Portal), Adam Brennecke Graduates: David Jones (creator of Company: 100% programs across North America and Europe. Princeton Review’s website for further (), Jon Grand Theft Auto), Liam Wong (art Faculty: Jarett Metcalfe (EA), Alijah Wondering which school has the best information on game design programs: Schecter (EA). director, Ubisoft). Lad (). teachers, the most prestigious graduates, or princetonreview.com/game-design Fun Fact: Home of Europe’s oldest game development degree program. TOP 50 GAME DESIGN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (CONT)

23. LAGUNA COLLEGE OF 34. MARIST COLLEGE ART AND DESIGN Total Courses: 109 THE COOLEST 2019 Grads Hired: 87% Graduates: Darren Sugg (creative Fun Fact: 57% of Laguna game design director, Fortnite). students are female 35. ABILENE CHRISTIAN VIDEO GAME JOBS 24. UNIVERSITY OF UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN - STOUT 2019 Grads Hired: 60% YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF 2019 Grads Salary: $55,000 Fun Fact: The Digital Entertainment Graduates: Mitch Clayton (Naughty Dog), Tech degree focuses on VR and mobile Margret Rigotti (Dreamworks Animation). development. HOMEWORK: 25. FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY 36. NORTH CAROLINA STATE When you think about getting a career in game design, it’s easy to fall 2019 Grads Hired: 72% UNIVERSITY into the same old ideas: Game designer, animator, programmer, level Fun Fact: FSU is opening a 2019 Grads Hired: 40% Afterparty 40,000-square-foot “Center for Fun Fact: The largest provider of designer. These are all great options to choose from, but it doesn’t do Virtual Learning” in Fall 2020. graduates to NC game industry, Using your first justice to the ridiculously wide variety of other kinds of jobs there are including Epic Games and Ubisoft’s in the game and tech industries. 26. MIAMI UNIVERSITY Red Storm. draft wisely 2019 Grads Hired: 70% Knowing there was more to explore, we spoke with faculty Graduates: Michael Frazzini (VP, 37. OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN Amazon Games), Chris Carney (level UNIVERSITY Night School Studio, the team behind the from some of the best game design schools out there: Vancouver designer, Riot Games). 2019 Grads Hired: 60% critically acclaimed Oxenfree, was hoping Film School, the University of Utah, and more. We asked them what Graduates: Alex Waldo (storyboard 27. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF artist, Tomb Raider), Travis McIntosh to repeat their success with their follow-up, the most interesting but lesser-known jobs are in the industry, what ART AND DESIGN (programming, Naughty Dog). Afterparty, a similarly story-driven game you need to know to pursue them, and why they’re so important. Total Courses: 75 about escaping Hell by drinking Satan Faculty: Jack Mamais (lead designer, 38. SHERIDAN COLLEGE under the table. Fun stuff, sure, but it Far Cry and Crysis), Michelle Menard Faculty: Max Piesner (writer, Ubisoft GAMES USER RESEARCHERR What should you study: Programming, (Civilization, Firaxis, Farmville). and Silicon Knights), Jeff Pidsadny came with some challenges for Night What is it: You’re responsible for running level design, production. (level design, Rockstar). School’s artists. all sorts of psychological tests on Why is it important: If you’ve ever heard 28. ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY 2019 Grads Hired: 93% people playing a game, which in turn one of those horror stories about a Total Courses: 120 helps a studio learn how their players faulty making a studio’s Graduates: Garry McGee (level 39. FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY EXAMPLE: Night School’s lead engineer was tasked think, and how to better build every development process a nightmare and designer, Sledgehammer), Crysta Graduates: Rex Crowle (creative with creating an art production pipeline that aligned aspect of their game. The University of thought you could fix that, this is the Frost (technical artist, ). director, Media Molecule). with the studio’s original concept art, but results were Utah even has the Games User job for you. “There’s always a tension in Faculty Who Have Worked at a mixed. The original art was, of course, 2D, but turning it Research Lab, where researchers use game companies between having user 29. NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Game Company: 71% eye and face-tracking technology to friendly tools that anyone can use, and all into 3D wasn’t proving evocative enough. So what’s a 2019 Grads Salary: $76,400 record every emotional response to a having tools that do exactly what a Faculty Who Worked at a Game 40. ARTCENTER COLLEGE developer to do? Night School ended up mapping their game. designer/content creators want them Company: 90% OF DESIGN actual concept art onto transparent cards, adding some What should you study: Psychology, of to do. A technical designer thinks like a RIGGER Total Courses: 130 3D elements to them, and pushing some parts into the course, but also elements of social designer but has the same level of skill What is it: You build the skeletons and 30. BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE Fun Fact: Offers a “DesignMatter” foreground and background to help things pop. Thus, sciences, media studies, and user as a programmer, letting them use musculature of moving and living things Faculty: GJ Lee (Game Devs of Color class focused on a socially meaningful interface design. more complex and powerful tools to in a game. “It’s a process that requires Afterparty gained the painterly style its designers Expo), Dennis Carr (IGF Nominee). project. Why is it important: “Through rigorous create game content.” - Christopher creativity, precision and an ability to Faculty Who Have Worked at a originally dreamt up without losing anything in the testing through all stages of game Mitchell, Head of the School of Creative think about all the many permutations a Game Company: 100% 41. INDIANA UNIVERSITY transition to a final game. development, we can improve the Technologies, Vancouver Film School. skeleton will have to undergo over the 42. NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE usability, accessibility, and fun of of the character in-game, 31. QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY HOMEWORK: Like Night School, you’ll often be games we make. This testing is accounting for problems that don’t Total Graduates: 157 43. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA important not just because it makes even exist yet.” - Christopher Mitchell, working as a small team. How can you reduce the time it Fun Fact: QU in LA Program Offers 44. KENNESAW STATE games better but also because it uses Head of the School of Creative Internship Opportunities at EA, UNIVERSITY takes to produce the assets you need while staying true data to build business confidence and Technologies, Vancouver Film School. Facebook, Blizzard. 45. DEPAUL UNIVERSITY to your vision? Sometimes the answer is staring you in stability in the games industry. ” - What should you study:Animation, 46. UNIVERSITY OF the face, and sometimes your first draft is the best fit, Assistant Professor Ashley Brown, anatomy, physiology. 32. MARYLAND INSTITUTE MICHIGAN-DEARBORN give or take some minor adjustments. seemingly University of Utah. Why is it important: Besides being a very COLLEGE OF ART 47. NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF in-demand job, but like Vancouver Film incompatible mechanics to evoke something exciting Total Courses: 61 TECHNOLOGY TECHNICAL DESIGNER School’s Christopher Mitchell says, Graduates: Brian Martel (Gearbox 48. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY while still focusing on the whole experience? What is it: You’re a bridge between you’re figuring out problems most other co-founder), Greg Foertsch (Art 49. CORNELL UNIVERSITY programming and designing. Your job is designers won’t even know to look out Director, Firaxis). 50. MASSACHUSETTS READING MATERIAL: blog.nightschoolstudio.com to help create a toolset for the other for. An animator’s job is practically INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY developers that’s easy enough for impossible if they don’t have a reliable, 33. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS almost anyone to use, but also flexible versatile “actor” to bring to life, and AT AUSTIN enough for a designer’s vision to be they need someone to build them and Graduates: Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Thief, achieved. Simple, huh? support them. ), Richard Garriott (). 2019 Grads Hired: 29% TOP 25 BEST GAME DESIGN GRADUATE PROGRAMS (CONT) THE TOP 25 BEST GAME DESIGN

GRADUATE PROGRAMS 5. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 14. DREXEL UNIVERSITY All-Time Grads: 332 All-Time Grads: 118 2019 Grads Shipped Game: 100% Fun Fact: Co-op program gets students to 2019 Grads Hired: 92.4% work full-time in industry for 6-18 months. 2019 Grads Salary: $96,337 HOMEWORK: 15. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY 6. DIGIPEN INSTITUTE OF 2019 Grads Salary: $80,000 TECHNOLOGY Fun Fact: Strong focus on games for Neo Cab Studios That Have Hired Graduates: 75 change, not just at game studios, but (Nintendo, , , Google, government agencies and educational Building a foundation for and more). institutions. Fun Fact: Offers wide variety of volunteer meaningful characters opportunities at GDC, DOTA II’s International, 16. UNIVERSITY OF MALTA Valve, Microsoft, , PAX, and even 2019 Grads Hired: 100% You can make a game that’s incredibly fun grade school game design camps. Graduates: David Chircop (Cyberpunk 2077), Stylianos Avramidis (Sony, to play, but it won’t mean much in the end 7. ABERTAY UNIVERSITY Creative Assembly). without characters who aren’t giving us 2019 Grads Shipped Game: 100% players something to latch onto. The UNIVERSITY OF UNIVERSITY OF 2019 Grads Hired: 88% 17. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA CRUZ developers at Chance Agency knew this 1 CENTRAL FLORIDA 2 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 8. WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC Faculty: (Journey, going into Neo Cab, a narrative adventure INSTITUTE ) Jim Whitehead (lead researcher, about the last human cab driver in a All-Time Grads: 737 All-Time grads: 421 2019 Grads Hired: 100% procedural generation). 2019 Grads Shipped Game: 100% 2019 Grads Shipped Game: 100% 2019 Grads Salary: $71,333 Fun Fact: Top school in the world for futuristic capitalist . 2019 Grads Hired: 87% 2019 Grads Hired: 82% published technical research in games. Fun Fact: Hosts the “ Conference,” which last year focused Fun Fact: The original student version of was born from 9. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY EXAMPLE: Chance Agency had the difficult task of on accessibility in gaming. Students also take improv acting classes. USC’s graduate program. Fun Fact: 52% of 2019 students were women. 18. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF designing a wide variety of characters who felt like real 2019 Grads Salary: $63,000. ART AND DESIGN passengers going about their day, with their own Faculty: Jack Mamais (Far Cry, Crysis), 10. BECKER COLLEGE Michelle Menard (Farmville, Civilization interests and arcs. To achieve this colorful, diverse cast, Faculty Who Have Worked at Game Series) writing lead/story editor Paula Rogers utilized a lot of Studio: 100% Graduates: Chad Dezern (CCO, the same techniques you’d see in general design Fun Fact: Human-Computer Interaction Insomniac), Matt Ward (Cinematics projects: A thesis, mood boards, a full design brief, and a Lab allows students to experiment with Director, ). lot of personal love. With Neo Cab’s overarching theme VR/AR/Mixed Reality. Becker also offers 4+1 option to finish undegrad and grad in 19. BREDA UNIVERSITY OF being “stay human,” Chance Agency had to ask five years. APPLIED SCIENCES themselves how each specific character would interpret Faculty: David Weissman (X-Wing), Mata that line, and what drives, fears, or dialogue it might 11. LAGUNA COLLEGE OF Haggis ( Paradise). result in. ART AND DESIGN Graduates: Jendrik Ilner (3D 2019 Grads Hired: 100% programmer, Ubisoft), Diede Apers Graduates: Cory Loftis (art director, (engineer, ). HOMEWORK: As a student, you’re probably pretty Disney Animation), Nicole Tan (level used to writing out a thesis or two. You probably architect, Arkane). 20. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY start each game design project with an overall 2019 Grads Salary: $45,000 theme. When building your characters, think about 12. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF Fun Fact: Full Sail degree programs are how each of them would interpret that theme, and NEW YORK SOUTHERN METHODIST TECHNOLOGY set at acclerated pace, letting you finish in 2019 Grads Salary: $74,000 less time than usual programs allow. how every aspect of their lives might be colored by 3 UNIVERSITY 4 UNIVERSITY Fun Fact: New multi-million dollar it, from clothes to body type to personality. expansions allow for collaboration between 21. DEPAUL UNIVERSITY resounding thematic vibe. All-Time Grads: 445 All-Time Grads: 820 cybersecurity and game design students. 22. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–STOUT 2019 Grads Shipped Game: 74% 2019 Grads Shipped Game: 100% READING MATERIAL: blog.neocabgame.com Total Courses: 441 2019 Grads Salary: $69,000 13. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 23. RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC Fun Fact: Students end up designing games for institutions like ESPN Notable Graduates: Susan Arnold (level design, Treyarch), Anthony AT DALLAS INSTITUTE and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Biancardi (technical director, Ubisoft). Fun Fact: 56% of students are women. 24. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI Fun Fact: Strong focus on serious and 25. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE educational games, mobile, social media, OF TECHNOLOGY VR/AR, mocap.