THE TOP 50 BEST GAME DESIGN SO YOU WANT UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS 5. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE 16. MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Alumni: Chris Craney (Halo 2-3) 2017 Grads Hired: 85% Fun Fact: Offers top students trips to TO BE A GAME 2017 Grads Salary: $67,500 Game Developers Conference. 6. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 17. UNIVERSITY OF Faculty Has Studio Experience: 84% CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ DESIGNER? Alumni: Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari) Total Courses: 215 2017 Grads Salary: $60,000 7. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 18. FERRIS STATE 2017 Grads Hired: 88% UNIVERSITY Alumni: Steven Messinger (GTA 5) 2017 Grads Hired: 70% UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Fun Fact: Students create fairytale VR SOUTHERN 8. HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE experiences for young hospital-bound 1 2 UNIVERSITY Faculty: Ira Fay (The Sims 2) patients. CALIFORNIA Fun Fact: First offered Game Design courses in 1980. 19. ABERTAY UNIVERSITY Total Courses: 221 Total Courses: 501 Alumni: David Jones (GTA, Lemmings) 2017 Grads Hired: 70% 2017 Grads Hired: 23% 9. WORCESTER Fun Fact: The oldest games program 2017 Grads Salary: $65,000 2017 Grads Salary: $61,000 POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in Europe. Faculty: Dennis Wixon (Halo 2) Faculty: Bennett Foddy (QWOP, 2017 Grads Salary: $71,644 Fun Fact: Launching a festival Getting Over It) Faculty: Keith Zizza (BioShock Infinite) 20. LAGUNA COLLEGE OF dedicated to displaying USC Fun Fact: 50 graduates have published ART AND DESIGN student-made games and games via NYU’s Game Center 10. LASALLE COLLEGE Alumni: Ben Thompson (Hearthstone) networking with industry guests. Incubator program (the first of its kind). VANCOUVER Faculty Has Studio Experience: 92% 2017 Grads Hired: 86% Alumni: Greg Findlay (Tomb Raider, 21. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF Rise of the Tomb Raider) ART AND DESIGN You’ve got a great idea for the next big Total Courses: 184 THE BEST GAME DESIGN video game. Now you need the skills and 11. DREXEL UNIVERSITY Faculty: Jack Mamais (Far Cry, Crysis) Faculty: Tony Rowe (Star Wars: The experience to bring that idea to life. Take Force Unleashed) 22. SHAWNEE STATE PROGRAMS, RANKED BY the next step in your game design career Alumni: Seth Kendall (League of UNIVERSITY Legends) Faculty: Howard Dortch (Everquest) THE PRINCETON REVIEW and turn your dream into a reality. Fun Fact: Game Design students work 12. CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE with engineering students on 3D 2017 Grads Hired: 86% printing and design. aking games is easier than ever, but and reviewing them all to determine who gets Faculty: Nathan Walpole (Halo 2-4, it still isn’t easy. Whether you want the best results. DIGIPEN BE C K ER Elder Scrolls Online) 23. NORTHEASTERN M to build a game all on your own or Everything from job INSTITUTE OF UNIVERSITY bring your talents to the best placement and graduate 3 4 COLLEGE 13. COGSWELL COLLEGE Total Courses: 50 studios in the industry, you’re going to need salaries to faculty TECHNOLOGY Faculty Has Studio Experience: 95% Faculty Has Studio Experience: 50% more than a grand idea. You’ll need the experience and course Faculty: Stone Librande (Diablo 3, knowledge and skills to design and build a curriculums was considered to rank Total Courses: 580 Total Courses: 125 SimCity) 24. UNIVERSITY OF working game and get it in the hands of these schools. In every sense, these are the 2017 Grads Hired: 61% 2017 Grads Hired: 45% WISCONSIN-STOUT players. But you can only learn so much on best of the best. So read through the lists, see 2017 Grads Salary: $75,904 2017 Grads Salary: $30,202 14. VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL 2017 Grads Salary: $55,000 your own, and only so quickly, so you’re going how the top programs compare, and start Faculty: Claude Comair (Super Faculty: Jonathan Rudder (The Lord of Total Courses: 100 Fun Fact: Student-made games are to need help. thinking about the next step in your game Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario the Rings Online) 2017 Grads Hired: 70% demoed at the Stout Game Expo. That’s where these schools come in. The design career. Maker) Fun Fact: Commands the largest next few pages will show you the best places Want to know more? Check out The Fun Fact: Was the first college in Game Design program in the U.S.. 15. BRADLEY UNIVERSITY 25. THE UNIVERSITY OF to learn those skills. More and more schools Princeton Review’s website for further North America to offer a Alumni: Emily Berger (God of War) TEXAS AT DALLAS are offering Game Design programs, and The information on game design programs: bachelor’s degree dedicated to Fun Fact: Holds playtest sessions for Total Courses: 125 Princeton Review has been carefully tracking princetonreview.com/game-design video game development. student games at local public schools. 2017 Grads Salary: $62,000 TOP 50 GAME DESIGN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (CONT)

26. ACADEMY OF ART 37. MARIST COLLEGE UNIVERSITY Total Courses: 33 How to Build a Game Total Courses: 120 2017 Grads Salary: $78,400 Alumni: Eli Tuttle (Call of Duty: World War 2) 38. ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Design Portfolio 27. RINGLING COLLEGE OF 2017 Grads Salary: $60,000 ART AND DESIGN Fun Fact: Students are working on a 2017 Grads Salary: $70,000 multiplayer VR campus for prospective TIPS FOR PRESENTING AND PRESERVING YOUR Faculty: Andy Welihozkiy (Grand Theft students. Auto 5, Max Payne 3) HOMEWORK: WORK TO IMPRESS STUDIOS AND LAND A JOB 39. MARYLAND INSTITUTE 28. DEPAUL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ART 2017 Grads Salary: $56,000 2017 Grads Hired: 50% Risk of Rain 2 Fun Fact: Offers biennial two-week Alumni: Brian Martel (Sid Meier’s ame design is an incredibly trips to Japan to tour Japanese studios. Civilization, Borderlands 2) How to translate 2D to 3D competitive field. Practical skills G come before pedigree, and people 29. SHERIDAN COLLEGE 40. DAKOTA STATE skills aren’t far behind because 2017 Grads Hired: 72% UNIVERSITY Risk of Rain developer Hopoo Games has been making a game is such a collaborative effort. Faculty Has Studio Experience: 90% Total Courses: 31 That makes portfolios incredibly valuable. Faculty Has Studio Experience: 66% chronicling the development of Risk of Rain 2 in Your portfolio is the best place to show off 30. QUINNIPIAC a dev blog. They answer technical and your projects and demonstrate your UNIVERSITY 41. CLEVELAND INSTITUTE personality. Here are some tips on building 2017 Grads Salary: $53,000 OF ART gameplay questions from readers, and also yours, straight from professors at some of Fun Fact: Has a dedicated lab for break down the challenges they’ve run into the top game design schools on these lists. virtual and augmented reality testing. 42. NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF making the jump to 3D. Be Specific 31. KENNESAW STATE TECHNOLOGY There’s no one-size-fits-all portfolio. A UNIVERSITY EXAMPLE: character or environment artist will focus on 2017 Grads Salary: $56,000 43. SACRED HEART Skills and abilities that were fun and exciting in 2D were very different elements than a UI designer or Fun Fact: Holds an annual game jam UNIVERSITY an AI programmer in their portfolio. You need for students. suddenly useless or overpowered in 3D, especially to research your field and determine what 44. BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE piercing bullets and movement abilities. Hopoo didn’t individual employers want to see up-front. 32. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY want Risk of Rain 2 to be a super precision-based game, That said, there are also some general boxes Total Courses: 14 45. UNIVERSITY OF and they couldn’t directly translate the gameplay of the to check, and showing your work is the All-Time Grads: 2,861 MICHIGAN-DEARBORN original. Before deciding to work in 3D, they had to make biggest one. On top of your own skills, this is a Be Prepared projects, that’s great. But you should aim great opportunity to demonstrate how you Many students struggle to put together for more. Continue working on class 33. NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE 46. CORNELL UNIVERSITY changes and find a new balance. work with others. Your portfolio pieces enough work to flesh out their portfolio. But projects even after you submit them, and OF TECHNOLOGY should answer the questions employers are if you start collecting portfolio pieces early, polish them until they’re professional- 2017 Grads Salary: $66,200 47. EASTERN KENTUCKY READING MATERIAL: likely to ask—questions like these: you’ll get in the habit of identifying good grade. Seek out internships and game jams Alumni: James Tichenor (Microsoft UNIVERSITY http://bit.ly/Risk2Tumblr. pieces and you’ll never be short on and other opportunities to gain experience HoloLens) • What were your goals with this project samples. In fact, you’ll have a hard time and create portfolio pieces. 48. OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN and did you meet them? narrowing them down. And never let your portfolio lapse. Even if 34. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY HOMEWORK: Because you don’t want to include you aren’t actively looking for a job, you TECHNOLOGICAL Play a few rounds of the original Risk of Rain and identify • What problems did you encounter while everything. In fact, it’s better to show two should consistently update your portfolio UNIVERSITY 49. MASSACHUSETTS which abilities would work very differently in 3D, and workingn o this project and how did you to four superb projects rather than a dozen as you work on bigger and better projects. Total Courses: 19 INSTITUTE OF consider how to adapt them without sacrificing what solve them? average ones. You should only show your 2017 Grads Hired: 56% TECHNOLOGY makes them unique and fun. best work. Remember: collect pieces as you go • What, specifically, did you contribute to If some of your best pieces are class and always show your best work. 35. RENSSELAER 50. WESTERN UNIVERSITY this project? Provide descriptions, asset POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE lists, scripts and other details. Total Courses: 45 2017 Grads Salary: $72,000 • How long did this project take you? What was your level of involvement 36. UNIVERSITY OF throughout? CENTRAL FLORIDA Faculty Has Studio Experience: 57% • Who did you collaborate with on this Fun Fact: First offered Dame Design project? How did you coordinate courses in 1982. your efforts? THE TOP 25 BEST GAME DESIGN TOP 25 BEST GAME DESIGN GRADUATE PROGRAMS (CONT) GRADUATE PROGRAMS

5. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 14. THE UNIVERSITY OF Faculty Has Studio Experience: 84% TEXAS AT DALLAS 2017 Grads Hired: 79% Faculty Has Studio Experience: 41% 2017 Grads Salary: $80,173 All-Time Grads: 510

6. WORCESTER 15. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE ART AND DESIGN All-Time Grads: 82 Faculty Has Studio Experience: 72% HOMEWORK: 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 100% 2017 Grads Hired: 67% Return of the 7. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE 16. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY SOUTHERN METHODIST NEW YORK OF TECHNOLOGY 2017 Grads Salary: $42,000 2017 Grads Salary: $80,000 Fun Fact: FSU’s Game Design program Obra Dinn 1 UNIVERSITY 2 UNIVERSITY Fun Fact: RIT has 11 student esports includes an eight-month capstone teams. course set in on-campus studios with How to guide players without Faculty Has Studio Experience: 95% Faculty Has Studio Experience: 100% minimum 20-hour work weeks. All-Time Grads: 724 All-Time Grads: 374 8. MICHIGAN STATE holding their hand 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 100% 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 62% UNIVERSITY 17. DEPAUL UNIVERSITY 2017 Grads Hired: 91% 2017 Grads Hired: 51% Faculty Has Studio Experience: 80% Faculty Has Studio Experience: 44% 2017 Grads Salary: $64,671 2017 Grads Salary: $69,000 2017 Grads Hired: 73% All-Time Grads: 82 Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope maintains a Fun Fact: SMU has the only Game Design graduate program with Fun Fact: NYU’s Game Center Incubator has seen nine Steam dev blog on his upcoming game Return of the specializations for art creation, level design, production and software releases, and publishing deals with Nintendo, Adult Swim, Devolver 9. DIGIPEN INSTITUTE OF 18. UNIVERSITY OF development. Digital and IndieFund. TECHNOLOGY WISCONSIN-STOUT Obra Dinn, a mystery game about uncovering Faculty Has Studio Experience: 51% All-Time Grads: 3 causes of death. Shortly after finishing the alpha All-Time Grads: 185 2017 Grads Salary: $55,000 build, he ran into huge game-breaking problems 10. DREXEL UNIVERSITY 19. NORTHEASTERN that had to be fixed before development could 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 100% UNIVERSITY 2017 Grads Hired: 73% 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 50% continue. Fun Fact: Established an internal game Fun Fact: Students attend local escape studio in 2013 which provides software rooms and live-action role-playing EXAMPLE: access and seed funding for events. Return of the Obra Dinn’s alpha build gave players too student-made games. much freedom and too many things to keep track of. Play 20. SACRED HEART testers often got lost or overwhelmed, not knowing what 11. ABERTAY UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY Faculty Has Studio Experience: 46% All-Time Grads: 17 to do next. To keep things orderly and keep players focused, 2017 Grads Salary: $34,000 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 100% Pope added an archive called The Book which records the hints players have found and orders them on a timeline. 12. AGUNA COLLEGE OF ART 21. MASSACHUSETTS UNIVERSITY OF UNIVERSITY OF AND DESIGN INSTITUTE OF READING MATERIAL: All-Time Grads: 122 TECHNOLOGY 3 CENTRAL FLORIDA 4 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 2017 Grads Salary: $53,000 https://bit.ly/ObraDinnBlog. 22. UNIVERSITY OF MALTA Faculty Has Studio Experience: 82% Faculty Has Studio Experience: 62% 13. UNIVERSITY OF HOMEWORK: All-Time Grads: 606 All-Time Grads: 369 CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ 23. THE OHIO STATE Play Return of the Obra Dinn’s old demo and note when 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 100% 2017 Grads Shipped Game: 100% 2017 Grads Hired: 56% UNIVERSITY--COLUMBUS 2017 Grads Hired: 78% 2017 Grads Hired: 81% Fun Fact: Offers an intense one-year its hands-off approach feels liberating, and when it 2017 Grads Salary: $62,600 2017 Grads Salary: $74,000 program in Games and Playable Media, 24. UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI feels obtuse. Fun Fact: UCF is bringing 10,000 students downtown to Orlando, Fun Fact: Breaking into virtual and augmented realities with a minor in which saw an 85% graduate Florida to open a new campus. Immersive Media and a lab equipped with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive dev kits. placement rate in 2017. 25. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY