Best Colleges for Game Development/ Game Programming

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Columbia/Barnard seems to feed some CS majors into game development. A family friend went to Barnard and majored in CS and she got a job at EA working on The Sims. But again, it’s a CS major and game development is a side note, so if you want a school with a primary focus on game development then it might not be the best choice.</p>

<p>As for the schools the poster above listed, my brother went to Drexel as a Digital Media major with the intention of going into game design. Don’t do it unless you get a ton of aid (and since they’re absolutely horrible with normal aid it would probably have to be merit-based) or if you have a bottomless bank account. It’s an obscenely expensive school, his portfolio is lacking (although that might be his own laziness when it comes to updating his website), and they rarely seem to send graduates into careers in game design. I blame this not on the quality of the program, but rather on the fact that Drexel has the best reputation in Philadelphia and there are few game design opportunities in the city. But if you’re willing to get as many internships as possible and explore alternative options to game design (for example, educational gaming) then it might work for you - my brother is just very stubborn about what he wants to do.</p>

<p>I have heard very good things about RPI’s EMAC program but once again, it’s expensive.</p>

22

<p>DigiPen is not regionally accredited; it is accredited by the national career college accrediting organization. Its computer engineering and computer science degree programs are not ABET accredited.</p>

<p>If you go to the web sites of computer game companies and look at the job listings, you are likely to find a lot more jobs expecting computer science graduates than game design graduates. A computer science degree will likely be more versatile, and will give more options of working in other types of computer jobs if the computer gaming jobs are not available or desirable. Remember that computer gaming is only a small percentage of employment in the overall context of computer jobs.</p>

23

<p>DigiPen has huge industry cred and has all the accrediation needed to get its students jobs in the industry. If your student is looking for a typical college experience this is NOT the school for them. This school is very much centered on game development. If your student wants a job in CS, this one does prepare them, but is more focused on the game industry. If your student is looking for a school that totally prepares you for a life in the game industry. This is it.
My Son transfered there from WPI. </p>

<p>From DigiPen’s website:</p>

<p>Degree Authorization
DigiPen Institute of Technology is authorized by the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and meets the requirements and minimum educational standards established for degree-granting institutions under the Degree-Granting Institutions Act. This authorization is valid until May 15, 2012,*and authorizes DigiPen Institute of Technology to offer the following degree programs:</p>

<p>Bachelor of Arts in Game Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation
Bachelor of Science in Game Design
Bachelor of Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
Master of Science in Computer Science
Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts
Authorization by the HECB does not carry with it an endorsement by the board of the institution or its programs. Any person desiring information about the requirements of the Act or the applicability of these requirements to the Institute may contact the HECB by mail at P.O. Box 43430, Olympia, WA 98504-3430. </p>

<ul>
<li>DigiPen Institute of Technology has been authorized since 1996 and strictly adheres to the biennial authorization renewal process.</li>
</ul>

<p>Accreditation
DigiPen Institute of Technology is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (“ACCSC”, or “the Commission”), a national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. </p>

<p>Important dates in DigiPen’s accreditation history are as follows: </p>

<p>2002: DigiPen received initial accreditation by ACCSC.
2005: DigiPen received a renewal of accreditation by ACCSC.
2006: DigiPen was granted approval for its Master of Science in Computer Science degree program by ACCSC.
2008: DigiPen was granted approval for its Game Design (BA) and Game Design (BS) degree programs by ACCSC.
2010: DigiPen was granted approval for its relocation to its current facility by ACCSC; DigiPen received ACCSC approval which allows DigiPen Institute of Technology – Singapore to disclose in advertising that it is a branch campus of DigiPen Institute of Technology.
2011: DigiPen Singapore received initial accreditation as a branch campus of the Redmond main school from ACCSC; DigiPen was granted approval for its Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts degree program by ACCSC.</p>

<p>Any person desiring information about the accreditation requirements or the applicability of these requirements to the Institute may contact the ACCSC by mail at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 302, Arlington, VA 22201, or by phone at (703) 247-4212. ACCSC’s website address is [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.accsc.org%5DACCSC%5B/url”&gt;http://www.accsc.org]ACCSC[/url</a>].</p>

24

<p>hey Psc02420-
where did you decide to go?
I am deciding btwn RIT (WL for GD, but in Liberal arts), Becker and Champlain.
Becker ranked higher than Champlain in this years ranking. New prez seems to be making it better.</p>

25

<p>For those in California or able to use the WUE (Western University Exchange) University of California-Irvine is ranked #28 in the country for Computer Science. It has a Computer Game Science Major that started in 2010. My son may go there. </p>

<p>The major problem right now with California colleges is trying to get one’s degree in 4 years. Very difficult to get classes when you need them.</p>

26

<p>Isn’t southern new hampshire university basically a for profit school but they claim to be non profit</p>

27

<p>Southern New Hampshire certainly advertises on tv as much as if it were the University of Phoenix!</p>

28

<p>Re: #25</p>

<p>In California, only some of the least impacted CSUs offer WUE tuition deals.</p>

<p>However, the “not being able to get the classes you need” problem seems to be overblown with respect to UCs. CSUs and (especially) community colleges seem to have more of a problem, due to lesser (or no in the case of community colleges) control on enrollment (CSUs have students shifting between part time and full time, and community colleges are open enrollment, whereas UCs can more easily control enrollment through admissions and discourage part time enrollment).</p>

29

<p>I ended up going to Champlain College in the Game Design program.
So far so good !</p>

30

<p>I’m going to throw in my vote with USC as the best game design program. I was accepted to Viterbi School of Engineering (didn’t end up going) but I went to the Viterbi School’s orientation and was very impressed with the resources that were available for each major and specialization within the school, including Computer Science Game Design.</p>

<p>Plus there are SO many game companies based in Southern California, and they all recruit heavily from USC’s program.</p>

31

<p>I’ll affirm that USC has one of the best games programs, and has earned that distinction for the last 3 years [Gamasutra</a> - News - Princeton Review names USC top game design school](<a href=“Princeton Review names USC top game design school 2”>Princeton Review names USC top game design school 2)
There are some other solid schools listed in the article.</p>

<p>USC Games has Computer Science (Games), which is more programming, and Interactive Media, which is more design, but there’s many classes that both have to take. The connections and faculty USC has are unparalleled to my knowledge, with the biggest, recent addition being the lead designer of the Uncharted series [usc</a> interactive media division | Richard Lemarchand | Activity](<a href=“http://interactive.usc.edu/members/rlemarchand/]usc”>http://interactive.usc.edu/members/rlemarchand/)
DigiPen also has some great faculty, but I don’t know about other schools.</p>

<p>The jobs my friends have gotten after graduating from USC Games has been amazing, and why else are you going to school for this? I know a designer at Rockstar, a producer at Riot, several programmers at Zynga that all started with six figures, and my housemate just started working at Disney Mobile on the Where’s My franchise, just to name a few.</p>

32

<p>Yes, I would say that Digipen is one of the best colleges for game development and they should have a programming degree. I also think that any computer science school would be adequate as long as you focus on making game projects. I read this good book that talks about which colleges to consider and what to prepare for and avoid when trying to get a job in video game devleopment: [Amazon.com:</a> How to Get a Job in Video Games: Gain the Competitive Advantage to Get Hired Faster and More Often for Your Dream Job, or The Business of Game Development and How to Earn a Living in a Creative Industry (9780985377809): Ken Flemming: Book](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Job-Video-Games/dp/0985377801]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Job-Video-Games/dp/0985377801)</p>

33

<p>Would love to hear how you are enjoying Game Design and life at Champlain. My son is quite interested and love the look of the program at Champlain. Thanks!</p>

34

<p>Would love to hear from any students majoring in C.S/Game Design. Where are you attending? How is the program? Does your college have a co-op program and have you had any experience with it?</p>

<p>Any recommendations for colleges with good programs?</p>

35

<p>bump 10char</p>

36

<p>

University of Southern California: Major in CS w/ game design</p>

37

<p>ITT Technical Institute</p>

38

<p>i think george mason and drexel have good video game design, but i don’t know about development/programming</p>