Schools for computer science with strong graphics and game-related curriculums

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm strongly considering pursuing a major in computer science, but I want to be a bit artistic with it as well. I'm not really looking for tech schools, because I want good humanities too. I know Brown University has some great graphics and game-oriented courses, but as much as I would love to go there, I don't know if I can get in. So, if you could give me some other schools (preferably in the East) with computer science departments that fit my description, please let me know!</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Start by looking through these lists:
[Top</a> Undergraduate Schools for Video Game Design](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/top-undergraduate-schools-for-video-game-design.aspx]Top”>2023 Top Game Design Schools | The Princeton Review)</p>

<p>Warning: a few of the schools listed are for-profit businesses rather than non-profit colleges.</p>

<p><a href=“The 10 Best Undergraduate Video Game Design Schools | HuffPost College”>The 10 Best Undergraduate Video Game Design Schools | HuffPost College;

<p>I know someone at WPI and they have a great program. You can look at their course catalog to see if they have enough humanities options for you. Nobody goes there to major in humanities.
I think Drexel or some of the other larger universities will have plenty of humanities options…</p>

3

<p>The world renown “Advance Computing Center for Arts and Design” (ACCAD) & “Ohio Supercomputer Center” (OSC) on the campus of The Ohio State University.</p>

<p>[ACCAD</a> | Home](<a href=“http://accad.osu.edu/]ACCAD”>http://accad.osu.edu/)</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.osc.edu/[/url]”>https://www.osc.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Scholarships</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“Merit-based scholarships - The Ohio State University”&gt;Merit-based scholarships - The Ohio State University]Scholarships[/url</a>]</p>

4

<p>Carnegie Mellon. Take a look at the youtube clip on The Last Lecture.</p>

5

<p>How about RIT
[School</a> of Interactive Games and Media | What World Will You Create?](<a href=“http://games.rit.edu/]School”>http://games.rit.edu/)</p>

6

<p>WPI -<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/academics/imgd.html”>http://www.wpi.edu/academics/imgd.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>[Video</a> game nation: Why so many play - CSMonitor.com](<a href=“http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/0318/Video-game-nation-Why-so-many-play]Video”>Video game nation: Why so many play - CSMonitor.com)</p>

7

<p>Due to apparent student interest, courses in graphics and artificial intelligence are commonly offered in reasonably large computer science departments. Check the courses and curricula for each college.</p>

<p>But be aware that game design is a small part of the computer industry. Be sure to get enough general computer science knowledge for career versatility. There will be plenty of opportunities to seek computer game design jobs later if you do not happen to get one immediately on graduation, if you gain other computer software job experience.</p>

8

<p>Is this what you want? [Randy</a> Pausch’s Last Lecture - Carnegie Mellon University](<a href=“http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/]Randy”>Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - Carnegie Mellon University)
Start around 32:00 and onward.</p>

9

<p>Champlain College. If you are a winter sports kind of person too, the location on Lake Champlain in Vermont can’t be beat.</p>

10

<p>Any top CS school will have computer graphics and at least one video-game-related class. I know for sure that MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and CMU have such classes.</p>

<p>For example, MIT has a video game research lab - from someone I know who did “research” there, the lab is less theoretical and more practical - real, viable games are made there.
<a href=“http://gambit.mit.edu/index.php[/url]”>http://gambit.mit.edu/index.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>Definitely check out Bradley University in Peoria, IL. (Top of Princeton Review Honorable Mention list)</p>

12

<p>Take the following list, strike out the schools in locations you would never live, and visit those that are in areas you would be interested in. Just keep narrowing down by desire and you should arrive at a school list with some decent options. If you don’t have money to pay for school, some of these are difficult to get into, while others are very easy. Some are expensive, while others are cheap. Just figure out your search parameters and you should be fine.</p>

<pre><code>University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH)
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)
Becker College (Worcester, MA)
Bradley University (Peoria, IL)
Champlain College (Burlington, VT)
Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL)
DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
Ferris State University (Grand Rapids, MI)
Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Miami University (Oxford, OH)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, NJ)
New York University/NYU POLY (New York, NY)
North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)
Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
Ohio University (Athens, OH)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
University of Advancing Technology (Tempe, AZ)
University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)
The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, BC)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
</code></pre>

13

<p>any current/prior students with experience at these schools?</p>

14

<p>I wish there was more discussion about the dufferences between the programs other than what is in their brochures. I gather the May issue of PCGamer will have more details about these schools. </p>

<p>I would be careful to become too narrowly focused since the world is changing quickly.</p>