College Degrees in Game Design

We all love gaming, but did you know you can make a sweet and high paying career out of your favorite hobby?  You can actually go to college and major in game design, and go on to help create some of the world’s most excellent games.  Here is a list of some of the top colleges offering gaming degrees, so fill out your FAFSA and let’s get started!

University of Southern California, Interactive Media Division

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Degrees offered: Major/Minor
Student/Faculty ratio: 9:1
Annual tuition: $38,570

DigiPen Institute of Technology

Location: Redmond, WA

Degrees offered: Major/Minor/Conc.
Student/Faculty ratio: 12:1
Annual tuition: $476 per credit

Drexel University, RePlay (Digital Media & Computer Science)

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Degrees offered: Major/Minor/Conc.
Student/Faculty ratio: 9:1
Annual tuition: $29,800

Becker College, Game Design and Game Programming

Location: Worcester, MA

Degrees offered: Major/Concentration
Student/Faculty ratio: 39:1
Annual tuition: $23,725

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences

Location: Troy, NY

Degrees offered: Major/Minor/Conc.
Student/Faculty ratio: 14:1
Annual tuition: $38,100

The Art Institute of Vancouver, Game Art & Design/Visual & Games Programming

Location: Vancouver, BC (Canada)

Degrees offered: Concentration
Student/Faculty ratio: N/A
Annual tuition (GAD): $25,352 (international); $22,835 (domestic)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD)

Location: Worcester, MA

Degrees offered: Major
Student/Faculty ratio: 14:1
Annual tuition: $36,890

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab

Location: Cambridge, MA

Degrees offered: None
Student/Faculty ratio: 7:1
Annual tuition: $37,510

Now that you have some of the basic information you need to check out these schools’ individual programs, you can look them up online to learn the details.   In addition to the colleges listed in this article, you may find other schools offering courses and certifications, if not degrees, in game theory and design.  Some of these can even be taken partially or entirely online — a real plus for non-traditional students, or those constrained by the  demands of working full time.    Often, distance learning modules can be much more convenient for students, but can lack the personal and hands on experience of being in a physical classroom.  This is particularly true for people studying programming and design. cable bundles

So, weigh your options carefully and choose what is best for you.  You might be surprised at how easy it is to find a major in video game design, and at all the opportunities you will have once you have completed your course work.  It’s a booming field right now, and you should expect to learn not only the kinds of design theories involved in console gaming, but also the emerging mobile gaming markets.

 

 

One Response to “College Degrees in Game Design”

1. Bobby says:

   July 22, 2011 at 3:09 pm

   Maybe I should start my application. Those numbers are incredible. I never thought there was a real job in game design. I always thought of it as a hobby but it was staring me in the face when games are 60 bucks each.

   Reply