Whether you’re taking your first steps or refining your skills, there’s a game design program for anyone. Check out the 50 best undergraduate and 25 best graduate programs out there.
Games Designer. Unquestionably a dream job. You get to flex your creative muscles, work at the cutting edge of technology and craft the kind of compelling experiences that thrill players on a daily basis.
But it's also an incredibly broad field, taking in everything from coding to storytelling, systems design to audience management, and a huge number of other specialities.
As an aspiring game designer you'll have an array of disciplines to choose from and master, as you begin your journey towards that first shipped title.
The Princeton Review is your guide to the huge range of game design courses on offer throughout North America and Europe’s finest further education institutions, whether you're a recent high school graduate or looking for a career change.
Here you'll find a rundown of graduate and postgraduate programs, with information on staff and facilities, as well as key statistics on employment rates and salaries, plus details on notable graduates.
We also take a look at some of the problems, dilemmas and issues facing modern game designers, and how some of the biggest and most successful titles out there have tackled them.
We don't have all the answers (that's what the colleges are for), but our goal is to help you make a successful first choice as you embark on your game design journey.
For more information on game design programs visit princetonreview.com/game-design.
UNDERGRADUATE RANKINGS
1. New York University (#1 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 20
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $76,400
Faculty: Eric Zimmerman (founder, GameLab), Dr. Clara Fernandez-Vara (Fiction Control, author of Game Analysis)
Graduates: Carol Mertz (PixelPop Festival, Insatiable Cycle), Robert Meyer (God of War: Ragnarok)
https://gamecenter.nyu.edu/
2. University of Southern California (#1 West)
2023 Grads Hired: 85
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $75,000
Faculty: TreaAndrea Russworm (Author of Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games), Marianne Krawcyzk (Writer, God of War I, II & III)
Graduates: Laird Malamed (COO of Oculus VR), Jenova Chen (Creator of Journey)
https://games.usc.edu/facilities
3. Clark University (#2 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 65
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $65,600
Faculty: Ezra Cove (3D art for Lord of the Rings Online), Terrasa Ulm (VR/AR/XR, interactive fine art, virtual avatars, interactive theater)
Graduates: Stanley Pierre-Louis (CEO/President of the Entertainment Software Association), Gary Goldberg (President/Founder FableVision Studios)
https://www.clarku.edu/schools/becker-school-of-design-and-technology/
4. University of Utah (#2 West)
2023 Grads Hired: 62
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $82,305
Faculty: Michael Young (PhD, Division of Games Chairman), Joe Barnes (Sr. Technical Director Disney and Epic Games)
Graduates: Doug Bowser (COO of Nintendo of America), Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari)
https://games.utah.edu/
5. University of Central Florida (#1 South)
2023 Grads Hired: 52
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $57,409
Faculty: Dr. Maria Harrington (Associate Professor, Aesthetic Computing)
Graduates: Richard Ugarte (Senior Producer, Epic Games), Ana Beltran (Disney Live Entertainment)
https://communication.ucf.edu/games-and-interactive-media/
6. Rochester Institute of Technology (#3 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 86
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $73,500
Faculty: David I. Schwartz (Director and Lecturer, Game Design and Development)
Graduates: Elan Lee (Founder and creator of Exploding Kittens), Misko Hevery (Google)
https://www.rit.edu/computing/school-interactive-games-and-media
7. DigiPen Institute of Technology (#3 West)
2023 Grads Hired: 54
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $81,337
Faculty: Claude Comair (co-founded Nintendo Software Technology, 19 US patents in game design)
Graduates: Kim Swift (Xbox Game Studios), Matt Rosen (Audio Programmer, Baldur’s Gate 3)
https://www.digipen.edu/academics/game-design-and-development-degrees
8. Drexel University (#1 Mid-Atlantic)
2023 Grads Hired: 67
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $63,000
Faculty: Tony Rowe (Senior Game Designer, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, The Force Unleashed), Dan Rose (Shadow of the Colossus, Lord of the Rings Online), Dr. Youngmoo Kim (PhD from MIT, Founder of Drexel's ExCITe Center)
Graduates: Girish Balakrishnan (Director, Virtual Production at Netflix), Glen Winters (Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption 2)
https://drexel.edu/westphal/academics/undergraduate/GDAP/
9. Michigan State University (#1 Midwest)
2023 Grads Hired: 80
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $58,000
Faculty: Ricardo Guimaraes (Blizzard Entertainment, Ubisof, Eidos, Critical Studios, Wizards of the Coast), Cory Heald (Underbite Games, Disney, Zynga)
Graduates: Scott Brodie (Heart Shaped Games, Microsoft Game Studios), Geoff Johns (Mad Ghost Productions, DC Entertainment)
https://gamedev.msu.edu/
10. Northeastern University (#4 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 84
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $80,000
Faculty: Celia Pearce (IndieCade), Casper Harteveld (Serious games, StudyCrafter, DARPA Award Winner)
Graduates: Zhuo Chen (Ubisoft, AMD), Rachel Ellis (Blizzard Entertainment)
https://games.northeastern.edu/
11. Abertay University (#1 International)
2023 Grads Hired: 75
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $45,000
Faculty: Professor Ruth Falconer (Professor of Complex Systems and Mathematics), Andrew MacDonald LEGO, King, Mindshapes)
Graduates: David Jones (DMA Design, Creator of Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings), David Hynd (Rockstar Games)
https://www.abertay.ac.uk/course-search/undergraduate/game-design-and-production/
12. Champlain College (#5 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 48
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $64,114
Faculty: Edmar Mendizabal (NVIDIA, Ubisoft Company), Nathan Walpole (Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, Elder Scrolls)
Graduates: John Nagle (JPMorgan Chase & Co), Brenton Woodrow (Bungie)
https://gamestudio.champlain.edu/
13. Vancouver Film School (#2 International)
2023 Grads Hired: 15
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $65,000
Faculty: Rasmus Dahl Tindborg (Klei Entertainment), Derek Tam (Microsoft and Electronic Arts)
Graduates: Armando Troisi (MY.GAMES, Ubisoft), Elliot Hudson (Game Director, Blackbird Interactive)
https://vfs.edu/programs/game-design
14. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (#6 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 65
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $82,000
Faculty: Ed Gutierrez (Disney/Pixar), Gillian Smith (Indiecade award-winner, HEVGA fellow)
Graduates: Michael Gesner (Riot Games), Beth Beinke (Respawn Entertainment, Zynga)
https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/interactive-media-game-development/prospective-students
15. Savannah College of Art and Design (#2 South)
2023 Grads Hired: 44
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $62,500
Faculty: Cyril Guichard (Electrotank, Meta Quest Game Shock Troops), Aram Cookson (Epic Games)
Graduates: Harrison Pink (Diablo IV, Blizzard Entertainment), Zach Parrish (Netflix, Academy Award Winning, Walt Disney)
https://www.scad.edu/academics/programs/interactive-design-and-game-development
16. Laguna College of Art and Design (#4 West)
2023 Grads Hired: 70
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $66,000
Faculty: Javier Perez (Sony PlayStation), Donald Ott (Amazon Games, 3dmotive Founder)
Graduates: Gabriel Gonzalez (Blizzard Entertainment), Alexander Gonzalez (Ubisoft)
https://www.lcad.edu/courses/game-art-program/
17. Falmouth University (#3 International)
2023 Grads Hired: 57
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $42,627
Faculty: Professor Tanya Krzywinska (Game studies, digital economy), Terry Greer (Microprose, Blitz Games)
Graduates: Rex Crowie (Media Molecule, Foam Sword, Return to Monkey Island), Andrei Pantilie (Ubisoft)
https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/games-academy
18. Bradley University (#2 Midwest)
2023 Grads Hired: 54
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $46,000
Faculty: Lynette Fernandes (DoubleDown Interactive), David Abzug (Deep Silver/Volition)
Graduates: Austin Holt (Amazon Games), Emily Berger (Blizzard Entertainment)
www.bradley.edu/im
19. The University of Texas at Dallas (#1 Southwest)
2023 Grads Hired: 20
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $98,950
Faculty: Bryon Caldwell (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Star Wars: Visions, Rocket League, League of Legends), Nelson Lim (Fortnite, Warcraft Pacific Rim, Transformers: Age of Extinction)
Graduates: Veena Sommareddy (Neuro Rehab VR), Steven Billingslea (900lbs of Creative)
https://www.atec-animgames.com/
20. Full Sail University (#3 South)
2023 Grads Hired: 25
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $60,476
Faculty: Jason Hinders (Gorilla Systems Corporation), Rodney Moye (Activision)
Graduates: Alejandro Garcia-Tunon (Ghostpunch Games), Kerry Allen (id Software)
https://www.fullsail.edu/degrees/game-development-bachelor
21. Quinnipiac University (#7 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 18
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $65,000
Faculty: Elena Bertozzi (Ardea Arts), Peter Zoppi (Treyarch, AAA game development)
Graduates: Zaria Brogdon (Rockstar Games), Diego Holguin (MIT Lincoln Laboratory)
https://games.qu.edu/student-work.asp
22. Shawnee State University (#3 Midwest)
2023 Grads Hired: 6
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $70,000
Faculty: Greg Lyons (3D Art, Technical Art, Motion Capture), Dr. James Hudson (Computer Graphics, Software Engineering)
Graduates: Dan Clark (Epic Games), Sam Bushman (Wizards of the Coast)
https://www.shawnee.edu/game-design-programs
23. LaSalle College Vancouver (#4 International)
2023 Grads Hired: 41
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $52,000
Faculty: Ivaldo de Sosa (Doctor of Philosophy – PhD Mathematics, Certificate in Machine Learning and Neural Networks), John Appleby (Master’s in Game Design)
Graduates: Greg Findlay (Eidos-Montreal: Rise of the Tomb Raider, Thief), Dustin Stevenson (FIFA, LBC Studios)
https://www.lasallecollegevancouver.com/game-design
24. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (#8 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 37
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $80,539
Faculty: Maurice Suckling (BAFTA-award winner), Victoria Ransom ( Wildfire Interactive, Google)
Graduates: Karthik Bala (Activision, Velan Studios), Ben Esposito (Donut County, Glitch City)
https://hass.rpi.edu/gsas/games-and-simulation-arts-and-sciences
25. New England Institute of Technology (#9 Northeast)
2023 Grads Hired: 64
2023 Grads Mean Salary: $50,000
Faculty: Jim McClure (38 Studios, Idol Minds, Sony Online Games), Prof. Scott Lambert (Seeds for Change)
Graduates: Daniel Laba (Diablo 2 Resurrected, Vicarious Visions), Morganne Crosby (AppNeta, FireForge, WB Turbine)
https://www.neit.edu/academics/video-game-development-design
