Video Game College Degree information can be hard to find. I am interested in becoming a Video Game Programmer, and I want to get a 4 year degree as my first step. So I have spent a lot of time looking for information on which colleges have degree programs specializing in video game design and programming, and I want to share what I have learned. I hope you find it helpful, any comments or suggestions are welcome.
- Different Types of College Degrees
- General Helpful Information
- Getting into College
- Summaries of Bachelor Degree Video Game Colleges
- In Depth reviews of 4 year Video Game Colleges
- Summaries of Associate Degree Institutions
- Video Game job descriptions
- Video Game salaries
- Video Game job general information
Video Game Degree Resources
Technorati Tags: game design, Game design college, video game degree
I admit it took a little work to convince my parents that there is such a thing as a four year degree in Video Games that will lead to an actual well paying JOB. But, it is the actual truth! A number of colleges and universities are now offering BS and BA video game degrees that cover many aspects of game creation, from artist to animator, programmer and developer.
I have been hooked on games ever since I got my first game boy. In fact, here is a picture of me in Yosemite, obsessed with Pokemon Yellow, fairly oblivious to the amazing surroundings…much to my mom’s horror. I started attending InternalDrive’s tech camps when I was around 10, and in these camps I came to realize that it was almost as much fun to make the games as it is to play them (notice the almost…I still love to play). At camp I was able to design levels, characters and weapons, mod an existing game, and finally at the Game Academy Camp at Stanford I worked on making a game myself. When I came home and mom asked me about it, I realized that instead of joining the game tournaments at night I went back to the computer to work on my game. Amazing – a career that I can be as obsessive about as gaming!
Looking forward to college, I want to major in Video Game Programming. So, we have been collecting information on all the colleges that offer Video Game Degrees. It has been hard information to find, and so I thought that I would put it all together to help other kids like me as they search for the right school. Schools I visit I will write more about. I will try to update this blog with information regarding my search, and hopefully down the road with my experiences at a college.
Here is the list of schools I have found that offer 4 year college degrees in Video Game Development. For this list I have focused exclusively on regular BS and BA degrees; there are many schools that offer Associate Degrees and certificates, and I will write about those options later. Most schools offer computer science, but that is not what I was looking for – I want a program specifically in Video Game Design, Development or Programming.
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester Massachusetts
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Troy New York
- Rochester Institute of Technology – East Henrietta New York
- Champlain College – Burlington Vermont
- DigiPen – Redmond Washington
- University of California Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz California
- DePaul University – Chicago Illinois
- Northeastern University – Boston Massachusetts
- Daniel Webster College – Nashua New Hampshire
- Columbia College- Chicago Illinois
- University of Baltimore – Baltimore Maryland
- University of Southern California – Los Angeles California
- Stonybrook University – Stonybrook New York
- Clarkson University – Potsdam New York
For each school I will have additional information – look around the site!
Technorati Tags: college, gamming, university, video game degree, video game design, video game programming
I attended the “Colleges and Careers” event at RIT in the summer of 2009. This is a summary of some of the information given at this event about RIT and opportunities in computing. Dr. Diaz-Herrara gave a presentation on the fields of computing and where the jobs will be, and then took questions from the parents and students in the audience.
Comments from Dr. Jorge Diaz-Herrara, Dean of the Galisano College of Computing and Information Science (GCCIS)
The US Department of Labor predicts that
IT jobs will be among the
fastest growing and highest paying jobs over the next decade. These jobs are critical to the nation’s security and economy. You will earn the
highest entry-level salary of any bachelor’s degree, and these degrees take less time to complete than other professional careers (you are considered a professional with a bachelor’s degree). Five of the 12 fastest growing careers are in computing; the other 7 are in healthcare. Network systems and data communications analyst is number 1 for fast growing among the computing careers mentioned in the most recent US Labor report.
The GCCIS at RIT is the most comprehensive and probably the largest computing college in the US. GCCIS was founded in 2001, and has about 3,000 students. They offer 8 BS degrees, 9 MS degrees, PhDs, and 9 minors. There are 109 full time staff, with 37 specialty labs and over 2000 computers in this college’s building alone. GCCIS is the biggest college at RIT. Consider the courses of study here to be important, creative, team-oriented and flexible. GCCIS has specially designed team rooms to facilitate the interactive nature of the projects and assignments – place a lot of emphasis on team based project work, and are career oriented. All programs require 3 quarters of coop experience/ real world experience. There are multiple research opportunities. The degree programs are all rated highly and are accredited. There are two main branches of study: “computing” which would include computer science and software engineering, and “informatics” which would include game design and development, medical informatics (a unique program that includes a pre-med degree component), new media, info tech, info security and forensics, and applied network and systems admin.
Question: What if a student doesn’t know what to choose when they apply? Is there a program to help them choose?
GCCIS was a ‘traditionally structured” school where you needed to choose which program when you applied, but they are trying to change that by creating a major for “undeclared”, and they plan to have this in place for the fall of 2009 – the “GCCIS Exploration Program”. You would have one quarter (with common courses like calculus and physics) before you would then need to declare. Too long a wait and you would not be able to graduate in 4 years.
Question: Is there a Game Design and Development (GDD) coop?
There are over 25,000 companies registered with RIT, and IBM has a lab on site at RIT. For the GDD students, some of the recent coops have included Microsoft, EA Games, the Guitar Hero company – actually all of the major gaming companies have had coops with GCCIS students.
Question: How many students can enter the programs?
It varies by major. There are about 200 in computer science, however the Game Design and Development major is capped at 120 students/year. We get between 900 and 1000 applications for GDD, so it is very competitive.
Question: Does community college courses help or hurt your chances to get into the GDD program?
RIT does have “articulation agreements” with some community colleges, so those credits and courses transfer seamlessly. There were 80 transfer students in this way in 2008. This can be an option. Talk to the admissions people to learn which community colleges.
Question: Only 120 GDD students! What is the admission requirements?
This is an admissions question – dean of the college does not get involved with admissions – handled through their office.
Question: My high school doesn’t offer any programming classes – is this a problem?
No, we don’t require this to enter our GCCIS programs, and in fact it can even cause some issues. So, you definitely don’t have to already have programming to start at RIT.
Question: Can you start as an undeclared major and get into the Game Design program later?
Are still working on this undeclared major and how it will work. Right now will guarantee a position in one of their majors, but haven’t solved the details yet. Will start saving a seat after the first quarter.
Question: Is a portfolio required for the Game Design Major?
Admissions question – not sure, could be the case.
Question: Will RIT recognize an IB (international baccalaureate) in computing?
Call admissions…
Question: Where do students do their coop work?
Coops have been in all 50 states and in several other countries, China is definitely possible (student asking question was interested in Chinese gaming companies). Croatia, Dubai, Kosovo all have RIT coops.
Question: How does a Coop work?
Some students will do this in the summer, some will take an extra year – remember that when you are doing a coop you are making money from the company- parents are not paying!
Question: Who is responsible for the logistical piece of the coop?
RIT manages this, the companies take care of many of the details. Parents not expected to line up housing, etc.
Question: Robotics – where does this fit?
Robotics is a multidiscipline major, and includes electrical and computer engineering, AI, software engineering.
Question: What is the security and forensics major about?
Computer Forensics is investigating how hackers are getting in, what happened -how to catch the person. If you have a talent to pick apart others defenses – put those skills to good use! The first student to hack into the iphone was an RIT student – Apple gave him a sports car! People with degrees and skills in this area are highly sought after and definitely are getting great jobs right out of school
Question: Semester system?
RIT has a quarter system, with each quarter lasting 11 weeks, and typically consisting of 4 courses.
Question: Is there a program to do a BS/MS in 5 years?
Yes, in a great majority of the GCCIS programs. For the medical informatics program the masters is done jointly with the University of Rochester Medical Center. You need to declare a BS/MS track in your sophomore year.
Question: Job placement out of school?
GCCIS job placement record is 105%- many students get 3, 4 or even 5 job offers.
Question: What is the washout rate?
Depends on the program, but GCCIS does lose some students after Freshmen year – their rate is in the 80s (they keep > 80% of freshmen) which is above the national average but not where they would like it to be
Question: So many students are competing for the Game Design and Development program- what makes a good candidate?
STRONG MATH! Math and physics, strong science. It is not enough to love games.
Question: It looks like there is more room (less competitive) in the New media major?
There are 70 students accepted in this program. Is possible to take some gaming courses as well.
General Information from the “Colleges and Careers” event
RIT is a career focused, experiential institution; founded in 1825. RIT encourages a dialog between faculty, corporate and government people in order to better match the workforce wtih actual needs and demands. RIT has a history of creating new majors to meet new needs – typically they create 2-4 new majors every year.Because of their strong ties to industry, they have found that many of their majors are not well understood, and there is a need to explain these careers and programs to students and parents. This was the reason they created the “Colleges and Careers” event over 20 years ago.
RIT receives about 13,000 applications, and enrolls about 2400 every year. They believe that their optimal size will be around 17,000 students total, and are currently at about 16,000, so they are expecting to grow a bit more over the next couple years. Applications are reviewed by the admissions staff (99%). Once in awhile admissions may consult with department staff. Typical GCCIS SAT scores is between 1650 and 1800.
47% of students are from New York State, and 16% of students are commuters; most students live on campus. For GCCIS > 90% of the students are male, but this is not the case for RIT as a whole.
Technorati Tags: game design, Game design college, new york, RIT, Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, video game degree
Information Session – Summer 2009
I attended an information session at WPI. This school is high on my list of interesting colleges for what I am interested in, namely video game programming. Here is a summary of what I heard from notes we took.
Student Population Information
WPI is 27% female and 73% male. 9% of students are international.
The graduating class of 2012 will be 907 students; 2013 will be 930 students and these are the largest classes ever at WPI. There are 13 colleges and universities in the area, and there is a group agreement between them so you can take classes at the others or use their libraries. There is bus service between all these colleges.
Infrastructure
There are 33 buildings on 80 acres for WPI. The setting was nice, hilly and older brick style buildings. A new building built in 2007 was Gateway Park, a bioengineering building. In 2008 East Hall was built – this is a residence for mostly upperclassmen and is a ‘green’ building. I didn’t see the inside. There is an academic technology center, and the entire campus is wireless. There is free software for students including Windows and Office.
Faculty
90% of the faculty have PhDs, but are “here to teac h”. There is a 14:1 student to faculty ratio. The average class size is 15-25. Students often participate in faculty research. Recently one of WPI’s faculty was named the Massachusetts professor of the year.
Schedule
WPI has a different schedule from most schools. They have 4 7 week terms with 10 days off between each. I really like this idea- the days off in between are real vacation in that all your classes have ended so you can just sleep! The first term starts in late August and goes through mid October. Thn late October through to Christmas break. Then from mid- January to early March, with the last term from mid-March to early May. Therefore WPI finishes 2 weeks earlier than most other schools. This is great for summer jobs or internships. During each 7 week term you only take 3 courses. They will be pretty intense though, but there are only 3 subjects and I like that idea.
Grading
They use a “non-punitive” grading system. You can only get an A, B or C. If you get lower than that it is an “NR” and doesn’t go on your record. They believe that “students have to know their stuff” – you can’t get a D and move on in the coursework. There are no plus or minuses to the grades, in the belief that this makes the environment less cutthroat and more collaborative..
Curriculum
There is no “core” curriculum – it is very flexible. There are recommendations, but the burden is on the student to make decisions about which classes to take. There is a huge emphasis on project experience at WPI. Freshman year you have to take a “Great Project” seminar. The names of these are like “Feed the World” or “Power the World” or “Heal the World”. The idea is to come up with something useful that addresses a problem facing the world. On our tour our tour guide told us about a project that some freshman did last year – they determined that there was a whole lot of garbage going out of WPI’s cafeteria every year, and they came up with ways to cut back, recycle more and worked out a deal with a local pig farmer to take the food waste and they not only reduced the garbage a lot but actually saved money (the farmer paid for the food). The point is to actually do something in a 7 week course.
In Freshman and Sophmore years there are humanities and arts components that end in a seminar or practicum. Junior year there is the “Interaction Project” where you do something that studies the impact of science and technology on society. Senior year is the Major Project. These are done in teams and goes beyond class work in a capstone or research project. They last a whole term, and projects are often sponsored by companies or non-profits. WPI has over 20 project locations all over the world; groups of students with mixed majors can work on one project together. A student described his experience creating a preservation and restoration database in Venice Italy. The project students created this catalog and organization to catalog, restore and maintain all 4400 public pieces of art. Another student described his experience working on a risk reporting software project on Wall street. The housing for these projects is typically run through WPI, but parents would pay for travel and personal expenses.
I like all the project focus. The work leaves an impact, involves a lot of teamwork, and builds a resume and networks. Students have to present to their corporate sponsor. WPI also has a great summer internship and coop program as well, and I think I would get a lot of relevant experience that would make a difference to an employer. At the presentation they said that the average starting salary right out of WPI is $55,000, and over 90% of students are employed or in full time graduate schools shortly after graduation.
Housing
First year housing is guaranteed. After Freshman year 67% of students stay on campus, but there are also a lot of rentals right near the university- the surrounding area is residential.
Admissions
Early action is Nov 10 and Jan 1. At WPI early action is non-binding, which means that if you are accepted you don’t have to go. Regular decision is Feb 1. There are 3 different ways to apply. You can use the WPI application, the common application online, or the Universal application. They require an essay on a topic of your choice. They do not require the SAT subject area tests. If you haven’t taken the SAT’s or ACT’s there is another option – “Flexpath”. Standardized tests are optional. The flexpath involved submitting a project or significant work for consideration. A recommendation from a math or science teacher is required. Can also submit one from a guidance counselor. WPI looks at the Math + the higher of the other 2 SAT sections, and typical scores for these 2 areas range between 1210 – 1420/1600 total. Last year they received 6,284 applications and admitted over 3,000 to have 900 enrolled students. Both the FAFSA and the CSS forms are due by Feb 1.
Fall open houses will be on Columbus day and Veteran’s Day in 2009.
Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD)
They held a special information session on their game development major. WPI offers the following degrees:
- · BS Interactive Media and Game Development
- · BS in Computer Science
- · BS in Computer Science with Applications (eg Chemistry)
- · BS in Robotic Engineering (claim the first and only major in robotics in US)
- · BS/MS in 5 years
They offer many courses more than once a year, so you can get in what you want. Officially they had 45 offerings of 28 courses in this major last year. Many courses have final projects to build you portfolio. Check out the WPI website for project presentations in computer science.
The IMGD has a core group of courses, but there are two different tracks from the core. The first is more technical, and would include computer science, AI and programming. The other track is more artistic and includes storytelling, art, music and social aspects of gaming.
There is a new IMGD lab at WPI with 30 3 GHz dual core PCs loaded with software including the WOW engine, unreal engine, C4 engine. There is also a brand new digital art lab that was finished this year (2009).
IMGD graduates get jobs at many different gaming companies .
Right now there are 160 students in the IMGD major. Importantly, there are no limits! If you are accepted into WPI you can get this major!! This is a big difference to a number of other schools where they only accept a certain number of gaming majors a year (eg. RIT). I would hate to pay a lot of money to go to a school and then not be able to study what I wanted, so I see this as a really big plus to WPI.
Technorati Tags: Game Development, Interactive Media, Review, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, WPI
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Quick Summary
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Department of Computer Science
- BI Game Design and Development
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Size: mid sized; ~ 9000 students
Tuition:
- In state: $13,700
- Out of state:$24,934
Application Checklist:
- Application form
- $50 fee
- high school transcripts
- SAT/ACT scores
Application Deadline:
At least 90 days before the semester starts ? not clear from website
Other Information
The BI is bachelor of innovation degree, and is an interdisciplinary degree with the College of Business
Technorati Tags: Colorado, Colorado Springs, game design, gaming design college, University of Colorado, video game design college
What kind of video game jobs are there anyway? While at first I thought there were 2 types of jobs, artist or programmer, I have come to realize that there are actually 6! With the explosion of video game sales the games themselves have become a lot more complex, and the industry is maturing. So, maybe it is no surprise that the types of video game jobs has also expanded and gotten more and more specialized. Video game production is a total team effort, and takes a lot of people to make it happen.
Here is a list of the 6 types of jobs:
1. Artists
- Concept/storyboard artists – sketch out the characters and levels, and other elements to help design the game
- Character artists and animators – create characters in 3D, using tools like Maya
- Texture artists- give skin to characters and texture to objects, mapping all of it to 3D objects
- Animators
2. Programmers
- Game programmers – work on the video game engine, use AI (artificial intelligence) to increase the character complexity, and do everything else to make the game run. Are in high demand.
- Audio programmers- sound engineering and sound effects, voice overs
3. Designers
- Game designers – responsible for carrying out the game concept, creating the pieces and the fit.
- Level designers – create the interactive environments in the game, are responsible for the feel, placing and organizing structures. Must be able to “see” the game from all angles.
4. Producer
- Game producer ensures that the job gets done on time and on budget
- Project managers
5. Writers
- Documentation writers – all software has to be documented!
- Story design, character script writers
- this is a growing area
6. QA/game testers
- Often the lowest paid jobs, but very necessary. Have to play the game a lot and document the bugs for the development team
Technorati Tags: careers, jobs, video games
Champlain College
Senior Visit Day October 17th, 2009
Quick Summary
Division of Communication and Creative Media
- Game Art and Animation
- 3D modeling3D animation
- character design
- Game Design
- game design
- level design
- game writing
- game production and management
- Graphic Design and Digital Media
Division of Information Technology and Sciences
- Computer and Digital Forensics
- Game Programming
- Software Engineering for Emergent Technologies
- Web Developer and Design
Location: Burlington Vermont
Size: Small; 1,950 undergraduates
Tuition, R&B: $37,520
Application Checklist:
- Common Application – will waive the $50 fee if you use this online
- Champlain Supplement to Common Application
- $50 fee
- Essay on strengths and experiences (part of supplement)
- URL to show examples of creative work via link or CD (optional)
Application Deadlines:
- Early Decision 1 Nov 15
- Early Decision 2 Jan 15
- Regular Decision Jan 31
Other Information
Champlain college is a small private college on the shores of Lake Champlain. It says it has a “3 dimensional education” – an integration of professionally focused studies with a rigorous liberal arts core curriculum and practical life skills. They also use an “upside-down” curriculum, in which you start taking courses in your major even as a freshman.
Technorati Tags: Burlington, Champlain College, game design, Vermont, video game design, video game design college
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Fall Open Houses October 12, 2009 and November 11, 2009
Quick Summary
Location: Worcester Massachusetts
Size: small, 3,160 undergraduates
Tuition, R&B: $50,800
- WPI application OR Common App OR Universal App
- $60 fee
- high school transcript
- science or math teacher’s recommendation
- guidance counselor’s recommendation
- personal essay
- SAT or ACT scores or “flex path” (follow the link above for an explanation)
Application Deadlines:
- Early decision 1 Nov 10 (non-binding)
- Early decision 2 Jan 1 (non-binding)
- Regular decision Feb 1
Other Information
WPI is rated the top school in the nation for best value in US News and World Report – the starting salary of graduating students is higher than the national average.
See Full Review
Technorati Tags: game design, Game Development Major, Interactive Media, Massachusetts, video game design college, video game design university, Worcester, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, WPI
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Fall Open Houses Sept 26, 2009;Oct 17, 2009;Nov 14, 2009;Dec 4, 2009
Quick Summary
B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
College of Imaging Arts and Science
- 3D Digital Graphics Major
- New Media Design and Imaging Major
Location: Rochester New York
Size: Mid sized; 11,500 undergraduates
Tuition, R&B: $38,925
Application Checklist:
- RIT Application
- $50 fee
- Secondary School transcripts
- SAT or ACT scores [SAT code=2760; ACT code=2870]
- Art portfolio if required
Application Deadlines:
- Early Decision Dec 1
- Regular Decision Feb 1
Other Information
RIT has 8 colleges and over 200 academic programs.
See Full Review
Technorati Tags: game design, Game Design and Development, new york, RIT, Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, video game design college, video game design university
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Fall Open House October 17, 2009
Quick Summary
College: School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
(focus on multimedia production, website and graphic design, game design, marketing)
Location: Troy New York
Size:
Tuition, R&B: $52,000
- Common Application and Universal College Supplement OR Candidates Choice Application
- High school transcripts
- $70 Fee
- Essay – specific topics, several choices
- Recommendation from math or science teacher
- SAT or ACT [SAT code= 2757, ACT code=2866]
- Electronic arts will have a porfolio requirement ?
Application deadlines:
- Early decision 1 November 1
- Early decision 2 December 15
- Regular decision January 15
Other Information
RPI was the first technological university in the English-speaking world.
Technorati Tags: game design, new york, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, RPI, simulation arts, troy, video game design college, video game design university