Top Game Design & Development Programs in Texas

Texas is home to 252 Title IV schools—the fourth largest collection of colleges in the country. Many of these schools offer top-tier programs for artists and designers of all kinds—including game designers and developers. Some of Texas’s top schools for artists and designers include Rice University, Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University, Baylor University, University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech, and University of Texas at Dallas.

Texas’s top schools have a variety of things in common. They offer a wide variety of programs, excellent job placement services, a large collection of clubs and organizations, and many are cost-efficient and convenient. In addition, all top schools have Title IV status. To earn Title IV status a school must (1) have accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, (2) be in business for at least 2 years, (3) sign a participation agreement with the Department, (4) grant an associate's degree or higher, and (5) offer a program of at least 300 clock hours in length. Schools with Title IV status are eligible for federal financial aid programs, making them more accessible to students with financial need.

Continue reading to find out which Texas Title IVs are tops for aspiring game designers and developers, and what they have to offer. Please note that the top schools below are in order by largest to smallest student population.

Top Game Design & Development School Programs Major Texas Cities

Dallas
University of Texas at Dallas
Student Population: 11,760
Backdrop: Urban, 500-acre campus, easy access to Arlington, Fort Worth, Irving, Plano
Degrees Offered: B. A. Arts and Technology with Computer Game Development Track, Emerging Media and Communication; M. A., M. F. A. Arts and Technology with Computer Game Development Track, M. A. Emerging Media and Communication; Ph. D. Arts and Technology

Southern Methodist University
Student Population: 6,221
Backdrop: Urban, 231-acre campus, easy access to Arlington, Fort Worth, Irving, Plano
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Art with Concentration in Interactive Media; Combined B. F. A. Studio Art and Masters of Interactive Technology (M. I. T.) in Digital Game Development program; B. A. Creative Computation; Combined B. S. Computer Science and M. I T. with Game Development Specialization program; M. I. T. Game Design

Top Game Design & Development School Programs Other Texas Cities and Towns

Victoria
University of Houston - Victoria 
Student Population: 4,000
Backdrop: City, 20-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. A. Communication Design; B. S. Computer Science with Concentration in Digital Gaming and Simulation

Top Texas Game Design & Development Schools – Other Options

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) in Waco offers an Associate of Applied Arts Degree in Game & Interactive Media Design Arts.  According to the TSTC website, the program requires about five semesters to complete and it prepares students for positions in the industry as an “entry-level animator, design artist, and more.” TSTC graduates have found employment at “NASA, Rockstar, Big Huge Games, Energyz Studios, and GearBox Software, among others.”

Texas State University at San Marcos offers a variety of game design and development course such as game scripting, game engines, game development, game design & implementation and more.

Sources

Peterson’s
Princeton Review
U.S. News & World Report College Rankings