
Virginia is home to 129 Title IV degree-granting institutions. The Old Dominion State is one of only 16 states with 100+ Title IVs. Many of the state’s colleges offer top-rated programs for aspiring artists and designers—including game designers & developers.
Organizations such as U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, and Forbes assess the nation’s Title IVs each year to determine which ones are the best of the best. They consider factors such as faculty resources, graduation and retention rates, financial resources, student selectivity, program offerings, and peer assessment to determine which schools deserve a spot on the list. Schools such as The University of Virginia, Norfolk State University, Virginia Tech, George Mason University, James Madison University, and Virginia Intermont College made the cut. Continue reading to learn which Virginia schools are tops for aspiring game designers & developers.
Best Game Design & Development School Programs Virginia
Virginia is the nation’s 12th largest state. It is home to eight cities with a population of 100,000+ residents, and 10 principal cities. While a number of the state’s best schools can be found in principal cities such as Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Arlington, most are located in other smaller cities, towns, and villages. Just a few include Blacksburg, Bristol, Radford, Staunton, Lynchburg, and Fairfax. Scroll through the list below to review Virginia’s best schools for game designers & developers and where to find them.
Best Game Design & Development School Programs Virginia Major Cities
Arlington
Marymount University - Degrees Offered: B. A. Graphic Design, B. S. Information Technology with Specialization in Interactive Media
Best Game Design & Development School Programs Virginia Other Cities and Towns
Fairfax
George Mason University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Computer Game Design; B. A., B. F. A. Art and Visual Technology with Concentration in Graphic Design, New Media;
M. F. A. Art and Visual Technology with Emphasis in New Media; M. A. Graphic Design
Blacksburg
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) - Degrees Offered: B.S. Computer Science with Media/Creative Computing Track; M.S. Computer Science with Media/Creative Computing Track. This track is intended for students wishing to prepare for entry-level positions in game engineering, animation programming, and media technology or graduate studies in those areas as well as research in entertainment uses of computing and HCI. Built upon the proposed HCI track, this track is an alternative to a graphics track for students excited by applications of computing in entertainment.
Other Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Studio Arts with Concentration in Digital Art, B. F. A. Visual Communication Design; M. F. A. Creative Technologies. Studio Arts majors can choose a concentration from disciplines including animation, ceramics, creative technologies, digital art, drawing, painting, and sculpture. Visual communication and graphic design offers concentrations in 3D animation, creative technologies, visual communication design, graphic design, and modeling.
More Programs to Consider:
- San Francisco & Online
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#15) - 2020
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#23) - 2020
- Top 40 Nationally for Illustration (#29) - 2020
- Atlanta, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and SCAD eLearning
- Animation – BFA, MA, MFA
- Film and Television – BFA, MA, MFA
- Graphic Design – BA, BFA, MA, MFA
- Illustration – BA, BFA, MA, MFA
- Immersive Reality - BFA
- Interactive Design and Game Development – BA, BFA, MA, MFA
- Motion Media Design – BFA, MA, MFA
- Sequential Art – BA, BFA, MA, MFA
- Visual Effects – BFA, MA, MFA
- User Experience (UX) Design – BFA
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#3) - 2020
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#12) - 2020
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#9) - 2020
- Top 40 Nationally for Illustration (#9) - 2020
- Winter Park, FL & Online
- Computer Animation - Bachelor's - Online & Campus
- Game Programs - Bachelor's & Master's - Online & Campus
- Graphic Design & Digital Arts - Bachelor's - Online & Campus
- Film & Digital Cinematography - Bachelor's & Master's - Online & Campus
- Mobile Development - Bachelor's - Online
- Simulation & Visualization - Bachelor's - Campus
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#19) - 2020
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#17) - 2020
- Top 5 in Florida for Graphic Design (#4) - 2020
- Online