| Ranking | School | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Utah | Utah |
| 2 | Southern Methodist University | Texas |
| 3 | University of Texas at Austin | Texas |
| 4 | Texas A&M University | Texas |
| 5 | University of Texas at Dallas | Texas |
| 6 | University of Arizona | Arizona |
| 7 | University of Denver | Colorado |
| 8 | University of Advancing Technology | Arizona |
| 9 | Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design | Colorado |
| 10 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Arizona |
Our 2026 rankings of the Top 10 schools for game design in the Southwest US. We define the Southwest as Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. For an explanation of ranking criteria, click here.
The College of Architecture and Planning at University of Utah (The U) is home to the Utah Division of Games. Within the division are several paths to study game design including a Games BS (BSG); the Computer Science BS (CS BS) with an emphasis in Entertainment Arts and Engineering (CSEAE); a Master of EAE (MEAE); the dual MBA/MEAE; and a Games minor. These immersive, interdisciplinary programs provide opportunities to complete a professional internship at places such as Epic Games and Warner Bros. Games.
Students also have opportunities to join campus clubs such as Crimson Gaming, the 3D Art Club, or Gamecraft. Across clubs, students participate in workshops, attend industry events, and develop games for game jams. Other program benefits include courses taught by instructors with experience in all areas of game development; access to state-of-the-art production facilities; studio simulation project courses; and the opportunity to work in interdisciplinary teams to publish a game.
All programs culminate with a professional game portfolio. Utah Division of Games alumni can be found at places such as Nintendo, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games, Disney, Rockstar Games, Zynga, Riot Games, BioWare, Amazon Game Studios, Electronic Arts (EA), DreamWorks, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, the U.S. Air Force, Microsoft Games, Nickelodeon, Google, Adobe, ESPN, Bethesda, and Valve Corporation.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is home to SMU Guildhall. Housing more than 100 advanced level courses, the Guildhall oversees the Master of Interactive Technology (M.I.T.) program; the Art BFA/ Digital Game Development M.I.T. program; the new Game Development BA program; and a Digital Game Development certificate (DGDC). The M.I.T. is one of the few programs of its kind to offer specializations in all four areas of game development—Art Creation, Level Design, Production, and Programming.
Other programs for game designers are part of SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering and Meadows School of the Arts. Students can take courses from both schools and SMU Guildhall. Programs include the Creative Computing BA; the Creative Computing minor; and the Computer Science BS with a Creative Computing minor.
Across programs, students benefit from partnerships with more than 350 studios. Examples include Riot Games, Disney Interactive, Epic Games, Unity, Blizzard Entertainment, Insomniac Games, Bethesda, Bungie, and Gameloft. Other program highlights include mentorship programs; professional internships; immersive workshops; guest speakers; professional development coursework; portfolio review sessions; and career fairs.
All students have the opportunity to create several industry ready games as the culminating experience for the programs. Graduates have been hired at places such as Insomniac Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Microsoft, Ubisoft, Google, Obsidian Entertainment, Bungie, Sony, BioWare, Samsung, and Gearbox Software. Program alumni have worked on titles such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, League of Legends, Game of Thrones, Assassins Creed, Fortnite, Guitar Hero, Doom, God of War, and Diablo.
The University of Texas at Austin (UT) houses the UT Game Development and Design Program (GDAD), which provides several paths to study games. Options include the Computer Science BS (CS BS) with a Game Development concentration; the Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET) BS with a Game Design focus; a CS MS; and a Five-Year CS BS/CS MS. Launched in 2020, the GDAD is a partnership between the Department of Computer Science (CS); the Department of Radio-Television-Film (RTF); the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET); and the Texas Immersive Institute (TXI).
In addition to learning how to build games and immersive experiences, all students have the opportunity to work with industry studios and EGaDS!—UT’s game development student organization. Examples of industry partners include Gensler Digital Experience Design; Dell Experience Innovation Group; and ILMxLAB. Internship opportunities are also part of the program as well as independent study and the Game Development Capstone.
Graduates can be found at places such as Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts (EA), Riot Games, NVIDIA, Rockstar Games, Ubisoft, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Microsoft, HP, BioWare, Apple, Disney, 2K Games, Aspyr Media, Google, IBM, Amazon, HP, Scientific Games, Zynga, and TikTok.
The College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts (PVFA) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) provides several paths to study game design. Options include the Visualization BS (VIZ BS) with a Game Development emphasis; a VIZ MS with an emphasis in Gaming; the VIZ MFA with a Gaming emphasis; a BA in Performance and Visual Studies with an emphasis in Media Studies (Film, TV and Video Games); the Visual Computing and Interactive Media PhD with a Game Design and Development emphasis; and a Game Design and Development minor.
Across programs, students have the opportunity to complete a paid internship and participate in organizations and events such as Texas Aggie Game Developers (TAGD); Women in Animation; the VIZ Industry Fair (VIF); and the TAMU SIGGRAPH Student Chapter. Programs also take place in a studio environment with opportunities to collaborate on projects across emphasis areas.
The Visualization BS culminates with the Capstone Studio course. VIZ MS students will complete a thesis or capstone project. The VIZ MFA culminates with a portfolio and exhibition. To date, PVFA alumni have worked on over 400 films produced by more than 20 studios. Graduates can be found at places such as Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), Riot Games, Electronic Arts (EA), DreamWorks, Lucasfilm, Disney Animation, Microsoft, Sony, Pixar, Ubisoft, Reel FX, and Aspyr Media.
The Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas or UTD) is a Houdini Certified School that houses several paths to study games. Options include an Animation and Games BA; the Media Arts and Design (MAD) BA with a concentration in Emerging Media Arts (EMA); and Game Development MFA.
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science houses a flexible, multidisciplinary Computer Science MS with opportunities to focus in subfields such as Computer Graphics, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Programming Languages. Students in all programs may also study games through elective requirements. Depending on the program, students may complete up to 30 elective credit hours.
Across programs, students have access to one of the nation’s largest project design studios—the Jonsson School facility. Other labs and studios include the Game Lab; Animation Lab; Render Farm; 3D Studio; CG Animation Lab; The Studio for Mediating Play; Games and Media Library; Mixed Media Lab; experimenta.l.; Games Research Lab; Escape Pod Studio; VAST Lab; Motion Capture Studio; Narrative Systems Research Lab; Surround Studio; and MoGraph Lab. Students also have opportunities to compete an internship, study abroad experience, or other experiential learning activities.
Programs culminate with a final project (capstone), thesis, portfolio, and/or presentation. UT Dallas Games and MAD graduates are routinely hired at places such as Epic Games, Disney, Pixar, BioWare, Lockheed Martin, Blizzard Entertainment, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts (EA), Unity, Gearbox Software, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Google, Amazon, RTX, Microsoft, Apple, Reel FX, and id Software.
The College of Information Science at University of Arizona (U of A or Arizona) houses a STEM-designated Game Design and Development BS and (BSGDD) and a Games and Behavior BA (BA GB). Both programs have minor options. The BSGDD can be completed on campus or online. Other program options include the Applied Humanities BA with a Game Studies emphasis, offered in the College of Humanities’ Department of Public and Applied Humanities, and an undergraduate Games and Simulation certificate.
Students in all degree programs benefit from collaborative learning with opportunities to gain hands-on experience through internships with places such as Amazon and Intel. Degree-seeking students also have opportunities to take study abroad courses such as Visual Content Creation in the Information Age (Rome), and Digital Storytelling and Culture (Orvieto, Italy).
Students in all programs have access to state-of-the-art production facilities; courses taught by accomplished industry professionals; and opportunities to participate in the Global Game Jam (GGJ) and U of A Game Development Club. Programs culminate with a final project and portfolio.
Graduates of the Games programs at University of Arizona have been hired at places such as Electronic Arts (EA), IGN, Amazon, Deca Games, Heavy Iron Studios, Oracle, Comcast, Booz Allen, and CNN.
The Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science (Ritchie School) at University of Denver (DU) provides multiple paths to study games. Options include BA and BS degrees in Game Development and Computer Science; an Applied Computing BA; and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science. A Game Capstone course is open to all undergraduate students. During this 10-week experience, students will design, build, test, and finalize a fully working game.
Graduate students have access to advanced game design courses (as electives); opportunities to collaborate with professors with backgrounds in areas such as humane games, software engineering, and robotics; and the option to select a game design project as the culminating experience.
Students in all pathways can participate in DU’s study abroad program, with 120+ options across more than 20 countries. Internships and co-op experiences at places such as Disney and NBCUniversal are also part of the programs. Graduates can be found at places such as Riot Games, IBM, Nickelodeon, Tencent Games, Disney, Blizzard Entertainment, Lockheed Martin, ESPN, Take-Two Interactive, Avalanche Studios Group, RTX, Ball Aerospace, Arkadium Games, Microsoft, Oracle, Google, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Japan, and Charter Communications.
University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is a 100% STEM-based post-secondary institution that houses one of the few fully accredited Game Design Programs (GDP) with degree options across the entire discipline. Launched in 1995, the UAT GDP includes BA degrees in Game Art and Animation (GAA BA), and Game Design (GD BA); a Game Programming BS; and the MS in Game Production and Management (GPM MS). All programs can be completed online, on campus, or a combination of the two (hybrid). A 15-week internship is mandatory for all on campus students.
Across programs, students have the opportunity to create original games in collaboration with game programmers, artists, and other designers. Students also benefit from courses taught by active industry professionals; a synchronic learning model; and access to state-of-the-art production facilities and labs.
Programs culminate with a final project and portfolio. Graduates are routinely hired at places such as Electronic Arts (EA), Nickelodeon, Blizzard Entertainment, Bethesda, Intel, Gearbox Software, Microsoft, Scientific Games, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Google, U.S. Department of Defense, Twitch, and AGS.
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) is an Unreal Engine Academic Partner that houses a Game Art BFA program with year-round campus and online delivery formats. Program highlights include small class sizes; immersive studio courses led by industry professionals; opportunities to collaborate with artists in other RMCAD programs; access to state-of-the-art production facilities; the speaker-series; internships; and electives that allow students to focus in specific areas of games, art, or animation.
Across programs, students also have opportunities to participate in game art activities and events such as workshops; the annual Frames N’ Games Festival; Artist Alley Nights; industry guest Q&As; and the annual Poly-korma screening and exhibition event featuring works from game art and animation students. In addition, all students have the opportunity to snag a private studio in the Spivak Student Studio. Consisting of 12 spaces, this dedicated, campus-based creative center highlights collaboration, networking, exhibits, critiques, and interactions with visiting artists.
The RMCAD Game Art BFA program culminates with a final project and portfolio. Graduates have been hired at places such as Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Tencent Games, Valve Corporation, Warner Bros. Games, Microsoft, Deck Nine Games, Netflix, Last Gameboard, Dogma Quest, and Live Nation.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Embry-Riddle) has a Simulation Science, Games and Animation (SSGA) BS program that explores game production, animation, virtual world development, storytelling, interactive digital environments, and systems design. Courses for the program are STEM-based and project-focused with opportunities to work in teams on games, animations, interactive experiences, and virtual worlds. Course examples include Game Systems; World Building; Game Engine Architecture; Interactive Media; Game Design Workshop; Digital Illustration; and Psychology of Gaming.
Other program highlights include courses taught by industry professionals; access to state-of-the-art production facilities; and internship opportunities. The program culminates with a capstone project completed across two courses with labs. Embry-Riddle alumni have been hired at places such as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Lockheed Martin, Disney, Blizzard Entertainment, Boeing, Microsoft, Sony, RTX, Amazon Robotics, Meta, Super League, Garmin, ForgeFX Simulations, Collins Aerospace, Boston Dynamics, and the Department of Defense Modeling and Simulation Office (DMSO).
