| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah |
| 2 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta |
| 3 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw |
| 4 | Georgia State University | Atlanta |
| 5 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro |
For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) houses more art and design degrees and specializations than just about any other school of its kind. Programs for students interested in studying games include the Interactive Design and Game Development (IDGD) BA, BFA, MA, and MFA. Minors include Game UX, Game Development, and Concept Art for Games. All students benefit from internship opportunities; individual and group projects; access to SCAD Film Studios; and state-of-the-art production facilities in the 60,000 square feet SCAD Digital Media Center (DMC) and Mongomery Hall.
Students also have opportunities to interview and present their portfolios to reps from places such as Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts (EA), and Zynga during regularly scheduled meetings.
Programs culminate with a final project and presentation. With a 99% success rate, SCAD IDGD graduates go on to land positions at places such as Riot Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Google, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Epic Games, Apple, Nickelodeon, Gearbox Software, Adobe, Bethesda, and Zynga.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) houses a Computational Media BS (BSCM) program that launched in 2004 with just one student. With more than 300 students today, the BSCM is one of Georgia Tech’s fastest growing programs. The focus of the program is Media and Games. Other program options for students interested in studying games include MS and PhD degrees in Digital Media; a dual BSCM/Digital Media MS; a CM minor; and an undergraduate certificate in Scenarios, Models, and Military Games.
Students in these studio-based, multidisciplinary programs benefit from professional internships; immersive workshops; access to the GVU Center Game Studio at Georgia Tech and the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT); and participation in student organizations such as VGDev, Design Club, Anime O-Tekku, and Competitive Programming@Tech.
Programs culminate with a final project, presentation, and portfolio. Georgia Tech Games graduates can be found at places such as Boeing, Electronic Arts (EA), NASA, Cartoon Network, Riot Games, Amazon, Disney, Epic Games, Microsoft, Adult Swim, Google, Unity, TNT, Apple, NBCUniversal, CNN, and Meta.
The College of Computing and Software Engineering (CCSE) at Kennesaw State University (KSU) houses the Department of Software Engineering and Game Design and Development (SWEGD). Within the department are several programs for game designers. Options include the BS in Computer Game Design and Development (BSCGDD); a CGDD minor; the Double Owl Pathway (earn a BS/MS at an accelerated pace); and the Software Engineering MS (MSSWE), with access to games-related electives. Examples include Game Design and Development; Real Time Systems; User Interaction Engineering; Mobile App Development; Software Testing and Verification; Human Factors; and Software Architecture.
Across programs, students have the opportunity to publish games in the KSU Game Studio and participate in the KSU Game Narrative Lab. Other program highlights include participation in the Global Game Jam Hackathon, the International Programing Competition, and/or the Computing Showcase (C-Day); paid and unpaid co-op education opportunities; the Raspberry Pi Workshop; guest speakers; computing internships; networking events that attract companies such as Microsoft, Infor, and Cox; and research assistantships.
Programs culminate with a final project and portfolio. Graduates are often recruited by companies and studios such as Ubisoft (Blue Mammoth Games), Disney, Scientific Games, Amazon, Hi-Rez Studios, Microsoft, Tripwire Interactive, Delta Air Lines, Resurgens Gaming, and HTC Vive.
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Georgia State University (GSU) is home to the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), which provides several solid paths to study game design. Options include the Game Design BA; Game Development BS; Game Design and Development minor; and the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) in Media Entrepreneurship. Course examples for the BIS include Introduction to Games Industries; Visual Effects for Games; Game Development; and Game Design.
Across programs, students have access to immersive media spaces, including one of the world’s most advanced motion capture systems, along with state-of-the-art facilities such as a 1,900 square feet production studio; an 1,100 square feet high-tech screening room; the 480 square feet experimental VR/AR/MR Cave; an Esports Lab; the Media Entrepreneurship Center at CMII outfitted with individual workstations; a Digital Post-Production Suite with a full-sized recording studio, six collaborative workstations, and editing rooms; and the CMII VR Demo Lab.
Other program highlights include internships at places such as Hi-Rez Studios, KontrolFreek, and Turner Studios (Atlanta); seminars and immersive workshops; participation in the Georgia Game Developers Association or Innovative Media Club; study abroad experiences in places such as Korea, the UK, and Tokyo; and the opportunity to participate in Playtest—a weekly, hourlong event that explores game mechanics, concepts, and experiences.
The Game Design BA culminates with an original playable game (capstone). The culminating experience for the Game Development BS is a market-ready game and portfolio. GSU CMII graduates can be found at places such as Epic Games, Disney, Ubisoft, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, Apple, TNT, Delta Air Lines, Amazon, IBM, CNN, Fox Sports, Hi-Rez Studios, Red Hat, Coca-Cola, Mailchimp, and Cox
Georgia Southern University (Georgia Southern) is home to the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing. Within the college is the Computer Science (CS) Department, which houses a Game Programming concentration that focuses on creating, coding, and animating video and computer games.
Other program features include access to state-of-the-art production labs and equipment; participation in clubs such as the Aurora Game Development Club and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM); immersive workshops; paid research jobs at Georgia Southern; field trips to computing and engineering firms; and networking events.
Students may complete the Georgia Southern BSCS program at the Statesboro or Armstrong campuses. The program culminates with the Computer Science Capstone course or Senior Design I-II. Both allow students work in teams to create a game, software, or other project.
In partnership with the Continuing and Professional Education Division and ed2Go, Georgia Southern also provides two accelerated certificate options. The Video Game Design and Development certificate is a 12-month, open enrollment program that allows students to develop an original game, 3D arcade game, and first-person adventure game. This self-paced, online program culminates with a professional portfolio of student games and other completed works.
The Digital Game Artist certificate is also an online, open enrollment program that takes 18 months to complete. The program culminates with the Final Practical and Portfolio capstone course.
Graduates of the Games programs at Georgia Southern University can be found at places such as Mammoth Games (a Ubisoft Studio), Disney, Google, NBCUniversal, Microsoft, Hi-Rez Studios, Amazon, Boeing, HP, Lockheed Martin, IBM, Gulfstream Aerospace, CNN, and High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
