
Is there really a big difference between a “top” game design & development school and a “best” game design & development school? Yes and no. To clarify, a number of respected organizations such as Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes publish a list of the nation’s best schools each year. They base their decisions on a variety of factors such as number of program offerings, graduation and retention rates, peer assessment, faculty resources (student-teacher ratio), financial resources, and student selectivity.
Each year (and sometimes a few times per year), student groups, bloggers, education organizations, and even alums list, what they feel, are the nation’s top schools. However, their approach is a little different. They assess schools based on other factors such as cost, convenience, job placement services, types of student clubs and organizations, intramural sports, cultural opportunities, facilities, population, and even Greek life. In the end, many schools end up on both lists.
According to the Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (IES NCES), the state of New Jersey is now home to 66 Title IV degree-granting institutions. Many of these schools made both lists, and some offer top-tier programs for aspiring game designers & developers. Continue reading to find out which New Jersey game design & development programs are the cream of the crop, and what they have to offer. Please note that the schools are in order from largest to smallest student population.
Top Game Design & Development School Programs in New Jersey
Ewing
The College of New Jersey
Student Population: 6,504
Backdrop: Suburban, 289-acre campus
Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Digital Arts, Graphic Design; B. A. Interactive Multimedia
Bloomfield
Bloomfield College
Student Population: 2,168
Backdrop: Suburban, 13-acre campus, easy access to New York City
Degrees Offered: B. A. Creative Arts and Technology (CAT) with Concentration in Animation, Digital Video, Game Development, Graphics for Print and Digital Media or Interactive Multimedia and the World Wide Web
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
Sources
Peterson’s, www.petersons.com
Princeton Review, www.princetonreview.com
U.S. News & World Report College Rankings, www.usnews.com/rankings