| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Denver | Denver |
| 2 | Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design | Denver |
| 3 | University of Colorado, Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs |
For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
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.
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.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is home to the College of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS), which houses the Department of Computer Science. Within the department are several paths to study games. Options include a Computer Science BA (BACS) with a Game Design (GD) track; the Bachelor of Innovation (BI) in Game Design and Development (GDD) with Game Art, Game Design, and Game Programming specialty areas; a minor in Game Design and Development; and an interdisciplinary Computer Science MS with an emphasis in Game and Media Integration (MSCS-GMI).
Across programs, students benefit from experiential learning such as professional internships, research opportunities, and study abroad experiences; immersive team-based projects; and access to state-of-the-art production facilities, labs, and collaborative spaces.
The BACS-Game Design program culminates with the capstone course—Advanced Software Engineering. This team project results in an original playable game or other software. The BI GDD program culminates with a team-based final project (game) and the Innovation Capstone (IC) consisting of a business plan and public presentation.
MSCS-GMI students can complete the Thesis or Project course to graduate. Final works for either option are eligible for submission to HCI interaction and virtual reality conferences and events such as the Game Developers Conference (GDC); the International Symposium on Wearable Computing (ISWC); and the SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival.
Graduates of the Computer Science and Games programs at UCCS can be found at places such as Lockheed Martin, Deck Nine Games, Google, Booz Allen, Northrop Grumman, IBM, Dire Wolf Digital, HP, Snail Games, IllFonic, Parsons Corporation, Serenity Forge, and MITRE.
