| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University | West Lafayette |
| 2 | Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington |
| 3 | Indiana University Indianapolis | Indianapolis |
For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Purdue University is home to Purdue Polytechnic Institute. Within the institute is the School of Applied and Creative Computing, which houses the STEM-designated Game Development BS; a Computer Graphics Technology MS (CGT MS) with a Games concentration; and the Technology PhD, with 30 credit hours of flexible electives selected across six schools and departments. Purdue’s School of Business and Information Technology also houses an Analytics BS with a concentration in Game Development.
All programs are hands-on with access to state-of-the-art facilities such as the CGT Computer Lab; the Games Innovation Laboratory; VR Lab; Experience Design Laboratory (ExLab); Visual Effects Lab; and IDEA Laboratory. Other program benefits include opportunities to work on real-world projects; small class sizes; and the opportunity to complete an internship or participate in the co-op program.
The culminating experience for the Game Development BS program is a professional portfolio. CGT MS students will compete a thesis to graduate. The Technology PhD program culminates with a dissertation.
Graduates can be found at places such as Riot Games, Lockheed Martin, Electronic Arts (EA), Ubisoft, Microsoft, Boeing, RTX, DreamWorks, HP, Amazon, Zynga, Google, PepsiCo, Apple, HP, Epic Systems, Delta Air Lines, Northrop Grumman, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Ford Motor Company, and Caterpillar.
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington) provides multiple paths to study games. Options include the Game Design BS and minor; a Computer Science BS (CS BS) with a Game Development specialization; the flexible CS BA; a Media Arts and Science BS (MAS BS) with a specialization in Game Design and Development; and a Media BA with a Media Technologies, Games and Culture concentration.
All options provide access to GameDev@IU (GD@IU)—a student-run organization that hosts game jams, collaborative game design projects; and workshops. Other program benefits include access to state-of-the-art production facilities; professional internships; portfolio development; and opportunities to complete a final project or prototype, demo, and publish an original game.
Graduates of all programs are prepared to pursue advanced roles across all areas of game design and development. Program alumni have secured positions at places such as Rockstar Games, Disney, Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Nintendo, Ubisoft, Xbox Game Studios, Zynga, Insomniac Games, Bethesda, Naughty Dog, Gearbox Software, Owlchemy Labs, and Psyonix.
The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indianapolis) houses the Media Arts and Science BS (MAS BS) with a Game Design and Development (GDD) specialization, and a GDD minor. Both programs are hands-on with a focus on learning how to design and create an industry-ready original game. Other program highlights include team projects; professional internships; and the opportunity to travel to Greece for three weeks or Finland for two weeks. In Greece students will complete service learning projects such as 3D graphics of historic places or promotional videos.
In Finland, students collaborate with partners at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and visit museums, historic sites, studios, and cultural events. All students also have access to state-of-the-art facilities such as the Emerging Technologies Lab, which houses virtual production, motion capture, and virtual reality technologies; VELa (Video Editing Lab), equipped with After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Millumin, and Lightroom; and MARLA (Media Arts Research and Learning Arcade). This game, animation, and simulations production space provides access to industry-standard technology and platforms such as Unreal Engine 4; Unity; Maya; ZBrush; UVLayout; and Cintiq creative pen displays.
The MAS BS program culminates with the Capstone Project Internship or Capstone Project—student’s choice. Capstone projects will be presented at the MAS Exhibition. Graduates can be found at places such as Rockstar Games, Pixar, Blizzard Entertainment, Digital Domain, Gearbox Software, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Owlchemy Labs, Piperworks Studios, Vision3 Interactive, and 4A Games.
