| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Webster University | Webster Groves |
| 2 | Drury University | Springfield |
Our 2020 ranking of the top game design school programs in Missouri. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Founded in 1915, Webster University serves around 18,250 students studying at campuses in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and online. The school houses five colleges and schools including the College of Arts & Sciences, Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology, the School of Communications, and the School of Education. The School of Communications houses the Electronic and Photographic Media Department, which offers a BA in Games and Game Design and a Certificate in Game Design.
The school says that the Certificate program is “designed to augment many existing programs of study, helping students to gear their work to participate in the gaming industry.” Examples include computer science, animation, creative writing, interactive media, audio and filmmaking.
The 128 credit hour BA program prepares students for careers within the growing field of games and ‘serious games’ development. Students in the program will, “cultivate their understanding of the principles of game design with tools and techniques that will allow for the creation of numerous levels, mods and games during their academic study.” Courses will give students a “broad social understanding of the considerations of games developing in an age of advancing technology, and how to tailor-make games to ensure their personal creative concepts are developed and realized.”
Course highlights for the program include Traditional Game Design, World Design, Visual Storytelling, Video Game Art, Video Game Level Design, Video Game Production, Games and Society, and Writing Screenplays for Film. Students have dozens of elective options to choose from to help refine the degree. Sample electives include Crowdfunding, Interface Design, 3D Animation and Rigging, Introduction to Mobile Technology, and Audio Field Production for Visual Media. A Capstone course is also part of the program and internship opportunities are available.
Founded in 1873, Drury University serves 3,210 students from the U.S. and 57 other countries. The school offers more than 70 majors and programs, 39 minors, and five graduate programs through a number of colleges, schools, and departments. Programs for aspiring game designers is offered through the School of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Options include a BS in Computer Science (CS): Game Development and a Minor in Computer Science.
Launched in 2016, the BS in CS: Game Development “requires a core of computer science courses (23 hours) covering essential elements of the Computer Science Body of Knowledge that all computer science graduates must master,” says the school. “In addition to core computer science courses, 15 additional hours of computer science coursework in game development is required. An additional 12 hours of supporting coursework from media arts courses is required, along with 11 hours of mathematics.”
Course highlights for the program include AI for Game Development, 3D Game Development, Game Development Practice, Computer Animation, Particles & Dynamics, Multimedia Storytelling, and Web and Mobile Application Development.
Other program highlights include access to Drury University’s “robust study abroad program” at the school’s satellite campus on the Greek island of Aegina and “partnerships with educational institutions across the world.”
The BS in Computer Science: Game Development program prepares graduates for careers in Game Development and/or graduate work in a related Computer Science or related Digital Media field.
