| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City |
| 2 | Utah Valley University | Orem |
| 3 | Neumont College of Computer Science | Salt Lake City |
Our 2025 ranking of the top game design school program in Utah. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
University of Utah (The U) provides five paths to study game design. Housed in the College of Architecture and Planning is the Entertainment Arts and Engineering (EAE) program. Established more than a decade ago by faculty from the School of Computing and the Division of Film Studies, the EAE is a collection of degree programs known as Utah Division of Games. Options include a Games BS (BSG); a Computer Science BS (CS BS) with an EAE emphasis (CSEAE); a Master of Entertainment Arts and Engineering (MEAE); a dual MBA/MEAE; and a Game minor.
The Game minor requires 24 credit hours, including 12 upper division hours. Students will develop skills in areas such as game-based learning; entertainment software development; serious games for health; task-training tools; and games for science. Course examples include Interactive Machinima; Traditional Game Development; Programming for All; Digital Content Creation; and Alternative Game Development.
All University of Utah EAE programs are interdisciplinary and immersive with a focus on computational research, art, and social science. The Games BS is designed for students seeking careers in the games for entertainment, visualization, simulation, or edutainment. Students in this program will complete all of the courses for the minor, along with general education, allied area of interest, and elective courses.
Course examples include Ethics in Games; Digital Storytelling; Animation Techniques; Videogames and Storytelling; Discrete Structures; Lit, Film, Videogame; Fantasy; Rapid Visualization; Sound for Film and Digital Media; Storyboarding/Visual Storytelling; Film Production; and Software Practice. The program culminates with a capstone completed across two courses.
University of Utah’s CS BS program with an EAE emphasis is ideal for students seeking careers in video game engineering. The program features the full Computer Science curriculum and courses that explore video game design and development, 3D animation, and computer-generated special effects (CG SFX). Because the CSEAE program is computer science-based, students must complete pre-major courses including Intro to Computer Science; Calculus I; Intro to Object-Orient Programming; and Algorithm/Data Structure.
Examples of CS core courses include Software Practice 1-2; Discrete Structures; and Computer Systems. EAE core course examples include Introduction to Game Design; Traditional Game Development; Asset Pipeline; Digital Content Creation; Interactive Machinima; and Alternative Game Development. Students may also select from area focus electives such as AI/Analytics; Human Centered Computing; and Infrastructure. The program culminates with the Senior Project completed across two courses.
The Master of Entertainment Arts and Engineering at University of Utah is designed as a cohort model, where students from five different tracks remain together for the entire two years of the program. Tracks include Game Arts; Game Design (launched in 2024); Technical Art; Game Production; and Game Engineering. In addition to courses in their chosen track, all MEAE students will take electives such as Virtual Worlds; Paper Prototyping for Games; Serious Games; Narrative in Game Design; and Experimental Gameplay.
All MEAE students will also take game design, pre-production, and rapid prototyping classes. The MEAE program culminates with a final project completed across three courses and in teams. Students in all EAE programs at University of Utah will graduate with several completed games to be included in their professional portfolios.
Across programs, EAE graduates will be prepared to pursue titles such as Game Designer, Visualization Developer, Game Programmer, Training Simulation Game Designer, Game Simulation Software Engineer, Game Artist, Video Game Engineer, and Game Developer.
Founded in 1850, University of Utah is the state’s public flagship institution. A top-tier research university, The U serves 36,970 students enrolled in more than 200 programs across 18 colleges and schools and nearly 100 departments. University of Utah has been continuously accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) since 1933.
Utah Valley University (UVU) is home to the Scott M. Smith College of Engineering and Technology (CET). Serving more than 6,100 students, the CET houses 11 departments that provide more than 100 degree options. This includes the Animation and Game Development BS (AGD BS). Housed in the Digital Media (DGM) Department, the program consists of courses led by game designers from places such as Electronic Arts (EA) and DreamWorks.
Other program highlights include access to state-of-the-art production facilities and centers such as the Advanced Digital Media Sandbox (ADMS) and the Bowling and Game Center; tracks in 2D Animation, and 3D Animation and Games; opportunities to complete an internship at places such as Riot Games, Disney, or Sony Pictures; and participation in game conferences and associations such as the Game Developers Conference, the Digital Animation and Games Association (DAGA), The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, and Immerse Global Summit (Miami, Orlando, Europe).
The UVU Animation and Game Development BS requires 120 credit hours of study. Students in both available tracks will take courses such as 3D Modeling Essentials; Animation Story Development; Digital Media for Intercultural Communication; and Advanced Technical Direction I-II.
The 2D Animation, and 3D Animation and Games tracks require 65 credit hours each. The 2D Animation track was recognized as an Animation Center of Excellence by Toon Boom Inc. in March 2021. The curriculum for this option includes introductory courses, labs, and advanced courses. Examples include Introduction to Rigging Lab; Animation and Game Production I-II; Digital Storyboarding; 3D Modeling and Animation; Character Development; Animation and Game Lab I-II; and Advanced Character Rigging.
Students in both tracks will also take an additional 15 credit hours of electives. Examples include Current Topics in Animation and Game Development; Mixed Reality Experiences; and Special Topics in Animation and Game Development.
The 3D Animation and Games track focuses on modeling, scripting, programming, and rigging. Course examples include Fundamentals of Programming; Game Development I-IV; Scripting Essentials; 3D Rigging I-II; Intermediate Scripting; 3D Character Development; Writing for Technical Directors; and 3D Animation Project I-IV.
The culminating experience for the AGD BS program is the Senior Capstone worth six credits. For this final project, students in both tracks will work together to create an animated short or interactive game project.
Graduates of the Animation and Game Development program at UVU are prepared to pursue careers in all areas of animation and games, digital advertising, aerospace, medicine, the broader technology industry, legal, health, architecture, science, government, research, education, and consulting.
Program alumni have been hired at places such as Riot Games, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Blizzard Entertainment, Disney, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Northrop Grumman, Warner Media, ArenaNet, Gearbox Software, Amazon, Certain Affinity, Tektonux, KingsIsle Entertainment, Jam City, and Hardsuit Labs.
Utah Valley University was established in 1941 as Central Utah Vocational School (CUVS). The school’s primary function was to provide war production training. Today, UVU provides more than 300 degree and certificate programs across eight colleges and schools. Of the school’s 300+ programs, 60 are available online.
In addition to providing more online programs that most schools in the region, UVU serves approximately 46,810 students making it the largest public university in the state. Utah Valley University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
Neumont College of Computer Science houses a Software and Game Development BS (BSGD) program that emphasizes hands-on learning through real-world projects and industry partnerships with places such as IBM, Nike, and eBay. Consisting of 180 credit hours, the program focuses on technical areas such as game engines, computer graphics, mobile development, physics, and console development. Of the 180 required credit hours for the program, 126 are dedicated to Software and Game Development.
Course examples for the program include Object Oriented Programming and Design; Computer Graphics; Topics in Game Development; C++ Programming I-II; Game Physics; Digital Art; Game Programming and Production; Algorithms and Data Structures I-II; and Principles of Software Engineering.
Because the BSGD program is project-based, students will also complete 36 credits of project core courses. Examples include Game Engine Projects; Enterprise Projects I-III; and Software Projects in Existing Code. Electives allow students to explore additional areas in games, technology, and other disciplines. Elective course examples include Character Design; Music Composition; Creative Writing with AI; Basics of Film; Comics as Literature; Ancient Mythology; 3D Printing; and Art Appreciation.
All BSGD students at Neumont College of Computer Science will complete business and career-centered coursework. Personal Finance; Principles of Finance; College Success Strategies; and Career Readiness are the most current required courses.
The program culminates with a team or individual project. Graduates are prepared to pursue roles in game design, development, and programming; animation and film production; software design and development; artificial intelligence; digital advertising; architecture; web programming; and simulations. Neumont College of Computer Science alumni have been hired at places such as Blizzard Entertainment, Dell, Microsoft, Google, HP, Oracle, and 3M.
Neumont College of Computer Science (formerly Neumont University), was founded in 2003. Serving more than 500 students, the school provides six BS programs, an AS in Software Development, and a Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence (MSAAI). Neumont College of Computer Science is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
