
Academy of Art University San Francisco, California
Programs: AA Animation & Visual Effects, BFA Animation & Visual Effects, MA Animation & Visual Effects, MFA Animation & Visual Effects, MFA Game Design, BFA Game Design, MFA Graphic Design, BFA Graphic Design, BFA Illustration, MA Illustration, MFA Illustration, (Many programs available online)
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#34) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Private Colleges (#19) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#8) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BS Program in the U.S. (#22) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BFA Program in the U.S. (#8) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design MS/MA Program in the U.S. (#19) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#6) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Private Colleges (#27) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#11) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#9) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#24) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Private Colleges (#20) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#6) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#6) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#5) - 2024
- Top 10 Private Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#5) - 2024
- Top 5 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges on the West Coast (#3) - 2024

Art Center College of Design Pasadena, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, BS Entertainment Design with Tracks in Character Animation (Launches 2015) and Concept Design, BS Interaction Design, BFA Illustration Design Track, BS Entertainment Design
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#14) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#13) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#5) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#5) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation BS Program in the U.S. (#2) - 2025
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#9) - 2024
- Top 25 Private Game Design Schools in the US (#24) - 2024
- Top 50 Game Design Schools in the US (#43) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#3) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Private Colleges (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#1) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design BFA Program in the U.S (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design MFA Program in the U.S. (#3) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#1) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Private Colleges (#3) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#1) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#1) - 2024
- Top 25 Illustration BFA Program in the U.S. (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#6) - 2024
- Top 10 Private Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#6) - 2024
- Top 5 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges on the West Coast (#4) - 2024

Azusa Pacific University Azusa, California
Programs: BFA Visual Art, Concentration Graphic Design; BFA Graphic Design, BA in Animation and Visual Effects, BA in Games and Interactive Media

Biola University La Mirada, California
Programs: BA Cinema & Media Arts Concentration - Visual Effects & 3D Animation, BA Game Design and Interactive Media

California College of the Arts San Francisco, Oakland, California
Programs: BFA Animation, BFA Graphic Design, BFA Illustration
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#24) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#19) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#8) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#8) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#19) - 2025
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#17) - 2024
- Top 50 Private Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S. (#14) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges on the West Coast (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 BFA Graphic Design Programs in the U.S. (#13) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design MFA Programs in the U.S. (#12) - 2024
- Top 20 Graphic Design School Programs in California (#3) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#8) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Private Colleges (#7) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#2) - 2024
- Top 10 Illustration School Programs in California (#2) - 2024
- Top 25 Illustration BFA Program in the U.S. (#8) - 2024

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) Valencia, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, MFA Graphic Design; Motion Graphics MFA (separate track within the Graphic Design program), MFA Experimental Animation, BFA Charactor Animation, BFA Experimental Animation
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#1) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#1) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#1) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#1) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation MFA Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2025
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#5) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Private Colleges (#5) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges on the West Coast (#2) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design BFA Programs in the U.S. (#4) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design MFA Programs in the U.S. (#5) - 2024
- Top 20 Graphic Design School Programs in California (#2) - 2024

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California
Programs: BFA Art and Design, Graphic Design Concentration, BS Computer Science, Interactive Entertainment Game Design Concentration, BS Graphic Communication UX/UI Concentration
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#41) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Public Colleges (#19) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#8) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#10) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BFA Programs (#10) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design Bachelor of Science (BS) Programs (#25) - 2024
- Top 50 Public Graphic Design Schools in the US (#44) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools on the West Coast (#14) - 2024
- Top 20 Schools in California for Graphic Design (#11) - 2024

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) Pomona, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design

California State University - Chico Chico, California
Programs: BS Computer Animation & Game Development, BA Communication Design/Option Graphic Design

California State University - East Bay East Bay, California
Programs: BFA Art, Graphic Design Concentration; BFA Art, Illustration Concentration; BFA Art, Interaction & Game Design Concentration; BFA Art, Video & Animation Concentration

California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, MFA Concentration Graphic Design; BFA Art, Concentration Entertainment Art/Animation; BFA Art, Concentration Illustration; MFA Art, Concentration Illustration; BS Computer Science, Game Design Specialization; BA Cinema & Television Arts, Minor in Digital Effects
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#30) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Public Colleges (#10) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#10) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#10) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#24) - 2025
- Top 50 Public Graphic Design Schools in the US (#36) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#12) - 2024
- Top 20 Schools in California for Graphic Design (#10) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#25) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Public Colleges (#5) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#7) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#7) - 2024
- Top 10 Public Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#9) - 2024
- Top 10 Game Design Schools in California (#10) - 2024

California State University - Monterey Bay Monterey Bay , California
Programs: BA, Minor Cinematic Arts & Technology

California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, California
Programs: BS Graphic Design, BS in Computer Science with Certificate in Game Engineering

California State University Fresno Fresno, California
Programs: BA Animation and New Media; BFA Graphic Design; BA Art, Graphic Design Option; BFA Graphic Design, Emphasis Illustration

California State University, Long Beach Long Beach, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, MFA Graphic Design , BA Film and Electronic Arts - Digital Arts Production and 3D Computer Animation coursework; BFA in Art - Option in Illustration, Animation Track; BFA with an Illustration Track
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#39) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Public Colleges (#14) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#12) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#11) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation BA Program in the U.S. (#7) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#31) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation MFA Program in the U.S. (#22) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#19) - 2024
- Top 20 Schools in California for Graphic Design (#16) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#23) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Public Colleges (#4) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#5) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#5) - 2024

California State University, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California
Programs: BA Animation Option, BA Art Option Graphic Design/Visual Communication
Rankings:
- Top 40 Nationally among Public Schools and Colleges for Animation (#21) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#16) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation BA Program in the U.S. (#9) - 2025
- Top 25 Schools in California for Animation (#14) - 2025
- Top 20 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#17) - 2024
- Top 20 Schools in California for Graphic Design (#14) - 2024

California State University, Northridge Northridge, California
Programs: MFA, Concentration Graphic Design; BFA Visual Arts, Concentration Graphic Design; BA Art, Concentration Animation; BA Visual Arts, Concentration Illustration; MA Visual Arts, Concentration Illustration; MFA Visual Arts, Concentration Illustration
Rankings:
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Public Colleges (#31) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#18) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#16) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation BA Program in the U.S. (#15) - 2025
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools on the West Coast (#24) - 2024
- Top 20 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in California (#19) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#42) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Public Colleges (#13) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#10) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#9) - 2024

Chapman University Orange, California
Programs: BFA Digital Arts; BFA Graphic Design; Minor Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR), BFA Animation & Visual Effects; MFA Production Design
Rankings:
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#38) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#17) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#15) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#49) - 2025
- Top 50 Private Graphic Design Schools in the US (#40) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools on the West Coast (#18) - 2024
- Top 20 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in California (#15) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#15) - 2024
- Top 10 Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) on the West Coast (#10) - 2024

Columbia College Hollywood Hollywood, California
Programs: BFA Visual Effects Concentration - Animation, Compositing, Digital Modeling; BFA Graphic Design

Concordia University Irvine, California
Programs: BA Graphic Design; BA with a major in Art, emphasis in Graphic Design

Dominican University of California San Rafael, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design

Flatiron School - San Francisco San Francisco, California
Programs: Certificate Product Design/UX/UI Design

Fresno Pacific University Fresno, California
Programs: BA Art, Emphasis in Graphic Art **The graphic arts emphasis prepares art major students for further study in either graphic arts or graphic design.

Gnomon School of Visual Effects Hollywood, California
Programs: BFA Digital Production, Certificate in Digital Production Focus; 3D Generalist, Games Modeling & Texturing, Visual Effects, Animation Character & Creature Animation
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#9) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#8) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#4) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#4) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#8) - 2025
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#17) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Private Colleges (#11) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#4) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BFA Program in the U.S. (#4) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#1) - 2024
- Top 10 Private Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#1) - 2024
- Top 5 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges on the West Coast (#1) - 2024
Interviews:
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Holberton School San Francisco, California
Programs: Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality Certificate

Hussian College - Los Angeles Los Angeles, California
Programs: MS UX Design, BFA Film & Digital Content - Concentration Visual Effects

La Sierra University Riverside, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design

Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, California
Programs: BFA Animation, BFA Game Art, MFA Game Design, BFA Graphic Design; Graphic Design w/Illustration Emphasis; Graphic Design w/Action Sport Design Emphasis, BFA Graphic Design + Digital Media w/Specialized Minor in UI/UX, BFA Illustration, BFA, Minor in Illustration in Entertainment Design
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#45) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#29) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#13) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#37) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#12) - 2025
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#39) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Private Colleges (#22) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#9) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BFA Program in the U.S. (#9) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#7) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Private Colleges (#36) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#16) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#13) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#29) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Private Colleges (#23) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#9) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#8) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Schools and Colleges in the U.S. (#25) - 2024 Rankings

Laurus College Atascadero, Chula Vista, Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, California
Programs: BS in Digital Arts & Computer Animation, AS in Visual Design and Multimedia

Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art Los Angeles, California
Programs: BFA Entertainment Art, Certificate Entertainment Art

Los Angeles Film School Los Angeles, California
Programs: BS Animation - Concentration Visual Effects or Game Art

Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California
Programs: BA Animation, BA Studio Arts - Graphic Design Emphasis (GRPH),
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#50) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#32) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#14) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#13) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation BA Program in the U.S. (#8) - 2025
- Top 50 Private Graphic Design Schools in the US (#43) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools on the West Coast (#20) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#17) - 2024

New York Film Academy - California Los Angeles, California
Programs: BFA Animation; MFA Game Design; BFA Game Design; AFA Game Design; 1 Year Game Design Conservatory; BFA 3D Animation & Visual Effects; MFA 3D Animation & Visual Effects

Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont, California
Programs: BA Art and Graphic Design

Olivet University Anza, California
Programs: BA Graphic Design Also Available Online, Master of Graphic Design, ALSO Master of Arts, Graphic Arts

Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, BFA Illustration, BFA Animation, BFA Game Design, MFA Graphic Design
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#22) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#18) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#7) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#18) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#7) - 2025
- Top 20 Game Design BA Program in the U.S. (#14) - 2023
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#10) - 2023
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#27) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Private Colleges (#17) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#6) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design BFA Program in the U.S. (#20) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design MFA Program in the U.S. (#17) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#5) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#15) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Private Colleges (#14) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Illustration BFA Program in the U.S. (#15) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#16) - 2024

Pacific Union College Angwin, California
Programs: BA Graphic Design, BFA Graphic Design

Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, California
Programs: BA Graphic Design (Concentrations: Advertising, Art and Design, Editorial Design, Illustration); BA Graphic Design, Concentration Illustration

San Diego City College Graphic Design San Diego, California
Programs: Graphic Design - Associate's Degree or Certificate of Achievement; Interactive Design - Associate's Degree or Certificate of Achievement; Graphic Fundamentals - Certificate of Achievement

San Diego State University San Diego, California
Programs: BA Applied Arts & Sciences with a major in Art, emphasis in Graphic Design, MFA Studio Arts, Emphasis Graphic Design, MA Studio Arts, Emphasis Graphic Design
Rankings:

San Francisco State University San Francisco, California
Programs: BS Visual Communication Design (Graphic Design and Interactive Digital Media), UX/UI Design Certificate

San Jose State University San Jose, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design; BFA Animation/Illustration; Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Computer Vision (CV) Lab
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#25) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Public Colleges (#6) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#9) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#9) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#20) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation MFA Program in the U.S. (#15) - 2025
- Top 50 Graphic Design Schools in the US (#46) - 2024
- Top 50 Public Graphic Design Schools in the US (#23) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design - (#10) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#8) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Illustration (#16) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Illustration among Public Colleges (#2) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Illustration (#4) - 2024
- Top 25 Illustration BFA Program in the U.S. (#16) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Illustration (#4) - 2024
- Top 10 Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) on the West Coast (#9) - 2024

Stanford University Palo Alto, California
Programs: Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL)

The University of Arizona Global Campus (former Ashford University) San Diego, California
Programs: BA Computer Graphic Design - Computer Animation Track

Universal Arts School (Hollywood Campus) Los Angeles, California
Programs: Programs in Animation, Games, VFX, Cinema, and Art.

University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California
Programs: XR Lab@Berkeley, Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Laboratory (VR/AR/MR), Graduate Professional UX Design Certificate, UX/UI Bootcamp

University of California, Irvine Irvine, California
Programs: BS in Game Design and Interactive Media (GDIM)
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#21) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Public Colleges (#8) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#6) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#5) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BS Program in the U.S. (#15) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BFA Program in the U.S. (#6) - 2024

University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California
Programs: MFA Animation; BA Design Media Arts; MFA in Media Arts; UCLA Animation Workshop (12 Quarter Units of UC Credit), User Experience (UX) Certificate, BA Film and Television Production: Film, Television, Digital, Experimental and Animation
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#6) - 2025
- Top 40 Public Animation Schools in the US (#1) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#3) - 2025
- Top 25 in California for Animation (#3) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation BA Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation MFA Program in the U.S. (#5) - 2025
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#19) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Public Colleges (#7) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#5) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#4) - 2024
- Top 20 Game Design BA Program in the U.S. (#8) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BFA Program in the U.S. (#5) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#18) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Public Colleges (#4) - 2024
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Graphic Design (#4) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Programs (#13) - 2024
- Top 20 in California for Graphic Design (#4) - 2024
- Top 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#8) - 2024
- Top 10 Public Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges in the US (#2) - 2024
- Top 5 Visual Effects (VFX) Colleges on the West Coast (#5) - 2024
Interviews:
- "One Person, One Film": Q&A with UCLA’s Animation Workshop’s Celia Mercer
- Both Sides of the Brain: Q&A with Rebecca Allen, UCLA’s Design Media Arts Department
- Doug Ward of UCLA’s Animation Workshop Discusses ‘One Person, One Film’, Learning Animation from A to Z.
- UCLA Adds Video Game Design & Development Pro Course: We Catch Up with Joe Rosenberg for the Scoop

University of California, San Diego San Diego, California
Programs: Virtual Reality App Development Certificate, UX Design Certificate

University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California
Programs: PhD/MS Media Arts and Technology (MAT); RE Touch Lab; Four Eyes Lab

University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California
Programs: BFA Digital Arts and Game Design, BS Computer Science in Computer Game Design, MFA Digital Arts and New Media, MS Games and Playable Media, MS Computer Science - Focus in Games, PhD Computer Science - Focus in Games; BS/BA/MS/PhD Computer Science - Emphasis Visual Computing: Computer Vision, Visualization and Graphics
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#7) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Public Colleges (#3) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#2) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#2) - 2024
- Top 20 Game Design BA Program in the U.S. (#2) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design MS/MA Program in the U.S. (#5) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BS Program in the U.S. (#5) - 2024
- Top 50 Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) in the US (#42) - 2024
- Top 25 Public Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) in the US (#23) - 2024
- Top 10 Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) on the West Coast (#6) - 2024

University of San Francisco San Francisco, California
Programs: BA Design

University of Silicon Valley (formerly Cogswell University) Sunnyvale, California
Programs: BA Entertainment Design/Digital Art & Animation, BA in Digital Art & Animation, BS in Digital Audio Technology, BA in Digital Media Management, BA in Game Design Art, BS in Game Design Engineering, BS in Digital Arts Engineering, BS in Software Engineering, MA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Rankings:

University of Southern California Los Angeles, California
Programs: BFA Animation & Digital Arts Concentration Visual Effects; MFA Animation and Digital Arts Concentration Visual Effects; MFA Interactive Media with Animation Electives; BFA Film & Television Production; MS Computer Science, Game Development Specialization and High Performance Computing and Simulation Specialization; Master of Science in Computer Science (Game Development); MFA Interactive Media with Heavy Games Electives; BS Computer Science (Games); BA Interactive Entertainment; BA/BFA Art, MA/MFA Art; Labs for Medical Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, Modeling & Simulation, Social Simulation, and Virtual Humans.
Rankings:
- Top 50 Nationally for Animation (#4) - 2025
- Top 40 Nationally for Animation among Private Colleges (#5) - 2025
- Top 25 on the West Coast for Animation (#2) - 2025
- Top 20 in California for Animation (#2) - 2025
- Top 50 Animation BFA Program in the U.S. (#4) - 2025
- Top 25 Animation MFA Program in the U.S. (#3) - 2025
- Top 50 Nationally for Game Design (#1) - 2024
- Top 25 Nationally for Game Design among Private Colleges (#1) - 2024
- Top 10 on the West Coast for Game Design (#1) - 2024
- Top 10 in California for Game Design (#1) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design MA/MS Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2024
- Top 10 Game Design MFA Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2024
- Top 20 Game Design BA Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2024
- Top 25 Game Design BS Program in the U.S. (#1) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design (#30) - 2024
- Top 50 Nationally for Graphic Design among Private Colleges (#19) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges on the West Coast (#7) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design BFA Programs in the U.S. (#22) - 2024
- Top 25 Graphic Design MFA Programs in the U.S. (#20) - 2024
- Top 20 Graphic Design School Programs in California (#6) - 2024
- Top 50 Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) in the US (#3) - 2024
- Top 25 Private Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) in the US (#3) - 2024
- Top 10 Colleges for Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) on the West Coast (#2) - 2024
- op 25 Visual Effects (VFX) Schools and Colleges in the U.S. (#4) - 2024 Rankings
- Top 10 Private Visual Effects (VFX) Schools in the US (#4) - 2024 College Rankings
- Top 5 Visual Effects (VFX) Schools and Colleges on the West Coast (#2) - 2024 Rankings
Interviews:
- Ty Strickler Discusses USC's Cinematic Arts Summer Program
- Kathryn Smith of USC's John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts Discusses the Program's Unique Attributes
- USC’s Tom Sito on His Legendary Mentors, Industry Changes & His Remarkable Career
- Pushing the Bounds at USC Games: Q&A with Dir. Tracy Fullerton
- The Animation Documentarist: Q&A with Sheila Sofian - Women in Animation, Multimedia & Gaming

Woodbury University Burbank, California
Programs: BFA Graphic Design, BFA Animation, BFA Game Art & Design
Rankings: