Are you more than a gamer? Are you fasinated by every aspect of a game including character development and the imaginative worlds in which they inhabit? Perhaps you have noted that the phrase “it’s just a game” is kind of outdated. That in fact, games and gamification of applications has premeated everything that we use and interface with. Game design is a multi-faceted career with a ton of growth and opportunity. Careers like it are growing at a rate of 11% which is far faster than the national average. Game design is a very exciting field and one where you get to merge your creative ideas with technology. It takes a special type of person to pursue game design. Is that you? Then you’re in the right place. If you’re aspiring towards this flourishing and exciting field, take a look at what we came up with for the top 10 best online video gam design programs.
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1. Savanah College of Art and Design
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private institution that was founded in 1978. It is located in Savannah Georgia. It currently enolls over 14,000 students and has a student faculty ratio of 20 to 1. SCAD Regularly ranks among the best in the nation for their art programming. SCAD offers degree programming in film, design, art history, equestrian studies, printing, motion media design, visual effects, writing, urban design, and so much more. This is a special focus four-year arts music and design school.
Do you love art and technology? Then the Integrative design and game development program at SCAD may be right for you. SCAD offer is a bachelors as well as a masters degree in integrative design and game development. The bachelors degree program includes general education courses as well as concentration courses and interactive design. The total credit hour requirement is 180 credit hours and takes about four years to complete. The Masters of arts in interactive design and game development is a 45 credit hour program that affords you great flexibility. Students may select one of two concentrations: game development, or Integrative design. Additionally SCAD offers Masters of fine arts in integrated design and game development the difference being the general focus of the program. If you are looking for a wide array of opportunities in game development and design then look no further than SCAD.
2. Franklin College
Franklin College is a liberal arts institution located in Franklin, Indiana. Franklin College was founded in 1834 and currently ranks as the 136th best liberal arts school in the nation according to the US News and World Feport. Franklin College currently enrolls over 14,000 students and has a student to faculty ratio of 20 to 1.
Franklin College offers an online interactive media degree. This bachelors of science program is 120 credit hours in length. The program is divided into five main component parts: fundamental general education core, additional general education requirements, technical credits, university electives, major. The major includes some of the following courses: communication-groups and teams, human-computer interaction, advanced graphic design, digital media design, interactive media for training and instruction, interactive media for advertising, and others. This online program features a project-based curriculum. The project-based curriculum curriculum gives you the opportunity to showcase actual client work when creating your portfolio. Additionally, you will get hands-on experience with some of the best technologies and exposure to the most popular programming languages in software. For more information about this program check out their website.
3. University of Advancing Technology
The University of Advancing Technology is a private four-year institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The university offers associates, bachelors, and Masters degrees and enrolls just over 700 students. The student to faculty ratio is 15 to 1. This is a special focus four-year other technology related school. When it comes to academics offerings the University of Advancing Technology’s office programming in business, computer and information sciences, the visual and performing arts, and engineering. All of the programming is offered online.
UAT offers an online game design bachelor of arts. All of their online game design degrees first start off as a general online game design major and then proceed to become dual online gaming degrees. Students have the opportunity to select degree specializations that interest them. Students of this program have the opportunity to work with state of the art programming as well as all the tools of the trade. You will engage with interface design, design documentation, interactive storytelling, design balancing and play testing. Students may also pursue their online game programming degree in which they will learn C++ programming, direct X/open GL development, data handling, gameplay interaction, artificial intelligence, game engine architecture and other standard industry APIs. For more information about this online opportunity check out their website.
4. Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a private four-year institution located in Winter Park, Florida there are 21,663 students enrolled and the students to faculty ratio is 27 to 1. The institution offers programming for associates, bachelors, masters degree candidates. Their programming is all offered online and includes degrees in business, communication technologies, computer and information sciences and support services, education, visual and performing arts, and others.
Full Sail University offers a Bachelor of Science in Game Design. If you are looking to become a game designer than this may be the path for you. This is a 29-month online bachelors degree that offers comprehensive programming for individuals looking to become game designers. Students will study technology in the entertainment and media industries, design tools, scripting for designers, game mechanics, psychology of play, game design pre-production, and more.
5. Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University is a four-year private institution located in Manchester New Hampshire. There are over 100,000 students enrolled and the student-to-faculty ratio is 22 to 1. Their academic offerings include programming and business education, health computer sciences, social sciences and more. To support student success the university offers remedial help as well as academic and career counseling. Southern New Hampshire University offers a wide array of online degree programming. In fact, the majority of their programs are taught entirely online.
Southern New Hampshire University offers an online degree in game art design, game design and development. This is an online bachelors degree that is 120 credit hours in length. In addition to general education courses this curriculum includes technology courses and courses related to the major. Some of the courses may include: 3-D character animation, interactive animation, character design, creature design, 3-D art and design, game art and development, and introduction to digital imaging. For more information and to apply check out their website.
6. Liberty University
Liberty University is a private institution located in Lynchburg Virginia. The university offers comprehensive programming from associates degrees to doctoral degrees. There are over 85,000 students currently enrolled in the student to faculty ratio at 17 to 1. The institution offers a vast online program. In fact, the majority of their programming is offered online and includes online programming and business management, journalism, education, literature, foreign languages, health, computer science, visual and performing arts and more.
Liberty University offers a Bachelor of Science in Information technology and gaming design. This is a 120 credit hour program that takes approximately 3.5 years to complete. The classes are 100% online and are eight weeks in length. If you are looking to become a creative director, graphics director, a mobile user interface design, a software programmer or a video game designer than this program may be right for you. Some of the featured courses in the program include courses in graphic design, digital imaging, and 3-D graphics. In your information technology courses you will learn advance job skills, as well as how to build foundational knowledge and web architecture in design computer hardware and operating systems. For more information about this program check out their website.
7. Wilmington University
Wilmington University is a private four-year institution located in New Castle Delaware. The student population is over 14,000 and the student to faculty ratio is just 12 to 1. The university offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. Their academic offerings include online programming and on-campus programming. In fact, nearly half of their programming is now offered entirely online. Some of their academic offerings include: masters degrees in computer information sciences, online bachelors degree in business management, and an online doctoral degree in higher education.
Wilmington University offers a bachelor of science in game design and development. This is a 120 credit hour degree that includes course material in interactive design, video production, 3-D modeling, graphic design, and programming. You use these skills to create video games and simulations for major platforms consuls and mobile devices. You’ll be able to take your video game concepts to a completed design. This is a hands-on online program.
8. Lindenwood University
Lindenwood University is a private four-year institution located in St. Charles, Missouri. The student population is over 8000 and the student to faculty ratio is 12 to 1. The university offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees as well as professional certifications. When it comes to academics offerings, Lindenwood University offers programming in business, computer information sciences, education, health, social sciences, and a visual and performing arts as well as many others. In recent years, Lindenwood University has started to offer online degree programs for undergraduates and graduate students.
Lindenwood University offers a bachelor of arts in game design. This is a highly ranked online game design degree program for their rigorous academic programming. This is a 120 credit hour course that takes between 24 and 48 months to complete. You will learn how to create two and three dimensional games from the character stages through to production and application. You’ll learn how to exhibit skills using design software and to create vector graphics as well as animation. For more information about this online degree head to their website.
9. Baker University
Baker University is a private four-year institution located in Baldwin City, Kansas. There are over 2,000 students enrolled and the student to faculty ratio is 11 to 1. The university offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. Their programming includes both programming on campus and online including in the fields of education, health, parks and recreation, social sciences, philosophy, and computer science.
Baker offers a bachelor of science in game software development. This is a 120 credit hour program that will take approximately four years to complete. The bachelor of science teaches you the skills you need to design and test your own games. You will be able to test your games across a number of platforms. The curriculum includes the following: senior design software, Java programming, C++ programming, Python programming, senior design projects, and an introduction to Android mobile, C Sharp programming, unreal game programming, game development, artificial intelligence , Linux, and much more. For more information about this program head to their website.
10. EdX
EdX offers and number of game design courses including those from NYU, Harvard, Georgia Tech, UC San Diego, and the University of Texas at Austin. EdX gives you access to over 2500 online courses from over 140 institutions.
NYU offers three courses in game design including the theories of media and technology, creative coding, integrative digital media. Harvard University offers mobile phone app development with react native as well as an introduction to game development. The university of Texas at Austin offers embedded systems shape the world a multi threaded interfacing course. This online course use as a bottom up approach it as a simple hands-on lab course. MichiganX offers leading change: Go beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning. For more information and to enroll in one of these courses, check out their website.