Game design program ranked among top 50 by Princeton Review and Animation Career Review
The Media School game design program was ranked 46th by the Princeton Review – the first time it was listed in the national ranking – and 36th by the Animation Career Review compared to top college programs in the U.S.
“Making it into the top 50 is a gratifying national recognition of our program’s strength and influence as we head into our tenth year,” said Will Emigh, director of the B.S. in game design and senior lecturer.
The Princeton Review, a tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company, compiled its list of the Top 50 Schools for Game Design: Undergraduate based on a survey conducted in 2023. The survey to administrators at 150 institutions offering game design coursework and/or degrees looked at the quality of faculty, facilities, and technology.
Emigh expressed pride in seeing the game design program on a top 50 list. It means recognition not only for the program, but for the faculty involved too.
“Our faculty really believe in our game design program, so it is rewarding to see that others also see what we’re creating here,” he said.
The Animation Career Review, which ranks schools and colleges with programs in animation, game design, and graphic design, listed Indiana University’s game design programs as 36 in its Top 50 Game Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S. for 2024. It was also based on a survey of 153 schools, looking at the program, its admissions, employment data, graduation rates, and other factors.
The review describes The Media School’s program as being customizable, multidisciplinary, and hands-on. It also mentions access to student organizations, such as GameDev@IU.
Michael Betar IV, the president of GameDev@IU and an active game design student, was excited for the opportunities that could come from the national recognition of the program.
“Our ranking in Princeton’s Review will hopefully bring more to want to learn more about our program and become involved with our activities and classes here on campus. I can see the game design department becoming much larger in terms of the number of students within the next few years,” he said.
Betar feels that the game design program is flexible, and the faculty offers many creative opportunities, allowing students to express themselves. He was part of the International Game Design Practice course that included traveling to Tokyo to tour game development studios and meet professionals over spring break, and he attended the 2023 Game Developers Conference through the school. Betar said he enjoys the opportunities to meet game designers from around the world and work with other creative people in classes.
“Seeing our program reach the top 50 in the Princeton Review made perfect sense for me, as students are passionate in both their works on game design as well as our classes here in The Media School,” he said.
Emigh said that these rankings prove that others see the value in the way the game design program works. He hopes that with the increased visibility, not only will students continue to come into the program, but that he and the other faculty can continue to improve the degree each year. To Emigh, some of the best parts of the program is watching students grow as people and professionals.
“Students get to develop their own game ideas, then pitch them to actual game industry professionals before building and releasing their games. By the time they leave the program, every student is an indie developer!” he said.