MSU's College of Communication Arts and Sciences has got game.
For the second year in a row, the undergraduate game design program offered by the Department of Media and Information has been ranked by The Princeton Review as one of the top programs in North America to study game design. The graduate program also secured a spot in the top 10 for the first time, further strengthening MSU's position as a key player in the game design and development arena.
"We've been expanding the game curriculum, hiring new faculty, and enhancing our facilities," says Brian Winn, associate professor of media and information. "The quality and creativity of our student work continues to get better and better each year."
The Princeton Review is one of America's best-known education and admission service companies. The review has ranked best schools to study game design since 2010. MSU ranked 8th on the 2016 list of the top 25 undergraduate schools, moving just slightly from last year's 7th place spot. The graduate program ranked 10th in the 7th annual survey, jumping five spots from last year's 15th place ranking.
"It's great to continue to receive recognition for our game program from the Princeton Review," says Winn. "It's particularly exciting that both our undergraduate and graduate programs are recognized as top programs in the country."
Established in 2005, MSU's undergraduate game design program enables students to learn the technology, design fundamentals and development process of digital games. Students gain valuable skills in communicating and collaborating in team-based projects while building a strong portfolio of games.
The graduate certificate program in serious game design and research was launched in Fall 2012. Students can complete the program as a stand-alone certificate or as part of an MSU graduate degree program. Courses can be taken online or in person on MSU's campus.
The 2016 list of best schools to study game design by Princeton Review was released in March. The results were based on a 2015 survey of 150 institutions that offer game design coursework and/or degrees in the United States, Canada and some countries abroad. The selection and ranking of schools was derived from criteria that broadly covered the quality of the faculty, facilities and technology, as well as data collected on a school's curriculum and career services.
Source: The Princeton Review
The monthly magazine, PC Gamer, also runs an annual article with survey highlights and includes information on many of the ranked schools' degree programs, class offerings, events, prominent professors and alumni.