Top 15 Game Design Schools and Colleges in the Midwest - 2018 Rankings

Michigan State University (MSU) is home to the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, which houses the Media and Information (MI) Department. Here, students have access to a number of game design programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate options include BA and BS degrees in Media and Information with a Game and Interactive Media Design Specialization, a BS in Computer Science with a Game Design and Development Specialization, and a BA or BFA in Studio Art with a Game Design and Development Specialization.

The Specialization is also available to other majors “on a case-by-case basis, particularly those in the Honors College.” An interdisciplinary Game Design and Development Minor is also available.

According to the school, “the minor brings together students in Media and Information, Computer Science, and Studio Art. For most majors outside of MI, the Minor often nearly fulfills the student's cognate requirements.” The College of Engineering, College of Arts & Letters, and College of Communication Arts and Sciences administer the Minor jointly. The College of Communication Arts and Sciences is the lead administrative unit.

Graduate game offerings include an MA in Media and Information with a Focus in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) + Serious Game Design & Research Certificate.

Besides offering a variety of programs for game designers, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences houses the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab. According to the College, the mission of the GEL Lab is to “design innovative prototypes, techniques, and complete games for entertainment and learning and to advance state of the art knowledge about social and individual effects of digital games.”

About MSU: Michigan State University was founded in 1855. The school serves more than 50,000 students from all 82 counties in Michigan, all 50 states, and more than 133 other countries. MSU students have access to more than 200 programs across 17 degree-granting colleges. A few include Arts and Letters, Engineering, Education, Lyman Briggs College, and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities.

Purdue University – Purdue Polytechnic Institute is home to the Department of Computer Graphics Technology (CGT), which offers game design programs at all degree levels. Undergraduate offerings include a BS in CGT with a Game Development and Design Major. The CGT program provides STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math) and games. Studies will include trigonometry, calculus, and physics, as well classes in video game design and development, animation, visualization, rendering and programming.

Graduate offerings include an MS in CGT and a PhD in Technology offered through the Department of Computer and Information Technology (CIT). The MS offers several focus areas including Game Studies, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Computer Graphics Programming, and Computational Art. The PhD Program offers a CGT Specialization that covers Game Studies, Human Centered Design and Development, Virtual Product Integration, Animation, and Web Programming and Design.

Students may also earn a BS CGT/MS Technology with a Specialization in CGT, which may be completed in just five years instead of six years or more if pursued separately. Graduates of the game design programs at Purdue Polytechnic Institute have gone on to work for EA Games, Riot Games, and more.

About Purdue Polytechnic Institute: Established in 1869, Purdue University is home to more than 41,500 students from all 50 states and nearly 130 countries. Part of Purdue University, Purdue Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1964 as Purdue University College of Technology. Around 12% of Purdue’s students are enrolled in the Polytechnic Institute, which houses eight departments and schools that offer 68 academic options in six subject areas.

Ferris State University offers programs for aspiring game designers through two of its eight academic colleges: the College of Education and Human Services’ School of Digital Media and Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD). School of Digital Media programs include a BS in Digital Media Software Engineering (DMSE) and a BAS in Digital Animation and Game Design (DAGD). A Digital Media AS is also available. According to the school, the BS in DMSE is designed as an engineering degree focused on the technologies, procedures, and methodologies involved in the software development process. Per the school, the program offers students the opportunity to actively compete in many growing industries such as Video Game Development, Information Technology, and Entertainment.

Students in the BAS in DAGD program will learn how to create and manipulate 2D textures and images, model, rig, light, animate and render 3D characters and scenes, build content in industry leading game engines, author interactive applications and games, and design and create 3D game level mods. In addition to game design and asset creation, the program prepares students to pursue careers in medical visualization, legal simulation, film, and more.

The AS program combines existing courses within the DAGD, DMSE, and Television and Digital Media Production (TDMP) programs into an introductory and exploratory degree within the School. It allows students to complete their general education requirements while enrolling in courses from across the digital media curriculum.

KCAD offers a BFA in Digital Art and Design. The program allows students to work in one of two focus areas including Entertainment Art (animation, digital 3D, visual development for games and animation, and sequential arts like comics and storyboards) and Multimedia Design (interaction design for the web, apps, virtual reality, the internet of things, and video and motion design animation).  

Students in the program will gain knowledge and hands-on experience via high-end equipment and on-campus facilities such as Cintiq Studios and a wide range of cameras, microphones, and lighting equipment, and via access to The Dow Center FlexLab, and KCAD Library. Graduates will leave the program with the skills and experience needed to pursue career paths in areas such as 2D animation, 3D game art, visual development, interaction design, and motion design.

About Ferris State University: Founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School, Ferris State University began its 2017-2018 academic year with a total enrollment of 13,798 students across all campuses, including 9,860 on the main campus in Big Rapids. Ferris offers more than 190 educational programs through eight colleges including Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Services, Engineering Technology, Health Professions, Pharmacy, KCAD, and Michigan College of Optometry.

About KCAD: One of the eight colleges of Ferris State University, KCAD was founded in 1928. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the school serves more than 1,000 students enrolled in around 24 BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and Certificate programs.

Indiana University Bloomington’s (IU Bloomington) College of Arts and Sciences is home to The Media School. Here, students can earn a BS in Game Design with a Specialization in Game Art, Game Audio, or Game Production; a BA in Media with a Concentration in Interactive and Digital Media: Specialization Game Art, Game Audio, or Game Production, or an MS with a Concentration in Design and Production. A Certificate in New Media and Interactive Storytelling is also available.

All students also have the opportunity to select 15 elective credits to further refine their career path. In addition, BS students may take Human Computer Interaction courses in the School of Informatics and Computing and study abroad courses such as Game Development: Programming and Practice, Rhetoric of Gaming, and Game Development Lab in Copenhagen, Denmark.

About IU Bloomington: Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington) was founded in 1820. The school is the largest and oldest Indiana University campus, serving 43,710 students with a record 583,745 credit hours. The school has more than 550 academic programs across 16 degree-granting colleges and schools, plus the Hutton Honors College.

University of Wisconsin – Stout (UW-Stout) is home to The College of Arts, Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences (CACHSS), which houses the School of Art And Design. Serving more than 1,000 students, the School of Art and Design offers BFAs in Game Design and Development and Entertainment Design, and an MFA in Design. The school says that the BFA is the first and only BFA in Game Design in Wisconsin, Minnesota, & Iowa.

Students in the program gain core skills in art and design such as drawing, 3D modeling, and animation. As a game artist, students will create the visual elements necessary for games including concept art, characters, level design, and animations.

The cross-disciplinary MFA program consists of study in the areas of Entertainment Design, Studio Art, Game Design, Interactive Media, Graphic Design, and more. Courses for the program are delivered through a variety of methods including on-site courses, online, evening, weekend and intensive summer courses. Graduates of the program will be prepared to pursue roles in the academic community and as design professionals and leaders.

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management (CSTEMM), Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science offers a BS in Computer Science with Game Design and Development (GDD) and Mobile Applications (MA) Concentrations, and a Computer Science Minor with nine hours of electives.

A charter member of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance, the Game Design and Development Concentration prepares students to design and develop software programs that use digital imagery and physics to create games, simulations or other applications. The school says, these programs can improve healthcare delivery, transform education, strengthen national security, shape public policy and continue to create social networks.

About UW-Stout: Established in 1891 as The Stout Manual Training School, UW-Stout is a Polytechnic University that serves more than 9,500 students from the U.S. and 47 countries. The school offers 45+ undergraduate majors and 20+ graduate programs across three colleges and six schools.

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) offers a BFA in Entertainment Arts with a Focus in Games, Animation, or Digital Film. Games teaches students how to produce 2-D and 3-D images and concepts for video games. As a complement to the program, students may choose coursework from other areas or a Minor in Animation & Digital Media, Illustration, Fine Arts, or Visual Culture.

All BFA students will take 126 credit hours: 84 in studio areas and 42 in general studies courses.  The school says that in addition to coursework in their chosen major, first-year students take courses in the Foundation Department, where they study drawing, color theory and basic design. Students in all majors also take courses in the Liberal Arts Department, designed to provide them with an understanding of the larger social and cultural context in which they live.

About CCS: Founded in 1906, the College for Creative Studies is home to more than 1,300 students enrolled in over a dozen degree programs across 14 academic departments. Serving 285 students, Entertainment Arts is the school’s largest department.

Ohio University is home to the School of Media Arts & Studies, which serves more than 650 undergraduate students. The School houses the game program, which leads to a BSC in Media Arts & Studies with an Emphasis in Games & Animation (G&A) or a PhD in Mass Communication with a chosen focus area, such as Games. BSC program highlights include courses such as Digital Game Design, Visual Storytelling, Game Development, Sound for Moving Images, and Motion Graphics, and the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab. GRID is an initiative of Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication. The program was developed by the School of Media Arts and Studies faculty and staff to provide the Appalachian Ohio region with training, education, and an opportunity to develop technical and creative skills with digital game technology. The GRID Lab serves as an innovative and creative center for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff research and project development.”

About Ohio University: Established in 1804, Ohio University is home to more than 23,000 students enrolled in 250-plus programs across 11 colleges and 15 schools. Besides the School of Media Arts & Studies, Ohio University houses creative schools such as E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the School of Dance, Film, and Theater, and the Schools of Communication Studies, Visual Communications, and Interdisciplinary Arts.