Miami's program combines liberal education with cutting-edge research and design of playful technology.
Miami's program combines liberal education with cutting-edge research and design of playful technology.

Princeton Review names Miami's game design program 25th best

By Margo Kissell, university news and communications

Miami University’s Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies Games Center ranks 25th in the Princeton Review’s latest ranking of undergraduate schools for students “to study — and launch a career in — game design.”

The program moved up five spots from its 30th ranking position last year, according to Top Schools for Game Design 2017 released last week. Among public U.S. universities, Miami's program ranks 7th.

The Princeton Review chose schools based on its 2016 survey of 150 institutions in the United States, Canada and abroad offering game design degree programs or courses. It also ranked the best graduate schools. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from the schools’ game design academic offerings and lab facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and career achievements. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology and career) were analyzed.

“Game design is an exciting field and programs are springing up in colleges all over the world,” said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “We want to help students find the best program for their needs and interests. The top schools on our lists have outstanding faculties and great facilities which will give students the skills and experience they need to pursue a career in this dynamic and burgeoning field.”

Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the schools on the lists also gain valuable professional experience while in school. According to its 2016 survey of administrators at the schools, about 89 percent of their undergrad and/or graduate game design students who graduated in 2016 developed actionable plans to launch games while in school. Moreover, 57 percent of undergrads at these schools worked on games that were shipped before they graduated.

The Princeton Review has reported its game design program rankings annually since 2010. It has teamed up with PC Gamer, a monthly magazine published by Future plc, as its reporting partner on this project since 2013.