Miami University’s Games + Simulation program continues to be among the  top Undergraduate Schools for Game Design worldwide according to the recent 2023 rankings by the Princeton Review.

 Miami’s Games + Simulation program in the Department of Emerging Technology in Business + Design (ETBD) ranks in the top 10 for public institutions and is No. 27 overall. Additionally, the program is ranked second in the state of Ohio.

“We’ve been able to stay as one of the top public universities in games for almost 10 years now,” said Michael Bailey-Van Kuren, chair of ETBD. “It shows the continued measure of quality that we provide.”

This is the 14th year for the Princeton Review’s undergraduate game design list.

There are nearly 160 students in the program, which draws interest nationwide. 

“It gets the Miami brand out there,” Bailey-Van Kuren said. “Students are finding our program from all over the country at this point.”

Schools were selected for the Princeton Review list based on a 2022 survey of administrators at 150 schools in the United States and abroad offering game design courses, majors, or degree programs. Information was collected in the areas of academics, faculty, technology, and career prospects. 

More than 40 survey data points were analyzed to compile this year’s list.

"The schools have first-rate programs in game design,” Rob Franek, editor-in-chief for the Princeton Review, said in a press release. “Their facilities are state-of-the-art, and their alumni include many of the industry’s most successful artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs.”

Miami’s Games + Simulation program prepares students for a career or graduate study in game design, development, 3D modeling, creative development, writing or designing, esports, and games in other industries. Students also are encouraged to take creative risks and to think critically about audiences, narratives, and aesthetics in a program that bridges computer science, engineering, education, communication, art, and business. 

Games + Simulation offers nearly 50 games courses and both a major and a minor.

“One of the things that I think is unique about our program is that we include the developer side, the coding side, the game art side, in one interdisciplinary department,” Bailey-Van Kuren said. “We have it all together.”

Two faculty members and 16 students recently attended the 2023 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March 20-24. Bailey-Van Kuren noted faculty members often meet one-on-one with students to discuss opportunities, careers, and potential fields.

“It really comes down to the people,” Bailey-Van Kuren said. “The faculty and the students are what makes the program. It’s nice to get recognized, but it’s the things you see from our people every day.”