CSC News
NC State's Video Game Design Program One of The Princeton Review's Top 15
NC State University has been recognized as one of the top undergraduate programs to teach video game design and development on The Princeton Review’s second annual list saluting the best schools in the U.S. and Canada. The list, “Top Schools for Video Game Design Study for 2011,” salutes 30 institutions in all (15 undergraduate and 15 graduate) for their outstanding game design education programs. NC State received an Honorable Mention on the top 15 undergraduate program listing.The Princeton Review developed its “Top Schools for Video Game Design Study" list in 2009-2010 in partnership with GamePro, one of the most respected brands in the video game industry, reaching over 3 million gamers a month.
The list for 2011 names 10 undergraduate and 10 graduate schools in ranked order 1 to 10. Five additional schools in each group are recognized as Honorable Mentions. Reported in the April GamePro magazine (on newsstands March 8, 2011), the list is also accessible on the websites of The Princeton Review at www.princetonreview.com/game-design.aspx and GamePro at http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/218324/the-princeton-reviews-top-10-grad-undergrad-game-design-schools/.
USA TODAY has also published an article about the list in its online edition: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/02/usc-retains-top-spot-among-video-game-design-programs/1.
The schools were chosen based on a survey of administrators at 150 schools offering video game design programs and/or degrees in the United States and Canada. Conducted during the 2010-11 academic year, the Princeton Review survey included more than 50 questions. Topics ranged from academics, curriculum, and faculty credentials to graduates’ employment and career achievements. School selections were based on a comprehensive analysis of data that analyzed the quality of the curriculum, faculty, facilities, and infrastructure, plus the school's scholarships, financial aid and career services.
Dr. R. Michael Young, associate professor of computer science and co-director of the Digital Games Research Center at NC State, said, “NC State has a unique program that blends games courses taught in world-class engineering and design colleges. Instructors work with North Carolina games industry leaders like Epic Games, Red Storm Entertainment and many others to ground class work in real-world practices. As a result, our graduates are trained as excellent software developers or designers with all the tools they need to hit the ground running at a game company."Said Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP/Publisher, “It has long been our mission to help students find – and get in to – the schools best for them to pursue their interests and develop their talents. For the burgeoning number of students aspiring to become game designers, we highly recommend NC State as one of the best and most innovate places to study and succeed in this exciting field. We also salute the faculty and administrators in the Computer Science Department at NC State, and the other schools on our 2011 list for their extraordinary programs and commitment to students. "
For more information on the computer science department’s undergraduate concentration in game development, click here.
For more information on the NC State Digital Games Research Center, click here.
~coates~
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