The undergraduate Game Design Specialization at MSU’s Telecommunication, Information Studies & Media has earned a #5 ranking on The Princeton Review's second annual list saluting the best undergraduate schools in the U.S. and Canada to study video game design. 

Compiled by The Princeton Review, one of America’s best-known education services companies, 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.   

This ranking comes at an auspicious time for the program, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. Game design professor Brian Winn says, “Most human resource heads I speak with in the game industry state that they are looking for individuals, not only with the skills necessary to do their job today, but the knowledge and creativity to learn, adapt, and transform into their job tomorrow. Technologies, tools, and techniques rapidly change in the game industry. Students need to be strong, creative problem solvers with excellent communication and teamwork skills. Michigan State University provides this education, not only through the specific courses students will take as part of their major and in this specialization, but also through the excellent liberal arts education they will earn along the way.” In addition to our undergraduate specialization in game design, we also offer a graduate track in serious game design for master’s students.

The experience of designing games isn’t limited to college students; TISM also provides summer camps to high school and middle school students. The Game Design and Advanced Game Design Summer Camps encourages the younger set to explore and learn about the many aspects of game design. The camps, which also include Music Recording, Television Production, and Digital Cinema, take place in July.

In addition, TISM recently hosted Meaningful Play, an international conference about “designing and studying games that matter.” Attendees from 26 different states and as far as Hong Kong listened to and participated in talks and workshops, all led by respected game design professionals and researchers.

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. To view the full rankings and methodology behind them, visit Princeton Review. Also look for the rankings reported in the April GamePro magazine (on newsstands March 8, 2011) and on the GamePro website.

About The Princeton Review

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