As one of the most dynamic and populated states in America, Texas has some of the most well-known gaming studios and hosts some unique aspects of the gaming industry. Naturally, the state has some well-known gaming college programs that interact with the local studios and provide a route for fresh talent into the gaming industry. If you’re looking for a good school for a gaming degree, start with these.
If you’re looking to start a game design program, any of these schools could provide education and networking to get you on the cutting edge of the growing gaming industry. Texas is a great place to live and work if you want this career, so don’t hesitate to apply if your heart is set on this type of career.
St. Edward’s University
As a school for students looking for a game design degree, St. Edward’s University wants to prepare its students for the modern scope of the industry. For applicants, the degree program works to better prepare you for the constant changes to business models, technology, and even ideas. Everything has a shelf life, and if you’re looking for a career, you must be ready.
St. Edward’s adapted to Austin, a city famous for its numerous game studios and overall importance as a major industry hub. Companies like Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and BioWare, well-known major developers. may offer great ways for students to find an in route, especially through local networking events. Students from St. Edward’s have gone on to work for so many of these companies too!
With a four-year major degree, students will have many opportunities for growth, learning, and hands-off experience and feedback. Students will make a game every year and show it off at a fair. Other major events include alumni fairs to see what careers they’ve embarked on, study abroad programs, community service-related development groups, and eventually internships. All you need to do is apply!
University of the Incarnate Word
A degree from the University of the Incarnate Word in 3D Animation and Game Design prepares students for an ever-changing and adapting industry by providing diverse experiences. In this ever-evolving technology, technique, and business industry, students need to meet unique demands by developing new skill sets. Jobs in these fields can be highly demanding, and UIW offers an excellent education for them.
The 3D Animation and Game Design program at UIW takes place over four years with a set curriculum, with three other unique pathways for concentrations in Management, Modeling, and Programming. While the degree includes a group of core classes for everyone regardless of concentration, your desired concentration will significantly affect what you learn and what expertise you develop.
Throughout the degree program, students will build a portfolio that will require review multiple times over the entire four-year course. By the end, they should have a professional quality portfolio impressive enough to land a job with. Students from UIW have gone on careers all across the industry and even in films. For example, Sony Entertainment has animation studios for games and films that alumni have joined. This San Antonio-based university earns its place as a great school for gaming.
Baylor University
Another top-notch college program for gaming in one of the hubs of the industry, Baylor University in Waco, Texas, wants students to engage with their program. The degree website has student-run features, such as a blog, a list of those involved, and even ongoing projects. If you’re looking to get noticed by developers and future employers, this offers an excellent way for engagement and ease of networking.
While not a full degree program, Baylor offers gaming as a course concentration. This group of four classes extends the efforts of the Computer Science degree to expand education and opportunities. These classes focus on extensive game-building projects, which give hands-on experience. If you want an idea of what you would do as a student, this is an excellent way to form an idea of the scope and experience you’ll receive.
The faculty at Baylor University has a unique focus in the classroom, researching user interface design and accessibility. Both of these topics stand out as significant focuses for improvement and innovation for the gaming industry. The American portion of the industry has made great strides towards this, providing ways for people previously unable to play games! The classes and designs at Baylor focus on these with their projects, instilling them as critical features for future generations of designers to count as crucial for growth.
If you’re interested in applying to Baylor, check out the student blog to see what’s happening. Here, you can see what people are working on, and some ideas students want to pitch. Some students even write personal profiles with their favorite games if you’re looking for something to play.
University of Texas at Austin
As a relatively new program started in 2020, the Game Development and Design Program at the University of Texas at Austin exists as a joint venture between three other departments. As a combined venture, the new classes better provide for those students interested in learning more about the gaming industry. Many of these programs help develop creative content and even software to better provide for other industries to do their design-based jobs, like architecture and film.
Some new classes focus on significant subjects such as coding, modeling, design and narrative, and so much more. If you want to expand your options, a degree in art, film, or computer science can be blown wide open with some experience in working in the gaming industry from these classes. The variety and ability to schedule these more elective-style classes could also provide an idea of what sort of career you want to enter in the first place. As more options open every year and industries grow and evolve, students have more and more opportunities to try new things!
