{"id":29992,"date":"2023-03-28T11:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T15:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=29992"},"modified":"2025-07-23T14:59:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T18:59:52","slug":"ucf-video-game-design-programs-among-the-best-in-the-world-for-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-video-game-design-programs-among-the-best-in-the-world-for-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Video Game Design Programs Among the Best in the World for 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Central Florida excels as one of the nation\u2019s top talent pipelines for a rapidly growing gaming industry that fuels Central Florida\u2019s economy and is projected to be worth more than $300 billion worldwide by 2026.<\/p>\n

In UCF\u2019s undergraduate and graduate game design programs, talented students learn from world-class faculty with strong industry experience, and they graduate well-prepared for success in their careers.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a main reason why The Princeton Review and PC Gamer <\/em>consistently recognize the programs to be among the best in the world. This year, UCF\u2019s graduate game design program, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA)<\/a>, ranks No. 2 \u2014 its fourth consecutive year in the top two.<\/p>\n

The undergraduate program within UCF\u2019s Nicholson School for Communication and Media \u2014the games and interactive media program (GaIM)<\/a> \u2014 climbed seven spots since last year to rank No. 6 in the world, its highest ranking ever.<\/p>\n

The annual rankings of undergraduate and graduate institutions offering the best programs in game design cover the U.S., Canada and five European countries.<\/p>\n

The two programs are located at UCF Downtown in Orlando\u2019s Creative Village, where graduate and undergraduate students learn the tools and techniques to be artists, programmers and producers in the gaming industry. The Creative Village is also home to Electronic Arts\u2019 new office, putting students just steps away from internship and job opportunities.<\/p>\n

FIEA has graduated 940 students, many of whom created video games together in an industry-like setting before graduating.  In 2022, 88% of FIEA graduates were hired. About half of FIEA graduates stay in Central Florida after graduation, with the mean starting salary topping $71,000 for gaming grads. Top employers include Electronic Arts, Iron Galaxy Studios, Epic Games, Ubisoft Red Storm and Microsoft Games.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor nearly 15 years, UCF\u2019s FIEA graduate video game development program has been one of the top five programs in the world. \u2026 This foundation has allowed us to become the leading area in the U.S. that\u2019s building the Metaverse,\u201d Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said during his \u201cState of Downtown\u201d address in December. Dyer also said Orlando has the highest concentration of game developer licenses in the country.<\/p>\n

Like FIEA, GaIM at UCF\u2019s Nicholson School for Communication and Media<\/a> has earned national recognition \u2014 in large part due to its faculty, many of whom have both industry and academic experience. In 2022, 79% of undergraduates in the program were hired, with a mean salary of $52,036.<\/p>\n

\u201cGaIM faculty undertake cutting-edge work in games and interactive media, including immersive storytelling, virtual and augmented reality, and accessibility in games \u2014 expertise they funnel into their course offerings and mentorship of our students,\u201d says Professor Natalie Underberg-Goode, assistant director of the program.<\/p>\n

GaIM undergraduate courses cover video game design and production, web and social platforms, and interactive experiences that combine art, storytelling, design and technology.<\/p>\n

The Princeton Review ranks top college programs for video game design after surveying administrators at 150 institutions offering game design coursework and\/or degrees. The survey covers a wide range of topics, from academic rigor to faculty credentials and graduates\u2019 career outcomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Central Florida excels as one of the nation\u2019s top talent pipelines for a rapidly growing gaming industry that fuels Central Florida\u2019s economy and is projected to be worth more than $300 billion worldwide by 2026. In UCF\u2019s undergraduate and graduate game design programs, talented students learn from world-class faculty with strong industry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":29993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3,37,5967,28,29,6514],"tags":[6356,6416,2479],"class_list":["post-29992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards","category-communication","category-notables","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","category-ucf-today","tag-fiea","tag-gaim","tag-nicholson-school-of-communication"],"yoast_head":"\nUCF Video Game Design Programs Among the Best in the World for 2023 - College of Sciences News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-video-game-design-programs-among-the-best-in-the-world-for-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UCF Video Game Design Programs Among the Best in the World for 2023 - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Central Florida excels as one of the nation\u2019s top talent pipelines for a rapidly growing gaming industry that fuels Central Florida\u2019s economy and is projected to be worth more than $300 billion worldwide by 2026. 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