Digital Animation and Game Design students and faculty from the Ferris-Grand Rapids
campus celebrate a fifth straight year of inclusion in The Princeton Review's “Top
Schools for Undergraduate Game Design.” Ferris is No. 17, up one spot from the 2018
report.
Ferris State University's Bachelor of Science program in Digital Animation and Game Design welcomed word of another top-20 ranking, for its instruction in game design, from The Princeton Review, of Framingham, Massachusetts.
The college admission services company will publish its 10th annual rankings report in the May issue of PC Gamer magazine, with Ferris’ DAGD program listed 17th among 50 schools honored for their undergraduate game design instruction. This is the fifth straight year that Ferris has been named in The Princeton Review report, and the program moved up one spot, compared to the Top Game Design Schools 2018 rankings.
School of Digital Media Assistant Professor David Baker is the DAGD program coordinator. He noted that Ferris students were College Game Competition finalists at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, and champions in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2018.
“The fact that awards have come our students’ way further illustrates our status among all programs,” Baker said. “We strive to provide a real-world educational product, so our students gain high-level skills and a good understanding of best practices in the gaming industry.”
The University of Southern California has repeated as the top school for undergraduate game design studies, and The Princeton Review report on graduate programs saw New York University advance one spot to claim its No. 1 honor. Baker said that the program is asked to submit information on more than 40 data points, related to academics, faculty, technology and career prospects for its students.
“We are always moving the curricula forward, carefully assessing whether an emergent industry trend will be important and appropriate in the longer term,” Baker said. “We make sure our students understand that they are lifelong learners in this field, so they can assess and apply the latest technologies, once they enter and progress in the industry.”
Baker also said that opportunities continue to develop for DAGD students, whether they pursue positions with studios, game manufacturers or branch off into corporate applications of their talents.
“Companies are finding our students have outstanding skills as game developers, animators or creators of three-dimensional renderings for manufacturers like Steelcase,” Baker said. “With game-based training applications being developed to stimulate learning in the workplace, the opportunities for DAGD graduates seem limitless.”
PC Gamer subscribers were to receive their May issues during the week of March 18,
the publication reaches newsstands on Tuesday, March 26.