NEW YORK, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com)  -- one of the nation's best-known education services companies -- today issued its fourth annual report naming the schools with the best programs to study video game design.

The report, "Top Schools to Study Video Game Design for 2013," is based on a survey The Princeton Review conducted in 2012-13 of 150 programs at institutions in the U.S.A. and Canada offering video game design coursework and/or degrees.

On The Princeton Review's list of "Top 15" undergraduate schools to study video game design, the University of Utah is #1.  The University of Southern California is #1 on the companion list of "Top 15" graduate schools. The Company gave Honorable Mention designations to 20 additional programs—15 undergraduate and five graduate. Overall, the report salutes 50 game design programs (30 undergraduate/ 20 graduate) at 35 institutions.  (Lists follow.)

The Princeton Review's 50-question survey for this project asked schools to report on a range of topics from academic offerings and faculty credentials to graduates' employment and professional achievements. Among criteria The Princeton Review weighed to make its selections: the school curriculum, faculty, facilities, and infrastructure, plus career services, student scholarships, and financial aid.

The Princeton Review's full report on this project -- accessible at www.princetonreview.com/game-design -- includes profiles of the schools with application information and links to the school sites.   

This year, The Princeton Review partnered with PC Gamer, a monthly magazine published by Future US, as its reporting partner on the project. PC Gamer has a special feature on the list in its May issue.  It is available online tomorrow at www.pcgamer.com, arriving in subscriber mailboxes this week, and on newsstands on April 2. The feature has information on the schools' degree options, class offerings, prominent professors, and alumni, plus fun facts about the school programs.

The Princeton Review's "Top 15 Undergraduate Schools to Study Video Game Design for 2013" are:

1. University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
2. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
3. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
4. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
6. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
7. Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH)
8. Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
9. The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia / CAN)
10. Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
11. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
12. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
13. Becker College (Worcester, MA)
14. New England Institute of Technology (East Greenwich, RI)
15. North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)

The Princeton Review's "Top 15 Graduate Schools to Study Video Game Design for 2013" are:

1. University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
2. University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
3. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
4. Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
5. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
6. DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
8. University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
9. Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
10. Southern Methodist University (Plano, TX)
11. The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
12. New York University / NYU-POLY (New York, NY)
13. Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
14. Parsons The New School for Design (New York, NY)
15. DePaul University (Chicago, IL)

Honorable Mentions – Undergraduate Schools (alpha order):

Bradley University (Peoria, IL)

Champlain College (Burlington, VT)

DePaul University (Chicago, IL)

Ferris State University (Grand Rapids, MI)

Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)

Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)

Miami University (Oxford, OH)

New York University / NYU-POLY (New York, NY)

Northeastern University (Boston, MA)

Oklahoma Christian University (Edmond, OK)

Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT)

University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)

University of Wisconsin – Stout (Menomonie, WI)

Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, British Columbia / CAN)

Honorable Mentions – Graduate Schools (alpha order):

Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)

Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)

Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT)

University at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)

Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's SVP/Publisher, noted the burgeoning interest among students in game design and the exceptional study options available from specialized college majors to concentrated graduate degrees. "We salute the schools on our 2013 list for their commitment to this professional field.  We hope our project will guide students considering careers in game design to schools best for them on our lists and on to companies at which they can apply their creative ideas and skills for the next generation of game players."

The Princeton Review is also known for its annual rankings of colleges, law schools, and business schools in dozens of categories which it reports on its website and in its books including The Best 377 Colleges and The Best Value Colleges.

The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.

About The Princeton Review  
Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc. The Princeton Review delivers its programs via a network of more than 5,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A., Canada, and international franchises. The Company also partners with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to provide students with college readiness, test preparation and career planning services.  

About FUTURE US (publisher of PC Gamer) 
Future Plc is an international media group and leading digital publisher, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). It has operations in the UK, US and Australia creating 200 publications, apps, websites and events. It holds market-leading positions in Technology, Gaming, Entertainment, Creative and Sport & Auto sectors. Future attracts 50 million monthly global unique users to its websites, which include techradar.com, gamesradar.com, bikeradar.com and musicradar.com.  Future sells more than 24 million magazines every year, that's 45 magazines sold every minute. Our most well-known brands in the US include Mac|Life, Maximum PC, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine.  We deliver over 100 digital editions, selling over 2 million products in the last 12 months through Apple's Newsstand for iPad. Future exports or syndicates over 200 publications to over 90 countries.  Future is currently Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year for both the Association of Online Publishers and the Professional Publishers Association.

WEBSITES: 
www.princetonreview.com/game-design.aspx
www.pcgamer.com

SOURCE The Princeton Review