Adelphi Ranked a Top 25 Game Design School on the East Coast

Adelphi was a host site for the 2016 Global Game Jam.

Video game design is hot—for obvious reasons. More kids are growing up gaming and opportunities to work in the field are expanding, particularly in New York City—home to a number of video game developers.

Adelphi University students are well-positioned to catch this wave.

AnimationCareerReview.com has recently ranked Adelphi in the Top 25 Game Design Schools and Colleges on the East Coast, based on academic reputation as well as the depth and breadth of the program and its value.

Adelphi offers a number of options for aspiring game designers. The B.S. in Computer Science and the B.S. in Computer and Management Information Systems both offer minors in game development. The College of Arts and Sciences also recently launched an interdisciplinary minor in game design—a joint offering of  a joint offering between the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, the Department of Art and Art History and the Department of Communications.

Distinct advantages of Adelphi’s game development programs include:

Emphasis on computer programming. In contrast to programs at other universities, which are offered through the fine arts, Adelphi’s program is rooted in computer science, which gives Adelphi students a competitive edge in the industry, says Lee Stemkoski, Ph.D., associate professor in the Math and Computer Science department, an experienced video game designer.

Highly flexible and responsive course offerings tailored to students’ interests. Professors design courses based on students’ interests and regularly offer small seminars and independent study options.

Numerous hands-on opportunities for students. Earlier this year Adelphi was a host site for the 2016 Global Game Jam®  and held a game exhibition as part of its annual student research conference. This May, Adelphi students are attending a regional game expo at the Microsoft’s Manhattan office.

A connected alumni network. Two of the first students to take the game programming coursework, Nick Micelli and Chris Dollard, are both software engineers at Google. Other recent graduates have gone into fields such as Web development or network administration, and many exploring options at New York City’s game studios.