Game Design Program Ranks Among the Best

Rating derives from student surveys, admission selectivity, employment data and other factors

Sacred Heart University’s game design program ranks as one of the best in Connecticut and on the East Coast, according to Animation Career Review, an online resource for aspiring animation and game design professionals.

The game design & development program at SHU prepares students for pertinent roles such as computer animator, game designer, programmer, level designer or digital game artist. Students immerse themselves in the game creation process from beginning to end, finishing with a published game. In the motion capture laboratory, they can animate 3D characters. Relevant classes teach programming languages, 3D object creation, story creation, virtual reality and computer ethics. Additionally, students gain experience with industry standard programs such as Unity, Unreal, Glender, Maya and Photoshop.

“It is so rewarding to learn that our game design and development program has been ranked as not only one of the best in the state, but as one of the best on the East Coast,” said Robert McCloud, professor in computer science and information technology for the School of Computer Science & Engineering. “Every one of our students graduates with credit on a published game. Students enrolled in the program emerge fully equipped with the knowledge, experience and competitive edge that they need to succeed in the game design field.”

Animation Career Review based its 2021 rankings on school surveys. Sacred Heart University was judged on academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of the program, value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness, geographic location and employment data.

Photo caption: Student Smit Patel works in the motion capture lab.