March 22, 2024, Filed Under: Press Releases, Student Success#1 in Texas, #2 in the Southwest: University of Texas at Austin Game Development and Design Department Stands Out as an Undergraduate Gaming Program Courtesy of Animation Career Review In a 2024 analysis by the Animation Career Review – one of the most valuable resources for prospective students and employers – the University of Texas at Austin’s Game Development and Design Program was ranked #1 in Texas undergraduate game design and development programs and #2 in undergraduate game design and development programs in the Southwestern U.S. In its analysis of the GDAD program, the Animation Career Review praised GDAD’s 93% employment rate six months after graduation and its multidisciplinary approach to gaming through its courses in Arts and Entertainment Technologies (AET), Computer Science (CS), and Radio-Television-Film (RTF). Animation Career Review stressed that this multidisciplinary approach is key in cultivating well-rounded game developers, as students gain visualization and coding skills from CS, narrative design and cinematic arts from RTF, and design and interactivity skills from AET. In addition to GDAD’s interdisciplinary approach, Animation Career Review highlighted GDAD’s focus on collaborative projects as they help students develop their portfolios and land positions at companies like Google, IBM, Amazon, Zynga, Electronic Arts, Everi, Apple, Wizards of the Coast, and more. Today, UT GDAD ranks 16th nationwide in game design programs, moving up 2 spaces from its position last year (18th) while maintaining its position as the number one undergraduate program in Texas and the second-ranked undergraduate program in the Southwest. Professor Toprac, head of the GDAD program stated, “While this ranking is certainly a cause for celebration, we’re not stopping here – we’re determined to make GDAD the number one program in not just the Southwest, but the nation. With students being shortlisted for the Yugo BAFTA Student Awards, presenting at the Game Developers Conference, and placing in the top 5 in Global Game Jams, it’s safe to say that UT GDAD is well on its way to doing just that – and we look forward to seeing more student success in the future!” The Game Development and Design (GDAD) Program at The University of Texas at Austin is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program between the departments of Arts and Entertainment Technologies, Computer Science, and Radio-Television-Film. The program produces graduates ready to design, develop, and provide leadership for the exploding growth in game, metaverse applications, and creative media agencies and studios in Texas and around the world. For more information on the GDAD Program, please visit gamedev.utexas.edu.
