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Game designer/creative director education requirements
There are several educational requirements to become a game designer/creative director. Game designer/creative directors usually study graphic design, photography, or animation. 91% of game designer/creative directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 5% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 28 real game designer/creative director resumes to see exactly what game designer/creative director education sections show.
The most common colleges for game designer/creative directors are the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.
There are also many online game designer/creative director courses to help get the education required to be a game designer/creative director.
What education do you need to become a game designer/creative director?
What degree do you need to be a game designer/creative director?
- Bachelor's, 91%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a game designer/creative director?
- Graphic Design, 38%
- Photography, 10%
- Animation, 10%
- Biology, 5%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for game designer/creative directors
| Game designer/creative director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Northern Iowa | 12.50% |
| University of Notre Dame | 12.50% |
| Pepperdine University | 6.25% |
| University of Maryland - Baltimore County | 6.25% |
| New York University | 6.25% |
Best majors for game designer/creative directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 38.1% |
| 2 | Photography | 9.5% |
| 3 | Animation | 9.5% |
| 4 | Biology | 4.8% |
| 5 | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | 4.8% |
Best colleges for game designer/creative directors
The best colleges for game designer/creative directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A game designer/creative director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for game designer/creative directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become game designer/creative directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
20 best online courses for game designer/creative directors
1. User Experience Design Immersive (Full-time)
Launch a future-proof career designing digital experiences that power revenue, user loyalty, and product success. Distinguish yourself as a designer by compiling a portfolio to showcase solo, group, and client projects to employers based on UI design and Agile methodologies...
2. User Experience Design (Part Time)
Translate user wants and needs into intuitive digital experiences that power revenue, loyalty, and product success. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex design problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. UX Designer
Design impactful user experiences for products in today’s digital world. Build a portfolio that showcases your ability to transform user research to high-fidelity interactive designs...
4. Product Design
Learn the steps you need to turn an idea into reality. By the end of this course you’ll learn how to bring an idea from concept to hand off for development and onto creation of a prototype...
5. Welcome To Game Design - Introduction to Game Design Theory
Digital, Board Games and Gamification: find your ideal Game Role in the Game Industry while learning about all areas...
6. Game Writing: Storytelling through Video Game Design
Write and design your own games; develop ideas, character and plot to create a compelling storyworld. (Made with Unity)...
7. Visual Design (Part Time)
Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
8. Intro to UX Design
Are you interested in UX Design, but have no prior experience or an idea of where to start? You’ve come to the right place! In this two-hour livestream, we’ll explore the decision-making process that separates a good user experience from a great one, and learn some tools that you can implement in your own UX process today. All in real time, taught by an industry professional. Come learn the basics and gain the skills you need to begin your UX Design journey!...
9. Harness the Power of Play: The 5 steps of Game Design
Learn how Game Design and Gamification methods are used to change human behavior. The Game Beyond...
10. Become a Game Designer the Complete Series Coding to Design
Master Unity, 3D game design, 2D game design, coding, C#, game development, 3D animation, programming, level design.....
11. Learn Professional 2D Game Asset Graphic Design in Photoshop
Become an exquisite game designer and start creating game art today!...
12. Learn Professional 2D Game Graphic Design in Photoshop
Learn how you can create your own professional game graphics quickly in Photoshop!...
13. All About Gaming Industry Careers & Game Design Fundamentals
2 courses in 1. Explore Career Paths in the Gaming Industry and the Fundamentals of Game Design...
14. Unreal Engine: Intro to Game Design
Like Fortnite? Master the tools used to build it as we build a simple shooting gallery game using the Unreal Engine!...
15. Game Audio 101: How to Create Sounds for Games
Learn game audio, sound design, and sfx creation along with artistic and technical audio skills for beginners...
16. Game Development in JS/TS - The Complete Guide (w/ Phaser 3)
Master game dev with Javascript/Typescript and Phaser 3. Create popular browser games from scratch. Publish on Facebook...
17. The Psychology of Games - Secrets of Good Game Design
Programming alone is not enough to fascinate the players of your video game - Learn the methods!...
18. Unity Basics: A Monetised Android/iOS Game in 4 Hours.
Unity, Basic 3D Game Design with C# Coding. Monetise your games with Ad Support. Suitable for Beginners - Intermediate...
19. The Complete Unity 5 Guide: Unity Game Development Made Easy
Build Your Dream Unity Game; Learn Game Design, Game Development, C#, and Build Complete 2D & 3D Games with Unity Engine...
20. The Ultimate 2D Game Character Design & Animation Course
Learn how to design and animate a character in Photoshop that can stand up as professional work...
Top 10 most affordable universities for game designer/creative directors
The most affordable schools for game designer/creative directors are California State University - Long Beach, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for game designer/creative directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for game designer/creative directors.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
8. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for game designer/creative directors
The hardest universities for game designer/creative directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for game designer/creative directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for game designer/creative directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for game designer/creative directors
The easiest schools for game designer/creative directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and cardinal stritch university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a game designer/creative director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for game designer/creative directors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average game designer/creative director salary by education level
| Game designer/creative director education level | Game designer/creative director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $81,555 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $75,281 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $68,182 |
Game designer/creative director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
