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Senior game designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior game designer. Senior game designers usually study graphic design, kinesiology, or computer science. 76% of senior game designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 282 real senior game designer resumes to see exactly what senior game designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior game designers are the Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Mellon University.
There are also many online senior game designer courses to help get the education required to be a senior game designer.
What education do you need to become a senior game designer?
What degree do you need to be a senior game designer?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Master's, 8%
- Associate, 8%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a senior game designer?
- Graphic Design, 17%
- Kinesiology, 12%
- Computer Science, 10%
- Communication, 10%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for senior game designers
| Senior game designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | 10.20% |
| Texas A&M University | 8.16% |
| Columbia College Chicago | 6.12% |
| Full Sail University | 6.12% |
| East Carolina University | 6.12% |
Best majors for senior game designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 17.1% |
| 2 | Kinesiology | 12.4% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 9.5% |
| 4 | Communication | 9.5% |
| 5 | Fine Arts | 6.7% |
Best colleges for senior game designers
The best colleges for senior game designers are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Southern Methodist University.
A senior game designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for senior game designers. 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 senior game designers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
20 best online courses for senior game designers
Advertising disclosure
1. 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...
2. 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)...
3. 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.....
4. 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...
5. Learn Professional 2D Game Graphic Design in Photoshop
Learn how you can create your own professional game graphics quickly in Photoshop!...
6. Learn Professional 2D Game Asset Graphic Design in Photoshop
Become an exquisite game designer and start creating game art today!...
7. 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!...
8. 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!...
9. 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...
10. Level Design Master Class: All in One Complete Course
Everything you need to become a Professional Level Designer in the Game Industry...
11. 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...
12. The Psychology of Color in Game Design & Development
Comprehensive Theory/Psychology Course that Analyzes how Color can affect a Player's Emotion, Actions and Thinking!...
13. Make a horror survival game in Unity
Professional game development for Unity...
14. Substance Designer Basics: Create a Video Game Material
Learn to create professional quality textures for video games with the industry standard tool, Substance Designer...
15. 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...
16. Freemium Principles: Design F2P Games that Generate Revenue
Learn how to Develop & Design Free to Play Games Using Analytics and Monetization that will Gauranteed makes Users Spend...
17. Design Patterns for Game Programming
An exploration of robust modularised code building for games with Unity 2019 and C#...
18. Game Development with Unity 5
trivia game, basics of programming & Unity's UI system,2D games,artificial intelligence, visual effects...
19. Create your own 2D game assets with Inkscape for free!
Design vector 2D game assets: animations, platforms, characters, backgrounds, buttons! 2D game design for beginners!...
20. The Complete Unity 5 Intro - Learn to Build and Design Games
Everything you need to know to get started in the world of Game and Level Development with Unity 5 from the ground up!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for senior game designers
The most affordable schools for senior game designers are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for senior game designers 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 senior game designers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
8. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. Brigham Young University - Hawaii
Laie, HI • Private
In-state tuition
$5,560
Cost of attendance
18,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior game designers
The hardest universities for senior game designers to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Southern Methodist University.
Some great schools for senior game designers 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 senior game designers 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
3. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
4. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,337
5. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. University of Denver
Denver, CO • Private
Admissions rate
56%
SAT average
1,300
9. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,307
10. University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL • Private
Admissions rate
32%
SAT average
1,365
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior game designers
The easiest schools for senior game designers to get into are Wayland Baptist University, kean university, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior game designer 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 senior game designers.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Clarke University
Dubuque, IA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,058
8. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
9. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average senior game designer salary by education level
| Senior game designer education level | Senior game designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $124,874 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $109,609 |
| Doctorate Degree | $125,726 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $88,594 |
Senior game designer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025