Research Report

Survey Captures State of Higher Ed Video Game Programs

Survey_onepage_summary_4pA new survey of 73 higher education video game design programs found that the undergraduate and graduate programs at institutions around the country are attracting far more women and minority participants than computer science and other tech fields.

The survey, produced by the Higher Education Video Game Alliance, creates the first accurate snapshot of the field said Alliance Executive Director and former Senior Policy Analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Constance Steinkuehler.

“The growth of the domain across universities and colleges, coupled with the quantity and diversity of students we attract and keep, clearly demonstrate the strength and relevance of our dynamic and developing field,” she said in a release.

The report found that women make up 30 percent of undergraduate and 33 percent of graduate game design programs, significantly more than the computer science and other STEM programs at the same institutions.

The report also outlined what these game programs look like when it comes to courses, finding that:

Key Findings

  • Classes cover more than 240 subjects ranging from Advanced Drawing and 3D Modeling to Artificial Intelligence and Computer Programming in C++ to Marketing Principles and Business Law.
  • Only 20% currently require a practicum and only 18% of programs currently require an internship.
  • More than half of responding institutions offer a bachelor’s degree. Roughly half offer a graduate degree.

The survey also reported, “game-based programs in higher education account for a total of 7,675 undergraduate students in the United States and four other countries… The average undergraduate video game-related program has 172 enrolled students; the average graduate program has 46 students.”

The report was produced by a consortium of higher ed programs aimed at expanding the impact of higher education experts on media coverage and policy making connected to gaming.