Tomorrow鈥檚 leading video game developers are聽being built today at 麻豆原创.

The university鈥檚 graduate video gaming program, , and undergraduate program continue to develop a pipeline of聽talent to fuel Florida鈥檚 economy聽at a standard of excellence few can match, affirmed by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer鈥檚 Top Video Game Design Schools 2026 rankings.

The Princeton Review and聽PC Gamer聽has recognized FIEA as one of the top two programs of its kind in the world six of the past seven years.

GaIM improved two spots from last year to its highest ranking, rising to No. 3 in the world. Both programs continue to hold the title of No. 1 in the South.

Strategy for Success

Since their inception, FIEA and GaIM have modeled their classrooms as close to a real-world, studio-like environment as possible, led by faculty with industry experience. That real-world perspective shapes every course, every project and every student who graduates.

鈥淥ur program intentionally emulates a collaborative ecosystem with a range of diverse talent in artists, designers and programmers, which is crucial to developing products and intellectual property,鈥� says Nicholas Zuccarello, a 3D art instructor at FIEA who has previously worked for Sony Online Entertainment and Electronic Arts Tiburon. 鈥淲e even structure projects to emulate real-world development pipelines as closely as possible within an educational setting.鈥�

Orlando: A Leading Tech Hub

With Electronic Arts (EA) and Iron聽Galaxy Studios located less than a mile from聽the programs鈥� home base in downtown鈥檚 , Orlando is the perfect setting to transition from college to career and now mentioned in the same breath alongside traditional tech-giant territories San Francisco, Seattle聽and Los Angeles.

Many alums go directly into the game industry including Epic, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and more.

FIEA has graduated 1,160 students since its first class in 2006 鈥� about 100 of whom worked on several of the most popular games sold in the U.S. in 2025, including EA SPORTS College Football 26, EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

But it鈥檚 not just the gaming聽companies that eagerly hire聽FIEA and GaIM graduates. The skills聽taught in the two programs align perfectly聽with some of Orlando鈥檚 top industries.

Graduates land roles in the modeling, simulation and training sector. Others find their footing in medical technology, where interactive systems and game-based design are transforming how clinicians train and how patients heal. Knights can be found at many of the region鈥檚 big-name employers, including Disney, EA, Lockheed Martin, and Universal Destinations & Experiences, among others.

鈥淥ur students don鈥檛 just make games, they develop the creative and technical fluency to work wherever those skills are needed.鈥� 鈥� Associate Professor Peter Smith 鈥�05MS 鈥�12PhD

鈥淥ur students don鈥檛 just make games, they develop the creative and technical fluency to work wherever those skills are needed,鈥� says Associate Professor Peter Smith 鈥�05MS 鈥�12PhD, who serves as the associate director of GaIM. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what makes GaIM graduates competitive across industries. It is a true honor to see The Princeton Review recognizing this accomplishment of our students and faculty.鈥�

Nitin Bakshi 鈥�21, who joined FIEA鈥檚 faculty as a technical art instructor after graduating with his master鈥檚 in interactive entertainment, says the program takes great pride that many of our alumni continue to live and work in Florida, contributing directly to the local economy.

鈥淭hese companies rely on artists, designers and programmers who understand real-time production,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat is exactly the kind of training our program is built around.鈥�

Serious Business

Interest in the program has risen in the past year. FIEA recently drew its largest applicant pool with more than 200 applicants resulting in 90 new enrollees, the largest cohort to date.

For good reason.

The average starting salary for a FIEA graduate is $83,000, and 80% of graduates are in their desired fields at over 400 companies around the world.

The global market size for gaming, hardware and software sales is more than $189 billion (NewZoo鈥檚 2025 Global Games Market Report), overshadowing music and movie industries combined.

鈥淎dapting to the needs of the industry has always been one of our strengths,鈥� Bakshi says. 鈥淲hether it is new real-time technologies, new platforms, or new ways of collaboration, we work hard to make sure the program grows along with the field. Seeing the program attract more talented students each year, while continuing to evolve with the industry, is what makes me most excited about the future and about the impact these programs will continue to have.鈥�

Climbing the Leaderboard

麻豆原创鈥檚 GaIM improved two spots from last year to its highest ranking, rising to No. 3 in the world and continues to hold the title of the No. 1 program in the South.

The bachelor鈥檚 in digital media with a track in game degree design blends theory and practice with a sharp focus on industry readiness. The program stands out as one of the few programs that combine a strong emphasis on both art and technology.

Students develop skills in programming, game design, game programming, as well as 2D and 3D art and visual effects.

The GaIM Maker Space lab, located on the 麻豆原创 Downtown campus, reflects that commitment in concrete terms: nearly $500,000 in mixed-reality technology including augmented and virtual reality, motion capture, physical computing, 3D printing, and web and mobile development equipment, alongside dedicated research space for applied work.

The impact on the quality of the students鈥� education and training is undeniable.

鈥淭he tools the maker space provides are integrated deeply into virtually every class in GaIM,鈥� Smith says. 鈥淪tudents in early classes are printing board games and 3D printing game pieces, seniors are recording audio and motion capture sequences that are integrated directly into their capstone projects.鈥�

The Rankings鈥� Methodology

The Princeton Review and PC Gamer鈥檚 game design school rankings are based on more than 40 data points derived from the company鈥檚 survey of administrators at 150 schools offering game design courses and/or degrees. Most of the institutions are in the U.S., with two in Canada and four abroad. The 50-question survey covered four areas: academics, faculty, technology and career topics.

Since 2017, the KB Foundation has supported Philadelphia鈥檚 youth through educational experiences and mentorship. This immersive Orlando trip combined two of the organization鈥檚 programs to advance learning for its KB Foundation mentees, including youth from 20 high schools who have participated in college prep or lunch and learn programs since middle school. Founder and CEO Kirk Berry says that he wants the students who participate in the program to learn about careers through immersive experiences and make the right choices for their future.

鈥淎t the KB Foundation Inc., our approach to career exploration activities is about exposing our youth to what it is like for a day in the life of any given career,鈥� Berry says. 鈥淗earing about a career is one way to learn, but spending time doing a small part of the career is a more impactful way to learn about it.鈥�

College Possible, an organization working to broaden educational opportunities for youths, also attended this exploratory Orlando field trip for KB Foundation mentees.

Tyler Cholminski, a high school junior and mentee, says the KB Foundation and College Possible programs are helping him prepare for his future.

鈥淚 just started with the program a month ago,鈥� Cholminski says. 鈥淭hey have already taught me so much. More than just preparing for college, I’ve learned about life.鈥�

The KB Foundation recognizes 麻豆原创鈥檚 strong ties to the gaming industry through its successful FIEA alumni, which inspired them to visit the university.

鈥淭his partnership came about because our vice president of operations and programming, Justin Fishman,鈥� Berry says. 鈥淗e saw it as an opportunity to give our youth an opportunity to experience an extremely specialized career field. Since the 麻豆原创 has a direct career path to the gaming industry, it will show our youth what is required to pursue such a skilled profession.鈥�

Berry says the trip will give students a fresh perspective on gaming, which already plays a significant part in many of their lives.

鈥淭his trip will have a tremendous impact on our youth because many of them play games and only participate as consumers,鈥� Berry says.聽 鈥淭he opportunity to learn about the pathway into this specific industry will be life-changing for the students.鈥�

During the students鈥� trip to FIEA, they had the opportunity to listen to executive director Ben Noel speak about what their future could look like with a career in gaming.

鈥淔IEA has one of the top graduate programs in gaming for the past six years,鈥� Noel says. 鈥淓lectronic Arts, Microsoft, and Iron Galaxy are all up the street from us. Twenty years ago, game development was not prevalent in Downtown Orlando. Today, there are 2,500 developers working in Orlando. Things like this happen in cities when they really focus on doing things.鈥�

After Noel finished his talk with the students, they had the opportunity to tour FIEA to immerse themselves in the technology utilized for game development and education.

Students learned about the technology and work that goes into creating virtual reality games and, through a demo, stepped onto the sets of popular shows, movies, and games such as Mario Kart, Harry Potter, and Stranger Things.

Students went behind the scenes to learn more about the magic behind motion capture and try it for themselves. They geared up in motion capture suits and showcased their basketball skills on the court and the big screen.

Rahim Gardner, a sophomore attending high school in South Philadelphia, shares why this trip means so much to him.

鈥淭his experience means the world to me because I was granted the opportunity to come here,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning a lot, and I get to see what is outside of Philadelphia in the world.鈥�

This year, we are honored to welcome guest speaker Daryl Holt, senior vice president and group general manager for EA Tiburon Studios and American Football. By leveraging industry partners such as Electronic Arts (EA), 麻豆原创 Downtown strengthens Central Florida鈥檚 talent pipeline and contributes to the region鈥檚 economic vitality. Daryl will be joined by moderator Thad Seymour Jr., former interim president of 麻豆原创 and current president of the Lake Nona Institute.

The , 麻豆原创鈥檚 graduate program in game design, has been ranked No. 1 in the world for four of the past five years. Additionally, the emergency management graduate program has earned a No. 1 national ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

Crossroads will take place Thursday, Nov. 21, in room 106 of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons at the 麻豆原创 Downtown campus. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Parking is available in the Parramore parking garage at 316 N. Parramore Ave.

Five years ago, with the support of Dr. Phillips Charities, the largest private gift was made to create the newly developed 麻豆原创 Downtown campus for 麻豆原创 and Valencia College students. It is these deep roots in industry partnership that inspired 麻豆原创 to commemorate the campus鈥檚 fifth anniversary with the fourth annual Crossroads Speaker Series.

For more information and to register, .

Guests are encouraged to submit questions in advance for Daryl Holt via email to donorrelations@ucf.edu.

A total of 16 undergraduate and 12 graduate/professional teams gathered in the largest classroom at 麻豆原创 Downtown for the inaugural FIEA Collegiate Game Jam on Jan. 12. Teams made up of artists, programmers and other game developers raced for 43.5 hours with the difficult task of designing and developing a video game based on a theme that was announced at the beginning of the jam: sunshine.

Each team was comprised of up to four undergraduate students or graduate students from universities across Florida, alumni, or working professionals from several tech industries. While many 麻豆原创 students and alumni participated, others from Full Sail University, Stetson University, University of Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Florida Polytechnic University also participated. At the graduate/professional level, many FIEA alumni and grad students formed teams, as well as grad students from Full Sail. Professionals working at Third Time Entertainment, Iron Galaxy, Electronic Arts (EA), Game Sim, Netflix, Ubisoft Red Storm and other tech companies brought their experience to compete as well.

By 3 p.m. on Jan. 14, all teams concluded development and made their games ready for testing. Judges, participants, and supporters walked around and playtested a variety of games developed during the jam. While most games were developed for PC, a few virtual reality games made an appearance, and one-person team Day of the Dev 鈥� represented by Day Cho, a graduate student from 麻豆原创 鈥� created a game playable and loaded on a Gameboy.

Judges for the undergraduate division consisted of Paul Weiler and Stephen Cano from Iron Galaxy, and Raghib Tyler from EA Orlando. At the graduate/professional level, two judges from Florida Polytechnic, Christian Navarro and Brad Towle, and University of Florida鈥檚 Nick Heitzman, stepped in to decide the winners.

“Through all the grind and sleepless nights, we knew that we could trust and support one another, and that was absolutely my favorite part of the game jam.” 鈥� Jeffrey Zhang, CAT 4 Team Captain

The first place prize for the graduate/professional division team went to FIEA鈥檚 own Cohort 20 team, CAT 4. Team captain Jeffrey Zhang described the object: 鈥淚n CATastrophe: Sunshine Shenanigans, you play as a pair of greedy cats who are fighting the other cats for the perfect sunbathing spot. Your goal is to hog all the sunlight to yourself by creating a giant Rube Goldberg machine to lure, scare, or otherwise remove all the other cats from the center of the cafe.鈥�

For CAT 4, developing a winning game under such a quick turnaround was no easy feat.

鈥淲e had set a goal to include all of the cats of our fellow classmates in the game,鈥� Zhang says. 鈥淭hat sounds like a cute goal, but it鈥檚 much less cute when you鈥檙e up at two (o’clock) in the morning retopologizing four different 3D models of cats. Programming the game was filled with just as many challenges, like when I presented eight hours worth of work to the other programmer, and he responsed with a simple, 鈥榃ait, none of that is going to work with what I have.’鈥�

Playthrough From CAT 4’s Winning Video Game Submission

All four members of CAT 4 received a $200 Universal Orlando gift card and a trophy for winning first place in the graduate/professional division. Team Chasm from Florida Polytechnic University took first place in the undergraduate division with a cat-themed game, and each member received a Nintendo Switch Lite. Second place winners in both divisions received $50 Best Buy gift cards, and third place winners received $25 Best Buy gift cards.

鈥淒espite all the hardships, I loved working on this game, and I loved working together with my teammates,鈥� Zhang says. 鈥淔rom the beginning, it was clear that we all had the same passion 鈥� not only for cats, but also for creating a game we could all be proud of. Through all the grind and sleepless nights, we knew that we could trust and support one another, and that was absolutely my favorite part of the game jam.鈥�

The 聽and local partners are sponsoring the half-day conference aimed at educating and inspiring people with disabilities.

鈥淭he gaming and simulation industries are places where people from all backgrounds can thrive,鈥� says FIEA executive director Ben Noel. 鈥淲e want to show the disability community in Central Florida all the resources and opportunities for people who want to choose one of these exciting careers.鈥�

鈥淭he gaming and simulation industries are places where people from all backgrounds can thrive.鈥� 鈥� Ben Noel, FIEA executive director

Graduate student Aaron Cendan, who is pursuing a degree in interactive entertainment, is already immersed in finding ways to make games more accessible to everyone. Inspired by a friend who could no longer play games because of a hand issue, Cendan decided to take action.

鈥淚 was surprised to find no custom controllers out there on the market, so I decided to try and build them myself,鈥� says Cendan. In 2018, he formed Stickless, a company that makes custom controllers for competitive and disabled gamers. Now he鈥檚 got more orders than he can fill and is pleased to see Press Play address the needs of disabled people.

鈥淔or so long accessibility was an afterthought in the game industry, and in every industry really,鈥� Cendan says. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 no longer the case. So, to have an event that is so welcoming and informing for people with disabilities is really incredible.鈥�

He will have a table at the event with some of his custom controllers on display.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. with keynote speaker Karen Stevens from Electronic Arts. Stevens is a software engineer and the accessibility lead at EA, one of the co-sponsors of the event.

Afterward, participants can select two of four workshops offered:

Parents can attend a panel discussion about how to prepare children for careers in video game and technology fields. Experts from higher education and technology companies will offer practical advice about how to pay for education and how to land that first job. Experts from 麻豆原创 will discuss resources available for students with disabilities.

The cost is $5, which covers lunch and a T-shirt in addition to the day鈥檚 activities. Limited scholarships are available. To sign up, visit: .

Sponsors are: Marriott, UCP of Central Florida, Orlando Science Center, Limbitless Solutions, Orlando Economic Partnership, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, City of Orlando and 麻豆原创鈥檚 Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

FIEA鈥檚 first class of 12 students started Aug. 22, 2005. Since then, the program has enrolled more than 500 students and is the largest graduate program in 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Arts & Humanities. It was named the No. 2 graduate game design program in the world this year by the Princeton Review.

The commemorative events include tailgating before the 麻豆原创 football game on Thursday, a private party for FIEA alumni and guests Friday, and a FIEA student gaming tournament Saturday. Faculty, students and staff will be available to talk to media during all these events.

The program鈥檚 economic impact is apparent here and across the globe. More than 125 companies have hired FIEA鈥檚 421 alumni, including brands such as Rovio, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, Blizzard, Bungie, Cartoon Network, Disney and Marvel. About 45 percent of graduates stay in Florida to work, mostly at local companies such as Iron Galaxy Orlando, n-Space, Electronic Arts and Lockheed Martin. Students who graduated in 2013 had a mean base salary of $60,359.

鈥淭en years ago we created a unique graduate program to serve an industry and area in need of talented employees,鈥� said FIEA executive director Ben Noel. 鈥淭oday, through hard work and great collaborations we鈥檙e hoping to train the next generation of game developers, filmmakers, artists and digital entrepreneurs. I couldn鈥檛 be more proud of our graduates and what they鈥檝e accomplished so far.鈥�

The program started from a unique partnership between 麻豆原创, the State of Florida and Electronic Arts. It was created in May 2004, when the Florida Legislature provided $4.2 million in start-up funding. Electronic Arts helped with the formation of the program and in the early development of the curriculum. On Aug. 24, 55 more grad students started the program as part of FIEA鈥檚 12th class.

鈥淲ith one out of every seven of our current, core product-development-team members coming from the FIEA program, we can certainly state that 麻豆原创鈥檚 decision to create FIEA to respond to the needs of our growing industry has paid dividends greater than we imagined,鈥� said EA Studios vice president and group chief operating officer Daryl Holt. 鈥淲e turned to 麻豆原创 because of the university鈥檚 commitment to partnership and its track record of excellence. The entire digital media community benefits from this commitment, as do graduates who are becoming leaders in the field and helping cement Central Florida鈥檚 position as an industry leader.鈥�

In 2005, the City of Orlando leased 麻豆原创 space at the former Orlando Expo Center at 500 W. Livingston St. (now Bentley Street) to house FIEA and other digital media programs. The building was renamed 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Emerging Media in 2010.

鈥淲e are proud to celebrate FIEA鈥檚 10-year anniversary,鈥� said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. 鈥淔or our city to continue to thrive, we must attract and retain top talent, and FIEA鈥檚 success over the last 10 years has played an essential role in developing the jobs of the future. FIEA provides a pipeline of incredible talent to Orlando鈥檚 gaming, entertainment and simulation companies, which has resulted in tremendous growth for this industry.鈥�

Rogier van Etten, a technical artist at local video game developer Iron Galaxy Orlando, said: “FIEA not only sharpened my programming and art skills but it also taught me how to work on large teams of creative people. It certainly helped get me where I am today in my career.”

In 2014, the school opened FIEA Ventures, a state-of-the-art digital media workspace designed for encouraging start-up companies in a creative environment. The program is available exclusively to FIEA alumni and provides start-ups with office and meeting space, a 20-seat theater, mentorships, equipment, and access to technology and expertise. Tenants also have access to the building鈥檚 audio, motion capture and films studios, collectively called Studio 500.

For a full agenda of the week鈥檚 events as well as historical photos, go to .

FIEA Ventures and FIEA are located in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center For Emerging Media, 500 Bentley St., Orlando. For more information, visit www.fiea.ucf.edu.

Smith鈥檚 presentation at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Center for Emerging Media, 500 W. Livingston St., Orlando, will be 鈥淒iving Into The Industry As a Technical Artist.鈥� She鈥檒l also discuss some industry myths and tips for students looking to get into the industry.

Smith is a graduate of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. She also worked at Lucasfilm Animation and Electronic Arts, and her credits include Madden NFL Football 2012, NCAA Football 2012 and an unannounced animated film.

Industrial Light & Magic is a division of the film company that was founded by George Lucas in 1975.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Call 407-823-2121 or e-mail info@fiea.ucf.edu for more information.

The Center for Emerging Media, located in downtown Orlando, features one of the largest motion-capture studios on the East Coast, an adjacent sound stage, production offices and editing suites.

Collectively known as Studio 500 because of the building鈥檚 500 W. Livingston St. location, the facilities have attracted a steady stream of entertainment companies from around the continent in and have hosted numerous 麻豆原创 student film shoots.

For the new EA game, pro golfers Ian Poulter and Edoardo Molinari donned spandex suits fixed with reflective markers that captured the intensity and styles of their swings.

The process was filmed by Golfweek.

The 麻豆原创 will host its 9th-annual Burnett Honors College Summer Institute, an intensive three-week program designed for eighth- through 12th-grade students interested in learning the foundations of computer science and technology.

Students can learn Java programming at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level and choose an elective course in video game interfaces or artificial intelligence.

The curriculum also will allow students to enjoy special programs, speakers and recreational facilities and visit 麻豆原创鈥檚 research laboratories. Field trips will include a tour of the Electronic Arts Tiburon studio in Maitland, home to the creators of some of the world鈥檚 most popular video games.聽聽聽聽

鈥淭his is a great opportunity for students to learn if they want to major in computer science or a related field such as digital media or engineering before having to pay for college tuition,鈥� said Jill Norburn, director of Student Affairs for the Burnett Honors College.

The program fee of $995 includes tuition, books, field trips, a programming competition and more. Families with more than one sibling enrolled will receive a $100 discount.

The summer day camp begins Monday, July 11, and runs through Friday, July 29.聽 Applications are due Friday, May 20. Forms are available at .

For more information, visit the website.

To learn more about The Burnett Honors College, visit .

This is the first time that The Princeton Review has ranked graduate-level video game development schools, placing 麻豆原创’s 鈥� or FIEA 鈥� behind only the University of Southern California.

“This ranking is another sign of the hard work done by our faculty and staff to prepare the next generation of game developers and interactive entrepreneurs,” said Ben Noel, executive director of FIEA.

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 191 alumni working at 83 companies around the world, including Google, Electronic Arts, Zynga, Ubisoft, Disney, Bioware and Orlando-based company n-Space.

The average starting salary for FIEA graduates is $50,852.

FIEA graduates are working on some of today’s most popular games including Call of Duty World at War, Call of Duty Black Ops, Rock Band, Rock Band 2, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, Guitar Hero, Tiger Woods Golf, Madden NFL Football, NCAA Football, Hannah Montana, NBA Ballers and NHL.

The school is one of the foundations of downtown Orlando’s Creative Village concept and is designed to graduate talented and well-qualified professionals to work in Central Florida鈥檚 digital and simulation industries.

“We continue to work with the video game industry, local government and state leaders to ensure that 麻豆原创 provides the best-educated workforce for this growing industry,” Noel said.

The Princeton Review ranked schools based on a comprehensive survey it conducted in the 2010-2011 school year of administrators at 150 institutions offering video game design classes and/or degrees in the United States and Canada. Note that the FIEA tuition listed in the GamePro feature is for the total cost of the 16-month program and not annual tuition.

In addition to being published today on The Princeton Review and GamePro Media’s websites, the listing also will be featured in the April issue of GamePro magazine, on newsstands March 8.