Highlights

  • 麻豆原创鈥檚 graduate program, FIEA, is once again named the No. 2 program in the world and the undergraduate gaming program, GaIM, rose to No. 3 鈥� its highest placement yet 鈥� for 2026.

  • 麻豆原创 graduates are meeting demand for the gaming sector as well as some of Orlando鈥檚 top industries, including the modeling, simulation and training fields.

  • Many of GaIM鈥檚 250 annual graduates enter industry directly after graduation or they level up their education at FIEA before doing so 鈥� with an average starting salary of $83,000 for FIEAns.

Tomorrow鈥檚 leading video game developers are 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 talent to fuel Florida鈥檚 economy 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 PC Gamer 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.

Man wearing glasses stands over another man seated at a desk with three computer monitors
Neri St. Charles ’19 ’20MS (standing) and Elon Grant ’24 (seated) collaborate at FIEA’s studio at 麻豆原创 Downtown. (Photo by Kadeem Stewart ’17)

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�

aerial shot of green space with buildings around its perimeter and skyline in background
The Creative Village, home to 麻豆原创 Downtown and FIEA. (Photo courtesy of City of Orlando)

Orlando: A Leading Tech Hub

With Electronic Arts (EA) and Iron Galaxy Studios located less than a mile from 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 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.

Glass case with three shelves stacked featuring rows of video games
FIEA’s headquarters showcases video games alumni have worked on as professionals. (Photo by Stephanie de Sousa)

But it鈥檚 not just the gaming companies that eagerly hire FIEA and GaIM graduates. The skills taught in the two programs align perfectly 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�

Young woman with a pony tail sits in front of open laptop with colorful graphics
Jenna Stellmack ’25MS is accepted a full-time role as a designer for Cuhaci Peterson, a Central Florida-based commercial design firm, after graduating from FIEA. (Photo by Mark Godin)

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.