I've been looking at and considering many Game Development and Design programs across the U.S. I've become really excited about applying for and attending DigiPen as it's a renowned school with important degrees. My only problem is: What degree is right for me?

As indicated in the title, I've mostly looked at The Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science and Game Design (Hybrid Degree) (BSCSGD) and the Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science (BSCS). I primarily want to work as a programmer, but I feel as if a hybrid course in Development and Design will prepare me for a more flexible job-set or even managerial positions. My only worry is that I lose out on some programming education and opportunities that only the plain Computer Science Degree will offer.

While I know they are only trying to provide basic examples of Jobs, for each degree, the BSCS lists Game Developer as a career path where the BSCSGD does not. Game Developer or Programmer ranks high on my 'desired jobs list' and I'd rather not lose out on that opportunity. If any graduates, current attendees, or industry experienced individuals could provide me more information to help me with my decision, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for any help,

liveastroman21

*On a final note, while I'm not primarily looking at the program, what are the benefits of The Bachelor of Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation?

Does one of them appeal to you more than the others?

The hybrid degree appeals to me more as *I think* it would give me valuable training in the 'creative side' of programming and directly working with game art and design elements. This appeals to me as I have a bit of a fondness (but not a huge talent) for Game Design.

I'm worried that, with the little bit of extra freedom in Game Design, I might sacrifice important opportunities in a primarily programming career path.

I'm also heading towards the hybrid degree as it might help me more if I decide to become an Independent developer, in small teams or even working for myself. However, I also want to be able to work for larger developers like Bethesda, Bungie, or otherwise. However valuable it is for Indie Developers, it's no use to me if I can't use it in a more stable career.

I think you worry too much about what's "necessary" and too little about what interests you. http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson40.htm

Note that as an alumni and as a hiring manager, I wouldn't recommend DigiPen particularly highly.

That said, you've stated you want to be a programmer, so the "real time interactive simulation" degree is likely the one you'd want to pursue. It is as close to a "regular" computer science degree as the school offers, and it's also the older and more mature of the degree programs. You will have plenty of opportunity to practice your design skills during your team projects or on the side (the school is not necessarily all that strenuous).

Neither program will offer you much in terms of "management skills" beyond team interaction, which you'd get on anywhere from any program that ever has you work in teams for anything, so I wouldn't use that as a point for the game design degree.

Seconding Josh Petrie on most of that.

The school as a neutral to slightly negative reaction in most places I've been. We have hired an fired several people from there. While most can program reasonably well, when it comes to the science side of work, when people start talking about theory, things start to break down. In one notable case it was building a grammar for a scripting system. ("What's a grammar? Why can't I just figure out the commands as I go along to figure out what each one does?")

A point not brought up was cost. Digipen is fairly expensive. It is a for-profit school, so you're paying both for your education and to enrich others. Google says they charged $26,560 last year for tuition and fees. At that school you could expect to pay over $100,000 for your education. The median cost of education in the US is about $9000/year, and many state schools charge under $6000/year. They may not be the popular schools, but inexpensive schools teach the same fundamental content as expensive schools. Be sure to pick a school you can afford.

When I picked out DigiPen, it looked good based on my academic statistics as well as good placing on a lit of top Game Degrees. It's unfortunate that the list doesn't completely reflect industry feedback.

Is there a resource for finding good degrees, or even a university that you'd recommend? I think I'm done with listening to top 50 lists.

"Top 50 lists" are, generally, crap. If you're going to consult one, make sure you read up on who is doing the selecting and what the selection criteria is. Usually it's not who you would expect, nor are the metrics what you'd expect. If you can't even get that information, definitely stay away from the list.

"Game degrees" in general are not something I'd recommend. That isn't to say you can't be successful by getting one, and ultimately you need to do what you think is right for you -- if you really want to go to DigiPen, go right ahead. It's not so bad that it's going to prevent you from ever getting a job, or anything, and certainly there are some advantages to the school over more traditional schools. It's just not something I would recommend. I would recommend you get a four-year degree in computer science from a good school that you can afford.

Yeah, same boat as Josh, went to DigiPen, did fine, but I don't think it really gave me any more of a leg up than a standard four year comp sci degree at a normal college would have.