CHEEKTOWAGA – Villa Maria College will be launching two new four-year degree programs aimed at high school students who would like to make the jump from simple gamer to the game designer.
In the Fall of 2019, Villa Maria College will launch two Bachelor programs; Game Design, the first full program of its kind in the Buffalo area, and Computer Software Development.
The ultra-small class sizes guarantee individualized attention in hands-on, studio-based environments where students will learn cutting-edge technologies and approaches. A veteran animation professor, Jeffrey Werner helped create the Game Design program.
“The Video Game Industry in the United States is larger than both the Movie Industry and the Music Industry combined,” said Mr. Werner. “This means that highly educated employees are in high demand and a degree from Villa will offer students a hands-on approach to learning every aspect of Video Game Development in order to properly prepare them to excel in the industry.”
In Computer Software Development, program consultant Jeffrey Lesinski designed classes like Comparative Programming Languages, delivering a curriculum that covers more languages than is typical.
“This is a high demand field, and students can expect to learn the contemporary programming languages within a complete set of environments and platforms, from machine-level through mobile apps to high-level systems. The projects students will complete during the course build off of common principles and are realistic in that students work individually, in a team setting and in internships,” said Mr. Lesinski.
Outside classwork, students have free reign of Villa Maria’s diverse studios, including an art shop, photography lighting lab, stop-motion studio, recording studio, and state-of-the-art computer lab.
“Villa Maria College has a long history of being recognized for its high-quality programs in design, arts, and technology. Game Design and Computer Software Development build off of that history, complement and strengthen existing programs like Animation and Graphic Design, and prepare students for lots of opportunities in today’s job market,” said Dr. Matthew Giordano, Villa’s president.
Villa Maria’s Spring Open House is scheduled for Saturday, March 23, 2019, from 10 am to 12:00 pm Interested students and families can RSVP today, or schedule an individual visit for a more personalized tour.