Troy, N.Y. — When it comes to great places to study graphic design, the Department of Communication and Media in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute program keeps hitting the mark. The program is No. 30 on the Animation Career Review list of top graphic design programs in the United States. Rensselaer came in at No. 19 out of 25 programs on the list for private schools and colleges.

The Department of Communication and Media is an internationally recognized center for interdisciplinary education and research, said Mary Simoni, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. “In addition to graphic design, our graduate programs prepare students to understand traditional and emerging communication technologies from a variety of perspectives, including rhetorical studies, media studies, human-computer interaction, game studies, technical communication, professional and creative writing, and cross-cultural communication. Students learn to use words and images to communicate powerfully with a critical understanding of how media operate across global structures.”

Simoni noted that doctoral students from the department attain tenure track and post-doctoral positions at top-ranked institutions worldwide. In addition, undergraduates and masters students go on to enjoy careers in industry and government as game developers; content developers and editors; interaction designers; user experience designers; art directors; graphic designers; marketing strategists; information architects; marketing and public relations specialists; brand managers; product designers; web designers, analysts and developers.

Animation Career Review started publishing regional and national rankings in 2012 in response to myriad emails from aspiring animators and game designers asking us what the best schools were in the U.S., a given state, or in a particular area of the country. Criteria include: academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of the program and faculty, value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness, and geographic location. In preparing the latest rankings, the organization considered hundreds of schools in the United States that offer programs geared toward graphic design.

In 2015, Rensselaer came in at No. 8 on the Animation Career Review list of top game design programs in the United States. Rensselaer also came in at No. 4 out of 25 programs offered among East Coast colleges and universities, and the Institute was recognized as No. 7 on the list for private schools and colleges

In addition, Animation Career Review also recognized the Games and Simulations Arts and Sciences (GSAS) program at Rensselaer in its animation rankings list. The program came in at No. 32, and was also ranked as No. 9 on the list among East Coast colleges and universities. Among private colleges, the program came in at No. 25.

While at Rensselaer, students also will experience facets of The New Polytechnic, an emerging paradigm for teaching, learning, and research at Rensselaer. The foundation for this vision is the recognition that global challenges and opportunities are so great they cannot be adequately addressed by even the most talented person working alone. Rensselaer serves as a crossroads for collaboration—working with partners across disciplines, sectors, and geographic regions—to address complex global challenges, using the most advanced tools and technologies, many of which are developed at Rensselaer. Research at Rensselaer addresses some of the world’s most pressing technological challenges—from energy security and sustainable development to biotechnology and human health. The New Polytechnic is transformative in the global impact of research, in its innovative pedagogy, and in the lives of students at Rensselaer.

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is America’s first technological research university. For nearly 200 years, Rensselaer has been defining the scientific and technological advances of our world. Rensselaer faculty and alumni represent 85 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 17 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 8 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 8 members of the National Academy of Inventors, and 5 members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, as well as a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With 7,000 students and nearly 100,000 living alumni, Rensselaer is addressing the global challenges facing the 21st century—to change lives, to advance society, and to change the world. To learn more, go to www.rpi.edu.