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Best Game Design Schools Near Decatur, AL (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Decatur, Alabama has 1 accredited school offering game design programs. Decatur has a population of about 57,974. In the Decatur, AL metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $135,870 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Decatur
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Decatur, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Decatur city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Decatur.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Decatur
Decatur is part of the Decatur, AL metro area (BLS area code 19460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers
$107,740
Decatur, AL
$123,555
Special Effects Artists and Animators
N/A
AL statewide
–
Graphic Designers
$46,170
Decatur, AL
$52,947
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$51,860
AL statewide
$59,472
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$101,500
AL statewide
$116,399
Writers and Authors
$66,950
AL statewide
$76,778
Computer Programmers
$93,800
AL statewide
$107,569
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$135,870
Decatur, AL
$155,814
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Decatur at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
87.2 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Decatur-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
How many accredited game design schools are near Decatur, AL?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering game design programs near Decatur. The closest is Samford University in Birmingham, AL (77.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Samford University (77.5 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Decatur?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Decatur are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($135,870), Software Developers ($107,740), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($101,500). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Athens instead of Decatur?
Athens, AL is 14.7 miles from Decatur and has its own set of local game design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
