Bowie, Maryland has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs. Bowie has a population of about 57,771. Median household income is $141,831 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $195,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Bowie
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Bowie, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bowie 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 Bowie.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,159
Avg net price
$8,027/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,212
Avg net price
$42,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,449
Avg net price
$9,465/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Maryland schools on the Maryland game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Bowie
Bowie is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (BLS area code 47900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Maryland statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Software Developers |
$154,930 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$142,268 |
| Special Effects Artists and Animators |
$92,760 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$85,179 |
| Graphic Designers |
$85,420 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$78,439 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers |
$97,000 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$89,073 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers |
$126,350 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$116,024 |
| Writers and Authors |
$108,460 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$99,596 |
| Computer Programmers |
$130,390 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$119,734 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers |
$195,190 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
$179,238 |
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.
Bowie at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
57,771 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$141,831 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
50.1% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
108.9 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Bowie-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
- Greenbelt, MD – 8.3 mi away (23,909 pop)
- College Park, MD – 10.6 mi away (32,275 pop)
- Laurel, MD – 11.5 mi away (25,853 pop)
- Annapolis, MD – 12.8 mi away (39,418 pop)
- Washington, DC – 15.2 mi away (5,191,844 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited game design schools are near Bowie, MD?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs near Bowie. The closest is American University in Washington, DC (18.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Delaware (72.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Bowie?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Bowie are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($195,190), Software Developers ($154,930), Computer Programmers ($130,390). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Maryland statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Greenbelt instead of Bowie?
Greenbelt, MD is 8.3 miles from Bowie 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.
Is Bowie an affordable place to study game design?
Bowie’s median household income of $141,831 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bowie while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Maryland public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
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.
Learn More About Game Design Programs
Other Programs Available in Bowie
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bowie:
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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.
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