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Best Game Design Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Amherst, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning game design-related role is Computer and Information Systems Managers at a median $156,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Game Design Schools to Amherst
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer game design programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst 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 Amherst.
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 Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts game design page.
Game Design Wages Near Amherst
Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Software Developers
$126,670
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$126,417
Special Effects Artists and Animators
$80,640
MA statewide
$80,479
Graphic Designers
$65,510
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$65,379
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$113,540
MA statewide
$113,313
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
$122,210
MA statewide
$121,966
Writers and Authors
$65,290
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$65,160
Computer Programmers
$68,090
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$67,954
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$156,040
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$155,729
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.
Amherst at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
100.2 (above U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Amherst-Area Cities With Game Design Programs
How many accredited game design schools are near Amherst, MA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering game design programs near Amherst. The closest is Hampshire College in Amherst, MA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Connecticut State Community College (42.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying game design roles near Amherst?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying game design-related roles near Amherst are: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($156,040), Software Developers ($126,670), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers ($122,210). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?
Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst 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.
