Art + Animation · Data Analytics · Game Design · Game Programming · Music + Sound Design
We prepare students for college and careers in digital media
Do you have a passion for video game design, programming, art and animation, or music and sound design? Explore a career in the digital entertainment industry, build your skills, and prepare to study for a career in digital media, video game development, or data analytics at DigiPen Academy. We offer year-round, accredited academic programming for high school students – along with four-week Pre-College Summer Programs – developed in consultation with one of the world’s Top Five Video Game Design Schools!
Our talented instructors deliver a solid foundation of academic coursework and hands-on labs that will build your creative and technical skills, give you the opportunity to earn college credits, and help you develop a portfolio of projects for college applications. Along the way, you’ll discover the important role that core academic subjects, such as math, physics, writing, and art, play in the creation of your favorite entertainment media.
Get ready for college. Explore a career. Build your skills.
Choose from five in-demand fields of study
Whether you’re enrolled in a year-round program of study through our high school WANIC Skill Center Program, or in a four-week Pre-College Summer Program, DigiPen Academy can give you a head start on post-secondary coursework, help you explore a STEAM career, or let you dive deeper into a passion.
Our five course tracks are designed to both industry and college-level acceptance standards – and we teach using the same technology you will use in your career. The DigiPen experience is unique in that, along with technical skills, we also develop the entrepreneurial mindset students need to succeed in a demanding industry. Our instructors focus on each student’s individual growth, goals, and talents to help them develop the skills, confidence, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities that will help them in every aspect of their lives.
Production artists need a solid visual development process and foundational art skills to develop characters, backgrounds and other essential components for video games, animation and more.
Data analysts take raw data and analyze it to solve specific problems, predict trends, and find patterns. They work across sectors in business, criminal justice, science, medicine and government.
Game designers study design, psychology, communication, and user experience to understand how to create engaging and meaningful player experiences for video games, applications, and other interactive media.
Game programmers require a deep understanding of the art and science behind video game development – from advanced math to physics, and more.
Audio professionals play an important role in creating the game experience – from the music soundtrack, to the sound effects that give players instant gameplay feedback.
Ready to take the next step?
We are aligned with one of the world’s top video game design schools
DigiPen Academy is the preparatory school for DigiPen Institute of Technology (DIT), which has been ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the Top Five Video Game Design Schools since 2009. DIT was the first school in the world to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Video Game Development and has been turning talented college-age students into in-demand engineers, artists, designers and video game creators for more than three decades.
For more than 20 years, our programs have been developed in consultation with the Institute’s faculty, based on the degree pathways they offer, and current industry demand and standards. Students in our high school program are able to earn college credits at DIT while they are in high school, and prepare for the rigors of a post-secondary academic environment.
Learn the fundamentals of game design, programming, art and animation, or sound design. Each day of our four-week, online summer program is divided between academic coursework and the project lab, where students work together to complete a game. At the end of the program, students receive a transcript of their course grades for inclusion in their college application.
Explore your passions at an advanced level in preparation for post-secondary studies leading to a career in digital entertainment or analytics. Our program is delivered through school districts affiliated with Washington Skill Centers, such as WANIC, and students are able to earn Advanced Placement (AP) credits in specific programs. All programs offer a blend of academic coursework and hands-on project labs.
Program Registration
2024 Pre-College Summer Program Registration is open
Looking for fun, STEAM-based workshops for K-12 students?
Our partners at DigiPen Institute of Technology offer after-school clubs and day camps that allow your K-12 student to explore their passions and build their skills with fun projects and engaging teachers.