The University of Texas at Austin announced today that it will be starting a video game program in the fall of 2014. The Denius-Sams Gaming Academy will focus on the leadership aspects of development and includes two industry luminaries on faculty.

The program will include Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) and Paul Sams, chief operating officer at Blizzard and one of the minds behind Battle.net. Spector and Sams will both offer their experience as part-time faculty, and Spector will steer curriculum development. His recent talk at GDC had a pedagogical flare that should fit well in the classroom.

The purpose of the program is to fill a niche currently unserved by the other video game programs in the country. By strengthening higher level leadership and production, the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy hopes to bolster the industry's economic contribution to Texas. Especially as costs are on the rise, effective leadership and management is crucial for efficiency.

Students of the program will receive a postbaccalaureate certificate at the conclusion of the one year program. During that time, they will work in teams to build a game. Admission will be extremely competitive with a class of 20, each of whom will receive a $10,000 stipend for expenses. Tuition is also waived.

The full press release is on page two.