For those interested in the state of academic game programs in the United States, here’s some good news. The US Economic Development Administration, which is a part of the US Department of Commerce, has awarded a five-year $583k grant to the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) at Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

It’s the second time the Administration has offered this grant to MassDiGI (the first time was in 2011.)

In a press release sent to Gamasutra, MassDiGI executive director Timothy Loew says the grant’s renewal will help the program scale up its efforts “across all programs and activities.” 

MassDiGI is generally known as skewing toward more entrepreneurial-focused game development courses, as opposed to strictly academic endeavors. This funding will go towards activities like its Summer Innovation Program, which invites students to rapidly take a game from concept to market over the course of three months.