Part of the University of Central Florida, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) offers an industry-based graduate gaming education in a world-class facility in downtown Orlando. It was named the No. 2 graduate game-development program in 2015 by Princeton Review and its 421 graduates are working at more than 120 companies around the globe. In 16 months, students learn to be a producer, programmer or artist and earn a Master’s degree in Interactive Entertainment. Learn more at www.fiea.ucf.edu.

Faculty that will be available throughout the day:

• Technical Director, Tom Carbone, Before joining FIEA, Tom Carbone was one of the lead programmers on Madden 2005 and 2006, produced by EA at its Orlando-based Tiburon Studios. Prior to joining EA in 2003, he worked for Microsoft Game Studios, Kodiak Interactive, and Sculptured Software Studios. His previous game credits include Amped 2 (XBOX), Inside Pitch Baseball (XBOX), WCW Backstage Assault (N64/PS), WCW Mayhem (N64/PS), Breakaway Hockey (N64/PS), Space Jam (PS/Saturn/PC), MonsterTruck (Genesis) and Tecmo Super Baseball (Genesis). For full bio, please visit: http://www.fiea.ucf.edu/curriculum/faculty-and-staff/tom-carbone.
• Programming Faculty, Paul Varcholik, Ph.D., came to FIEA from Electronic Arts where he was a lead software engineer in the Central Technology Group. While at EA, he worked on such titles as Madden NFL Football and Superman Returns. Paul is a 17-year veteran of the software industry and has been teaching college courses on software and game development since 1998. Paul holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Valdosta State University and a Ph.D. in Modeling & Simulation from the University of Central Florida.

UCF Stands For Opportunity: The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the second largest in the nation. UCF's first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region's economic development. UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy. For more information visit http://news.ucf.edu.