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Computer Games Art

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff Points accepted.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English

UCAS Tariff

96

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer games design

**Develop skills essential to the fast-moving computer games industry with our BA (Hons) Computer Games Art degree in Cambridge.**

Accredited by TIGA, our Computer Games Art degree will allow you to develop art skills relevant to the fast-moving computer games industry. You’ll gain 3D computer games skills including modelling, texturing and animation, enabling you to create characters, environments and more.

During your studies, you’ll discover how you can use your visual research, creative experimentation and technical development to forge a career as a computer games artist. You’ll learn how to plan your designs by creating concept art before bringing them to life using interactive software such as Unity 3D.

ARU is the place to be for studying Computer Games Art. The East of England has 135 active games companies (https://gamesmap.uk/), with Cambridge home to developers including Jagex, Frontier Developments and Ninja Theory.

By studying Computer Games Art at ARU, you’ll get the chance to improve your prospects with live briefs and guest speakers from tech giants like Sony, Jagex and Frontier. You’ll also attend games jams, industry talks, conferences and festivals, like our annual gaming-inspired event Gamebridge. At Gamebridge, students from across the country attend industry-led talks and 1-2-1 portfolio reviews, whilst showcasing their work and networking with companies such as Frontier and Jagex as well as other like-minded students.

Our flexible modules allow you to explore different aspects of digital art, helping you specialise and future-proof your career. And with TIGA accreditation, this course gives you a badge of excellence to show future employers too.

We're also partners with the Global Science & Technology Forum, giving you access to cutting-edge research materials.

During your time at ARU, you’ll receive ongoing support to find placements and work experience relevant to your Computer Games Art and you can take an optional placement year. In recent times, ARM, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Frontier and Just Flight have all offered internships and work opportunities to ARU students.

**Industry-standard facilities**

As a Computer Games Art student at ARU, you’ll benefit from:

- High-end computers with graphic tablets

- Motion capture equipment

- Render farm

- Industry-standard SLRs (for HDRI capture)

- HD cameras

- Top of the range 3D modelling, animation, and compositing software including Maya, Motion Builder, 3DS Max, Mudbox, ZBrush and Unity 3D

Our dedicated Computer Graphics Technical Officer will be on hand to offer training and support. You'll also have access to all our other creative facilities and equipment.

**Careers**

81% of the UK computer games industry is educated to at least undergraduate level, rising to 88% for core games production roles in art or programming.

The skills and knowledge you acquire on our Computer Games Art degree course will not only help you to land a career in the gaming industry but also equip you with in-demand skills across other sectors, including film and television production, marketing, and web design.

Through work-based projects, internships and placements, students are can get hands-on practical opportunities. In recent times, ARM, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Frontier and Just Flight have all offered internships and work opportunities to ARU students.

Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might decide to stay at ARU and continue your Computer Games Art studies with our MA Computer Games Development (Art). Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Modules

Year 1 Core modules: Game Concepts and Analysis, Digital Sculpting for Games, Game Art Creation.
Year 2 Core modules: Collaborative Games Development, Specialised Practice in Games Art, Technical Development for Games, Ruskin Module.
Year 3 Core modules: Studio Practice for Games, Major Project for Games.
Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment methods

You’ll show your progress through a combination of written and practical work.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Cambridge Campus

Department:

Cambridge School of Creative Industries

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

59%
Computer games design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Computer games and animation

Teaching and learning

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
75%
Staff are good at explaining things
72%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

61%
Library resources
63%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
31%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

70%
UK students
30%
International students
66%
Male students
34%
Female students
53%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A*
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Computer games and animation

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,500
med
Average annual salary
79%
low
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

35%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
17%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
9%
Information technology technicians

This is a relatively new subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. Gaming is a growing industry, and if it continues to grow we should see the rather high unemployment rate coming down over the next few years. Much the most common jobs for graduates who do get work after six months are in programming roles - but as things stand, be aware that jobs in the field are very competitive and personal contacts - either through family, friends or via specialist employment agencies - are a crucial way into the industry so be prepared to talk as well as code!

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Computer games and animation

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£25k

£25k

£31k

£31k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here