Computer Science with Games Technology (with placement)
Entry requirements
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About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
This degree will prepare you for a career in the dynamic computer game sector. You’ll learn how computer games are built and work, and discover how to solve programming problems related to game development. An optional placement year provides real-world experience in the sector.
On this BCS-accredited degree you will develop advanced knowledge of game engine architecture, computer graphics and game design. You will develop a firm foundation in programming and game design & development, before specialising with topics such as games technology and digital signal processing.
You will gain the skills needed for a career in the thriving computer games sector, applying your technical computing expertise in a creative and in-demand industry.
- Learn a broad range of programming languages and cutting-edge games programming techniques
- Get coding quickly in your first year with our two-week coding marathon
- Boost your employability with an optional one-year work placement: past students have worked for Sony, PlayStation, Disney, Microsoft and Goldhawk Interactive
- Develop commercially valuable knowledge for your future career, including industry-standard game engines that power game development
- Study in City’s computing labs, which include the latest hardware and software, such as state-of-art NVidia GPUs
- Gain three years of professional experience with our innovative Professional Pathway Scheme, combining paid employment and study
- Get industry recognition for the quality of your degree with BSC and TIGA accreditation.
The School has its own dedicated placements team with over 20 years of experience in providing on-hand placement and internship support as well as guidance for students throughout their studies. Placements are highly encouraged at City. Students that complete a placement year benefit from gaining professional experience working on real-life projects and are also more likely to achieve higher grades, secure a graduate-level job and earn a higher salary. In recent years students from our computer science courses have been able to obtain placements at leading companies within their chosen field such as Goldhawk Interactive, Sony, PlayStation, Disney and Microsoft.
Careers include working as a key technical specialist in the computer games industry or as a business analyst, web developer, technical architect, user experience designer or helpdesk engineer.
Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional and on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer.
This course is also accredited by TIGA, a non-profit UK trade association representing the UK’s games industry.
Modules
During your Computer Science with Games Technology BSc degree you will work individually and in groups, developing creativity and problem-solving skills in response to real-world computing problems.
Year 1
Study our common first year for all our computer science students, learning six core topics including operating systems, web development and Java.
-Introduction to Algorithms (15 Credits)
-Mathematics for Computing (15 Credits)
-Systems Architecture (15 Credits)
-Programming in Java (30 Credits)
-Databases (15 Credits)
-Operating Systems (15 Credits)
-Computer Science, Ethics & Society (15 credits)
Year 2
Deepen your knowledge of computer science with core modules such as games technology and object-orientated analysis. Boost your professional skills with a team project.
-Data Structures and Algorithms (15 Credits)
-Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (15 Credits)
-Professional Development in IT (15 Credits)
-Team Project (30 Credits)
-Games Technology (15 Credits)
-Programming in C++ (15 Credits)
-Work Based Project (30 Credits)
-Continuing Professional Development in IT (15 Credits)
-Computer Networks (15 Credits)
Year 3
Study advanced games technology and choose from a wide range of elective modules – including computer graphics and introduction to AI – to tailor your course to your future career plans.
-Individual Project (45 Credits)
-Advanced Games Technology (15 Credits)
-Language Processors (15 Credits)
-Advanced Databases (15 Credits)
-Computer Graphics (15 Credits)
-Theory of Computation (15 Credits)
-Professional Experience (Placement) Placement Reports (30 Credits)
-Data Visualization (15 Credits)
-Digital Signal Processing and Audio Programming (15 Credits)
-Advanced Programming - Concurrency (15 Credits)
-Functional Programming (15 Credits)
-Cloud Computing (15 Credits)
-Information Security Fundamentals (15 Credits)
-Computer Vision (15 Credits)
-Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (15 Credits)
-Programming and Mathematics for AI (15 Credits)
-Agents and Multi Agents Systems (15 Credits)
-User Centred Systems (15 Credits)
-Semantic Web Technologies and Knowledge Graphs (15 credits)
-Project Management (15 credits)
Students have the opportunity to follow two placement routes: a one year placement or the Professional Pathway scheme. The one year placement can be undertaken following successful completion of year 2.
Students can join the Professional Pathway scheme after successful completion of year 1 (early entry) or after successful completion of year 2 or a one year placement (late entry).
Assessment methods
Assessment is by examination and coursework although some components, such as the team project, are assessed by coursework alone.
Coursework takes many forms, including programming, essays, theoretical work and modelling.
Written examinations contain theoretical questions (including mathematical aspects), short essays on the applications of computational techniques, and writing and analysing small amounts of code.
The balance of assessment by examination, practical examination and assessment by coursework will to some extent depend on the optional modules you choose.
The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on 2019/20 entry is as follows:
Year 1
Written examination: 41%
Coursework: 59%
Year 2
Written examination: 35%
Coursework: 65%
Year 3
Written examination: 9%
Coursework: 91%
The Uni
City, University of London
Department of Computer Science
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.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Computer science
Teaching and learning
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Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Computer games and animation
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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 science
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.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. The subject is linked to important and growing computing industries, and over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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 science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£29k
£35k
£42k
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.
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.
£29k
£35k
£42k
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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Post-six month graduation stats:
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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?
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