Game Arts and Design
UCAS Code: W282
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
96-120 tariff points, including a minimum of 2 A Levels, General Studies accepted
Considered in combination
Pass a named Access to HE Diploma (e.g. Preferably Art & Design, Humanities or Combined), with at least 33 credits at Merit and/or Distinction.
Considered in combination
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
English and Mathematics accepted within as GCSE equivalent.
96-120 tariff points. English and Mathematics accepted within as GCSE equivalent.
Considered in combination
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In any subject
Considered in combination
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In any subject
Considered in combination
96-120 tariff points, including two Advanced Highers. English and Mathematics accepted within as GCSE equivalent.
In combination with Advanced Highers
UCAS Tariff
Including a minimum of 2 A Levels, General Studies accepted.
Considered in combination
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
BA (Hons) Game Arts and Design focuses on the creative side of gaming. Working with experienced game developers and researchers you will look at designing characters, environments and gameplay. You'll spend some of your time studying alongside illustration students where you can hone your character and environment skills. You will explore development on different platforms including mobile, VR and AR, experiment with game sound design, study the psychology of games and gamification, create your own novel game controllers and learn how to make money in the games business from people on the inside.
* Stay one step ahead with a course designed in close collaboration with games developers and researchers to ensure technologies, skills and techniques are bang up to date.
* Access all areas – keep working into the evening in our dedicated lab space open until 10pm, and take advantage of our other amazing facilities, including a 35 seat, 360° immersive vision theatre.
* Be inspired by lecturers who are experts in their field, with backgrounds in both industry and research. The exciting work going on in our research groups, i-DAT and Planetary Collegium, feeds back into the teaching on this course.
* Broaden your horizons with great enrichment activities including overseas field trips in Berlin, Helsinki and New York to attend conferences and game jams.
* Get exclusive insights with talks from guest speakers from the creative arts and technology industries.
Modules
Core modules:
* Strategies for Game Design
* Immersive Experience
* Creative Coding
* Narrative Sequence
Optional modules
* Digital Making
* Character.
The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.
Assessment methods
100% of assessment is by coursework.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Plymouth
School of Art, Design and Architecture
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?
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
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.
Computing
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.
Computing
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£30k
£30k
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.
Explore these similar courses...




This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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