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Computer Games (Art)

Entry requirements


A minimum of 2 A Levels required if studying only A Levels, but can be used in conjunction with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

Access to HE Diploma

M:45,P:15

60 Credits with 45 M Level Credits and 15 P Level Credits

HNC (BTEC)

P

HND (BTEC)

P

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D*

In combination with other qualifications

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)

D*D*

Or can be used in combination with other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DMM

In combination with other qualifications

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*D*

Or can be used in combination with other qualifications.

In combination with other qualifications

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-128

From a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Extended Diploma or OCR Extended Diploma. For detailed information on accepted qualifications, please view our Course Entry Statement (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/documents/course-entry-requirement-statement.pdf) Solent University is a proud champion of widening participation. For further information about our contextual offer, please visit our website (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/what-next/contextual-offers).

In combination with other qualifications

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer animation and visual effects

Looking to launch a career at the point where art meets gaming? This professionally accredited computer games art degree focuses on digital art production, giving you a broad understanding of the technology that holds computer games together and helping you to become well versed in art direction, character creation and environment design.

Alongside the development of creative design and art direction skills, this computer games art degree covers computer graphics, the business of games, employability and project management. This broad comprehension will help put students in the best possible position to find employment after graduation.

Students benefit from free access to our dedicated high-spec computer games lab, where they can make use of industry-standard software from Adobe, Autodesk and Epic (Unreal Engine).

Using these facilities, students build up a varied portfolio of creative work. From character models and level design to environment rendering and textures, this portfolio helps students to demonstrate their competencies to potential employers.

At Solent, our excellent industry links play a key part in student development, and past students have had the opportunity to work on live briefs for real clients. In addition, our academic team is formed of expert professionals who have wide-ranging experience in computer game technology and the gaming industry.

Additionally, Solent is a founder member of SIGN. This not-for-profit network was established to represent and support independent video games developers and facilitate growth in the south’s independent video games development sector.

**What does this course lead to?**
Graduates have gone on to roles such as freelance concept artist or 3D artist, working for a range of companies including MicroNav, Real Visual, Ninja Theory and FuturLab.

**Who is this course for?**
This unique computer games art degree is ideally suited to students who want to put their traditional fine art skills to use creating exciting and interactive digital outcomes. Students gain a broad understanding of the technology that holds games together and are given ample opportunities to build a professional portfolio.

Modules

YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Art 101
Collaborative Art
Buildings and Bodies
Collaborative Art
Game Art Production
Visual Communication

YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Animation Technology
Digital 2D
Expo
Game Art Pipelines
World Building

YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each year)
Describing Form
Graphics Technology

YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Final Major Project
Personal Development
Project Proposal
Studio Practice

YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each year)
Image and Truth
Technical Art

Assessment methods

Practical work is assessed by portfolio or coursework; theoretical understanding is assessed through essays and examinations.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,125
per year
International
£16,125
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

Extra funding

Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries

The Uni


Course location:

Solent University (Southampton)

Department:

Department of Film and Media

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.

52%
Computer animation and visual effects

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

75%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
71%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
85%
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

67%
Library resources
69%
IT resources
74%
Course specific equipment and facilities
38%
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?

83%
UK students
17%
International students
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
62%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

E
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.

£19,000
med
Average annual salary
88%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

32%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
15%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
15%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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. 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. But at the moment this looks to be a good degree if you want to work on the technical side of film and TV and this is the most common industry for new graduates.

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.

£20k

£20k

£26k

£26k

£27k

£27k

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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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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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