Computer Games Programming and Design with Placement
Solent University (Southampton)
UCAS Code: CGP2 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A minimum of 2 A Levels required including a STEM or computing subject.
Accepted when studied alongside other Level 3 qualifications
Access to HE Diploma
Pass in Access course with 60 credits overall including 45 Level 3 credits passed with a minimum of Merit.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
HNC (BTEC)
HND (BTEC)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
FromTaken in a STEM or computing subject
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
T Level
From a STEM or computing subject.
UCAS Tariff
From a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Extended Diploma or OCR Extended Diploma including a STEM or computing subject. If you do not have a STEM or computing subject, but are still interested in applying, you may be asked to submit a portfolio for consideration. 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).
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
About this course
The BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming and Design is a creative Computer Games course with an emphasis on technical expertise (programming) as well as the game design skills required by programmers to write their own video games.
**WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?**
This course has three main pillars:
• Programming Skills
• Game Design Skills
• Studio Skills
For the first one, you will be writing code for video game prototypes, demos and digital products using established game engines as well as graphics libraries.
For the second one, you will also study design skills such as level design, narrative or user experience.
For the third one, you will experience collaborative learning through our in-house simulated studio environments that replicate the games industry.
While the Studio Skills learning pillar is critical for either discipline (Programming or Games Design), you are also able through multiple optional modules across the course to tailor your learning experience towards being more "Programming" or "Game Design" focused, giving more depth and customization of the course experience.
On top of that, further customization may be offered in the ways certain modules are assessed. While they may appear as a "Core" module, some may offer multiple "assessment streams" within the same assessment briefs, allowing you to hit the learning outcomes in multiple ways, depending on your own preferences.
**WHAT DOES THIS COURSE LEAD TO?**
Graduates will be able to seek employment in Computer Games through various pathways, always depending on their tailored course experience, picked modules and assessment preferences.
For those with more "Programming" focused experience, these are the possible jobs:
• Gameplay Programmers
• AI Programmers
• User Interface Programmers
• Physics Programmers
• Graphics Programmers
• Animation Programmers
• Network Programmers
• Engine/Tools Programmers
• Unity / Unreal Engine Developers
Some of the programming skills are also transferrable in careers beyond Games Programming:
• Software Engineers
• Information Systems Professionals
• Web Developers
• Computer Scientists
• Mobile Developers
• XR/AR/VR Developers
While for those with more "Game Design" experience, here are the possible jobs:
• Level Designers
• User Experience Designers
• Games User Researchers (GUR Experts)
• UI Designers
• Narrative Designers
• Game Writers
• Gameplay Designers
Regardless of the course experience, students who favor either discipline will enjoy potential future careers:
• Indie Game Developers
• Producers
• Technical Trainers
• Teaching Professionals / Academics
• Researchers
Modules
YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Collaborative Game Development
Gameplay and Game Design
Maths for Games
Object Oriented Development
Programming Fundamentals
Scripting for Game Engines
YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Artificial Intelligence for Games
Gameplay Programming
Gamer Psychology and UX Design
Producing Games
YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Computer Games Major Project
Indie Game Development
Project Research and Professional Development
Studio Practice
YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run)
Cinematic and Narrative Design for Games
Level Design and Rapid Prototyping
Network Game Programming
Tools Programming and Engine Architecture
PLACEMENT
Computer Games Placement
YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run)
Casual and Competitive Game Design
Graphics Programming
Assessment methods
The course adopts a balanced, student-centred teaching and learning strategy programme of study combining critical thinking and practical skills. Students are encouraged throughout the course to develop their own thinking and creative skills across a range of topics and scenarios as they work towards their degree. Delivered through lectures, labs, seminars, and workshops, learning and teaching is structured to allow a logical, coherent and progressive attainment of knowledge and skills.
Lab based teaching enables students, guided by tutors, to develop key concepts and skills to tackle briefs that increase in complexity each year. During lab sessions, students have frequent one-to-one opportunities to interact with tutors and fellow students, and consequently lab sessions are used as an effective tool to develop the sense of community and belonging. As project work is used extensively throughout the Computer Games courses, lab teaching provides the ideal environment for students to explore, develop and formulate responses and present solutions in relation to module learning outcomes and project briefs.
Students are expected to engage proactively with their learning. This includes taking responsibility to attend all timetabled sessions and understand that attendance and full participation in the course will impact upon their ability progress and achieve.
Level 4 introduces students to fundamental concepts in game design and programming skills, underpinning the knowledge and skills needed to study in this field. Students will also be introduced to essential skills including research, academic writing and referencing, both creative and critical thinking and use of relevant software as well as a first touch with cross-course collaborative modules (studio modules) to improve their team-work skills. Whilst students are encouraged to embrace the challenge of studying at higher education, approaches to teaching and learning at Level Four are designed to provide students with ample opportunities for formative feedback and support such that by the end of this level students become confident learners ready for progression.
Level 5 extends the knowledge and skills base to a higher order of intellectual thinking, analysis and synthesis. Level 5 students explore progressive concepts, subjects and, as a consequence, knowledge and understanding in greater depth and breadth. Students have the opportunity at level 5 to explore advanced theories in computer game design as well as software development principles, and gain sophisticated asset development techniques and visualisation skills that can be applied to larger projects and wider contexts. Furthermore, students acquire more in-depth team-based development soft skills that are essentially for projects of much larger scope.
On successful completion of Level Five students will have acquired practical, cognitive and transferrable skills manifested in the application of knowledge to complex scenarios and deployed through critical judgement and increased levels of confidence and self-assurance.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
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
Solent University (Southampton)
Department of Film and Media
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.
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 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
£26k
£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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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?
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