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Games Art (with a foundation year)

Entry requirements


A level

A,E

AS

A,E

Pass Access to HE Diploma with 48 UCAS points

Extended Project

A*-E

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H5,H6,H6,H6,H6

OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate

D*-P

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D*-PP

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate

D*-P

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

PPP

OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma

D*D*,PP

OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma

D*-P

OCR Cambridge Technical Subsidiary Diploma

D*D*,PP

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

D*-P

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

D*D*-PP

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

D*-P

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

PPP

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

D*-P

UCAS Tariff

48

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Subjects

Graphic arts

Computer games graphics

"If you want to create the amazing visual elements that are seen in games, our Games Art degree will provide you with the skills you need for a career as a 3D artist. This course follows our brand-new pathways structure, allowing you to specialise in a particular area of the field of games art, and covers everything from environment and character creation to props, vehicle and weaponry design.

Throughout the course, you’ll study 3D modelling, digital sculpting, texturing, observational drawing and character design. You’ll learn how to apply the fundamentals of art and design theory and contextual art studies to your practical art skill development. You will also be encouraged to develop your own artistic workflow. In the second year of study you can choose to specialise in one of the following areas of games art, gaining a more focused expertise and making yourself more employable in specific roles:

Character
Environment

The course is designed in collaboration with the games industry. We are members of TIGA, and industry sponsored state-of-the art games design studio. What’s more, games studios visit the University on a regular basis for industry talks and workshops, so you’ll have the opportunity to build contacts for your future career.

What you’ll do

During the foundation year you will be introduced to the language of art and design and how this relates to games art techniques. You will begin to learn specific visual arts skills as well as different mechanisms for creating digital art such as Photoshop and Adobe.

During your first year of the three year program, you’ll learn 3D modelling and texturing using a physically-based rendering (PBR) workflow for environment assets in the Unreal games engine. You’ll develop your understanding of art and design principles including: light, colour, shape, form, volume and anatomy through life drawing and fundamental art skills. You’ll cultivate your artistic eye to make use of light, colour and composition in games contemporary media.

In Year 2 you will have the option to choose a specialist pathway and focus your module choices around a particular area. Depending on your choices, you can learn digital sculpting techniques to create game characters using ZBrush, or create environments using a combination of ZBrush, 3DS Max, Photoshop and the Unreal Engine. You’ll also develop an understanding of game production by being a games artist for a group games development project.

In the final year of your degree, you’ll continue to develop your portfolio with advanced 3D modelling. If you’re a character artist you’ll be able to specialise with creature sculpting. We will guide you in developing specialist skills for your individual career path, which will be vital in securing your first job. You will also be a senior member of a collaborative games development team which will prepare you for working in the industry.

Course features:

3D Modelling for Games
Environment Art Production
Character Art Production
Fundamental Art Skills for Games
Life Drawing
Art Direction for Games
3D Hard Surface Modelling
Materials and Texture Generation
Collaborative Game Development and Testing
Games Art Portfolio Development

For an up-to-date module overview, please refer to the website. Graduate destinations Our past graduates have achieved worldwide success, securing jobs in games studios around the globe. One graduate was Lead Character Artist at Naughty Dog, working on The Last of Us. We also have artists at Playground Games, Codemasters, Dovetail Games, Sumo Digital, Rockstar North, Flix Interactive, Rare, EA, Ubisoft and Rebellion.

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
£16,750
per year
International
£16,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Staffordshire University (Stoke Campus)

Department:

Digital, Technologies and Arts

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.

87%
Graphic arts
86%
Computer games graphics

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.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
94%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
92%
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

83%
Library resources
77%
IT resources
92%
Course specific equipment and facilities
77%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
65%
Male students
35%
Female students
64%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

Computer games and animation

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
92%
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

87%
Library resources
69%
IT resources
91%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
65%
Male students
35%
Female students
64%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

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.

Design studies

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.

£17,550
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
52%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

38%
Design occupations
15%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
14%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

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.

£21,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
high
Employed or in further education
62%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

60%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
7%
Design occupations
6%
Teaching and educational professionals

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.

Design studies

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

£14k

£14k

£18k

£18k

£20k

£20k

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.

£22k

£22k

£28k

£28k

£33k

£33k

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...

Higher entry requirements
University of Hertfordshire | Hatfield
3D Games Art and Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 112-120
Same University
Staffordshire University | Stoke-on-Trent
Concept Art for Games and Film (with a Placement Year)
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 112-120
Lower entry requirements
Escape Studios | Greenwich
The Art of Video Games
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 32-120
Nearby University
Futureworks | Salford
Game Art
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120

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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?

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