Computer Arts
Abertay University
UCAS Code: GW42 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
To include Art or Graphic Design or Design and Technology: Production Design Entry into Year 2 with AAB to include Art and Computer Science or Design Technology
HNC (BTEC)
Entry into Year 1 with Creative Media Production
HND (BTEC)
Entry into Year 2 with Creative Media Production
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
To include Visual Arts or Fine Art at S5 or H4 Entry into Year 2 with 34 Points to include 3 Higher subjects at grade 4 to include Visual Arts and Computing or Design Technology
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
To include Art
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Art and Design Creative Digital Media Production Creative Media Production
Scottish Advanced Higher
Entry into Year 2 to include Art and Graphic Communication or Computer Science
Scottish HNC
Entry into Year 2 with HNC Computer Arts & Design - Graded Unit B Entry into Year 1 with an HNC in one of the following:- 3D Computer Animation - Graded Unit B 3D Design - Graded Unit B Art & Design - Graded Unit B Contemporary Art Practice - Graded Unit B Digital Design & Development - Graded Unit B plus essential subject at B Games Development - Graded Unit B plus essential subject at B Interactive Media - Graded Unit B Media Analysis & Production - Graded Unit B plus essential subject at B Visual Communication - Graded Unit B
Scottish HND
Entry into Year 3 with HND Computer Arts & Design - Graded Unit B Entry into Year 2 with an HND in one of the following:- 3D Computer Animation - Graded Unit B Contemporary Art Practice - Graded Unit B Creative Print Making - Graded Unit B Entry into Year 1 with an HND in one of the following:- Art & Design - Graded Unit B Digital Design & Development - Graded Unit B plus essential subject at B Games Development - Graded Unit B plus essential subject at Higher B Visual Communication - Graded Unit B
Scottish Higher
To include Art or Photography or Graphic Communication or Production Design
T Level
Art Games Design
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
Computer art is everywhere in today's culture, from film and advertising to computer games and gallery installations. Abertay's BA (Hons) in Computer Arts is within its renowned School of Design and Informatics. It is accredited by ScreenSkills, the UK Sector Skills Council for Creative Media Industries, and also by TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry.
Learn to design and undertake practical projects in a diverse range of areas including concept development, 2D design, 3D art production, animation and game art development. Use cutting-edge technology and entertainment production techniques and work collaboratively with other games students on project briefs set by media and computer games companies.
Having launched the world's first computer games degree in 1997, Abertay has been instrumental in building the city of Dundee as a global hub for computing and gaming.
Abertay is ranked:
• Top university in the UK and throughout Europe for Videogames Education (Princeton Review 2015, 2016. 2017. 2018, 2019, 2020)
• UK University of the Year 2021 - Teaching Quality (The Times/ Sunday Times Good University Guide)
• UK Top 10 - Student Satisfaction & Teaching (Guardian Good University Guide 2021)
• UK Top 10 - Student Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2020)
Modules
Year 1 core modules (subject to change over time) - ART106 Life & Observational Drawing; ART102 Digital Media Concepts; ART103 Elementary Animation; ART104 3D Digital Design; ART101 Illustration & Communication.
You will also be required to select one elective module. For detailed module information please check our website.
Assessment methods
Much of your time will be spent in lectures and practical tutorials where you work with staff, peers and industry mentors, to develop solutions to project briefs. Tutorial sessions focus on developing ideas, process and technique to lead to a final outcome. Portfolios of creative work form the majority of assessment, often submitted with supporting documentation to underpin creative practice. Academic writing contributes to many assessments, often in the form of critical analysis or reflective reports. Verbal presentations are core to assessment, exposing your research and development process to the programme team and industry mentors. Assessment on the programme is in the form of portfolios of creative work, academic writing of critical and reflective form, and through verbal presentation of own and others work in critical and/or reflective modes. There are no formal examinations on the programme.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Abertay Campus
School of Design and Informatics
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.
£26k
£30k
£34k
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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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?
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