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Game Design and Development

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C

As UCAS tariff

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

0

As UCAS tariff and Higher Level grade 3 or Standard Level grade 4 in English and Maths.

112 UCAS tariff points to include 3 Higher Level Subjects and Ordinary Level English and Maths at grade O4

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

DMM

As UCAS tariff

UCAS Tariff

112

112 UCAS tariff points to include 1 GCE Advanced Level or equivalent and GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C/grade 4 or equivalent.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer games design

Part of Screen Yorkshire’s Connected Campus group, our three-year Games Design and Development degree programme has been carefully designed to meet the demands of the contemporary gaming industry.

With a particular emphasis on the blend between the technical and creative aspects of games design, you’ll be taught the core theories that underpin the discipline and use these to guide your practical work and, in turn, gain the vocational experience needed to embark on a career in this fast-growing industry.

Through the course you’ll gain a robust understanding of areas such as:

- Game play

- Technical computer animation

- Game programming

- Script programming

You’ll be taught by an industry experienced team of academics including Carlton Reeve, a consultant for commercial AR games and Peter Chapman, who runs his own digital agency. And you’ll benefit from talks and workshops delivered by industry experts like Michael Ogden, Iki Ikram and Ben Smith. The high level of industry knowledge and insight gained here will provide you with the knowledge base you need to emerge as a confident and competent graduate.

You’ll have regular access to state-of-the-art facilities like the six camera Motion Capture Suite and technical equipment which you can use to put theory into practice and enhance your skillset. You can borrow equipment for you own personal projects too.

In your final year you will undertake a bespoke studio project, where you can collaborate with other disciplines and put theory into practice, whilst showcasing the skills you’ve developed throughout the course.

The department has close links with a number of prominent organisations. This includes the resident Working Academy placement agency and Game Republic (the Yorkshire games industry association), of which we are member. With access to such prestigious partners you’ll have plenty of opportunities to gain extracurricular experience that will enable you to emerge as a highly desired and capable graduate.

Modules

Year 1:
3D Character Modelling and Animation (core)
Creative Industries — Foundations (core)
Creativity and Imagination (core)
History and Conventions of Computer Games (core)
Introduction to 3D Computer Animation (core)
Introduction to Computer Programming for Games (core)

Year 2:
Game Appreciation and Industry Analysis (core)
Game Design Programming & Development (core)
Indie Games: Concept, Design and Development (core)
Issues in Web Development and Technology (core)
Script Programming and Technical Animation (core)
Environment, Set and Prop Creation (option)
Motion Capture (option)
Multimedia Application Development (option)

Year 3:
Design For Industry (core)
Individual Project (core)
Professional Industry Profile (core)
AI for Games (option)
Effects Animation and Dynamics for VFX (option)
Motion Capture (option)

Assessment methods

Most modules use a mixture of formal lectures, practical lab sessions, tutorials and seminars. Some modules involve supervised group work, usually with an assigned academic staff member for each group. All modules require students to undertake independent study, supported through distance learning technologies such as our Virtual Learning Environment. Reading lists and suggested resources for independent study provide further direction for students to undertake this work, and regular contact hours and informal feedback throughout the courses provide opportunities for further guidance for learners. Assessments for modules mostly take the form of practical coursework, lab tests and written exams, with all forms being well represented throughout all years of the course across all modules.

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
£22,180
per year
International
£22,180
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

The Uni


Course location:

University of Bradford

Department:

School of Built Environment, Architecture and Creative Industries

Read full university profile

What students say


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

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

76%
UK students
24%
International students
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
B
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.

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.

£19,500
low
Average annual salary
87%
med
Employed or in further education
57%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
17%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
10%
Business, finance and related associate 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.

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.

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

£25k

£25k

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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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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