Computer Games Development (with a foundation year)
University of Staffordshire
UCAS Code: I623 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Staffordshire
UCAS Code: I623 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Other A Level combinations are possible to achieve 48 points
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
About this course
Are you a keen programmer who wants to learn about games development in general, as well as technical games programming skills? This course is suited to those who aspire to work in an indie games studio or develop mobile games, and is also good preparation for a career as a software developer in the wider computing industry.
As members of the PlayStation® First Academic Program run by Sony, we have access to professional development hardware and software tools. Using industry standard games engines such as UDK and Unity, you’ll gain experience in developing games from an initial concept to finished product. You will then pitch your games to commercial studios such as Playground Games, Team 17 and Media Molecule.
As a graduate of this course you will be well equipped to work in the games industry as a gameplay programmer or indie developer. You will also have the skills to work in the wider computing industry as a software developer.
Many graduates from the Games Programming Scheme are currently working in companies such as Activision, Rockstar, Traveller’s Tales, Codemasters and others.
On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development.
Modules
Foundation Year Core: Games Design Foundations; Games Engine Foundations; Introduction to Games Scholarships; Introduction to Collaborative Enterprise; Programming Foundations
Year One Core: C# Scripting for Games Engines; Fundamentals of Games Development; Introduction to Asset Creation; Mechanics Prototyping; Production Process and Pipeline; Programming Fundamentals
Year Two Core: Artificial Intelligence for Video Games; C++ for Engines; Junior Collaborative Games Development; Tools Development; VFX for Video Games
Year Two Optional: Audio Development; Mixed Reality for Engines; User Interface Design and Implementation
Year Three Core: Games Development Project; Senior Collaborative Games Development; Mobile Games Development; Prototyping for Technical Designers
Year Three Optional: Advanced Game Artificial Intelligence; Multiplayer Games Development; Procedural Content Generation
Assessment methods
Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module normally includes practice or ‘formative’ assessments, for which you receive feedback from your tutor. Practice assessments are developmental and any grades you receive for them do not count towards your module mark. There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations, final year, independent project and written examinations. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Staffordshire (Stoke Campus)
Digital, Technology, Innovation and Business
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score 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.
£22k
£27k
£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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Higher entry requirements
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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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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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