As soon as you start the course, you will begin to develop software, games and frameworks that will be the first building blocks of a professional looking portfolio.
In your first year you will study software engineering fundamentals to ensure you understand the computational foundations required to develop large and efficient applications. You will become familiar with the industry standard programming language of C++, delve into both the Unity and Unreal Engine game engines, create your first 3D environment using OpenGL and develop a game on the Evercade portable console.
During the second year, you will continue to develop your programming skills, focusing on low-level graphics programming with DirectX, multiplayer games programming and networking, and game AI. You will also work in a cross-discipline team with our games design and games art students to develop a game from concept through to a polished final product.
In your third year you will bring together the skills you have mastered through your studies to research, design and implement a unique solution to a problem of your choosing. This games research project will be supervised by a specialist member of the teaching team, who will guide you through the process. Finally, you will complete your studies by developing a cross-platform engine with a team of programmers, and mentored by industry professionals, that is able to build games for PC, PlayStation and more.
Academic year
The course is designed with a modular structure, offering flexibility and choice. Most modules are 20 academic credits, with 40 being the maximum. Each credit represents 10 hours of total study time, including scheduled lectures, tutorials, seminars, independent study and assessments.
For full-time students, you will typically complete 40 credits per term, whereas if you're studying part-time you would take fewer than this. All students take a total of 120 credits per level, with 360 credits required for the degree. Your final grade and degree classification are determined by your performance in modules completed at levels 5 and 6.
As soon as you start the course, you will begin to develop software, games and frameworks that will be the first building blocks of a professional looking portfolio.
In your first year you will study software engineering fundamentals to ensure you understand the computational foundations required to develop large and efficient applications. You will become familiar with the industry standard programming language of C++, delve into both the Unity and Unreal Engine game engines, create your first 3D environment using OpenGL and develop a game on the Evercade portable console.
During the second year, you will continue to develop your programming skills, focusing on low-level graphics programming with DirectX, multiplayer games programming and networking, and game AI. You will also work in a cross-discipline team with our games design and games art students to develop a game from concept through to a polished final product.
In your third year you will bring together the skills you have mastered through your studies to research, design and implement a unique solution to a problem of your choosing. This games research project will be supervised by a specialist member of the teaching team, who will guide you through the process. Finally, you will complete your studies by developing a cross-platform engine with a team of programmers, and mentored by industry professionals, that is able to build games for PC, PlayStation and more.
Academic year
The course is designed with a modular structure, offering flexibility and choice. Most modules are 20 academic credits, with 40 being the maximum. Each credit represents 10 hours of total study time, including scheduled lectures, tutorials, seminars, independent study and assessments.
For full-time students, you will typically complete 40 credits per term, whereas if you're studying part-time you would take fewer than this. All students take a total of 120 credits per level, with 360 credits required for the degree. Your final grade and degree classification are determined by your performance in modules completed at levels 5 and 6.
As soon as you start the course, you’ll begin to develop a portfolio. This will include creating games, studying game artificial intelligence and physics, computer graphics using DirectX and OpenGL, and network programming for multiplayer game development. You’ll learn programming languages such as C++, Java and C# as well as the software engineering skills needed to develop large, efficient programs.
During Year 2, you’ll work in a team to develop a game from an initial concept to a finished product. We’ll also give you the opportunity to pitch your games to commercial games studios such as Matmi, Team 17 and Media Molecule.
You’ll complete a one-year placement in industry after your second year.
In your final year, you can specialise in your own area of interest. You’ll work in a group to complete a game development project that simulates game industry working practices. You’ll also undertake an individual final year project. This could involve developing a complete game, or researching and implementing an advanced topic in game development.
Academic year
The course is designed with a modular structure, offering flexibility and choice. Most modules are 20 academic credits, with 40 being the maximum. Each credit represents 10 hours of total study time, including scheduled lectures, tutorials, seminars, independent study and assessments.
For full-time students, you will typically complete 40 credits per term, whereas if you're studying part-time you would take fewer than this. All students take a total of 120 credits per level, with 360 credits required for the degree. Your final grade and degree classification are determined by your performance in modules completed at levels 5 and 6.
Professional body accreditation
Accredited by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry. TIGA accreditation is applicable to courses meeting any of a wide range of games industry needs, such as programming, art, design and entrepreneurship.
Professional body accreditation
Accredited by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry. TIGA accreditation is applicable to courses meeting any of a wide range of games industry needs, such as programming, art, design and entrepreneurship.
Professional body accreditation
Accredited by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry. TIGA accreditation is applicable to courses meeting any of a wide range of games industry needs, such as programming, art, design and entrepreneurship.