Professional Games Development

MSc

Location

Stoke-on-Trent campus

Start dates available

  • September 2027
University of Staffordshire Courses

UK's #1 Games Institute

TIGA Best Educational Institution 2025

Flexible work-based qualification

Designed to support your development in your current role

Extensive industry links

Gain access to our strong network of connections with leading international games studios

Our flexible distance-learning course is designed around your professional development. Whether your specialism is creative, design-led, technical or hybrid, the MSc / MA Professional Games Development gives you the opportunity to advance your practice through work-based, project-led study.

You’ll develop professional-standard games work, systems, content or artefacts aligned to your own career context. Through tailored supervision, reflective development and research-informed practice, you’ll refine your specialist skills and apply them to real professional challenges.

The course is designed for games developers, artists, designers, educators, simulation developers and related practitioners who want to upskill, progress in their current role, move into specialist practice or prepare for further academic study.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: MSc Professional Games Development

Duration

This distance-learning course is usually completed in 2 academic years when studying part-time.

Part-time study

This course is available as a part-time distance-learning course. 

Course content

The course is built around flexible, work-based and project-led learning. You’ll develop your specialist practice through professional projects that align with your current role, freelance practice or chosen games development specialism.

You’ll explore professional careers, industry trends, development practice and research-informed approaches to creative, technical or hybrid games work. Through reflective journals, production planning, development logs and supervisor feedback, you’ll refine your professional identity and build evidence of advanced practice.

The course culminates in a major masters project, where you’ll create, evaluate and present a substantial professional artefact, portfolio or body of work aligned to the MA or MSc route and your career goals.

Modules

The modules listed below are an indicative list of the modules that make up the course. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run, we will advise you as soon as possible and provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module. 

Year 1 compulsory modules
Games Development Practice 30 credits
Industry Trends And Innovations 30 credits
Professional Careers In Games Development 30 credits
Year 2 compulsory modules
Games Development Industry Project 30 credits
Games Development Masters Project 60 credits

Entry requirements

You’ll normally need a 2:2 or above undergraduate qualification (or equivalent) or relevant industry experience. Additionally, applicants must submit a games portfolio for review, demonstrating their ability to meet the demands of the course and helping us ensure you are aligned to the most suitable pathway (MA or MSc) based on your skills and career aspirations.

We welcome applications from diverse educational and professional backgrounds please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or need guidance on preparing your portfolio.

Facilities

Games Labs

Our world-class games development studios are fully equipped with the latest industry-standard software and hardware to give you a professional design and programming experience.

Watch video

Games and Concept Art Labs

Explore your artistic creativity on the latest games development software in our Games and Concept Art Labs. Our industry quality workstations come complete with Wacom Intuos Pro mediums or 13QHD Cintiq tablets.

Motion Capture Studio

Realistically capture multiple human movements simultaneously for the creation of high-quality games, animation and VFX sequences. Our industry standard facility features a 24-camera rig, Vicon hardware and Cara facial performance capture headset. This facility hosts sessions that show students how to set up and prepare shoots at a high industry level.

Watch video

Virtual Production Studio

The Virtual Production Studio allows the combination of real-time games graphics with traditional film and video production techniques. Read more

Students are able to utilise the Virtual Production studio which comes complete with a 10m x 2.75m curved LED volume made of DigiLED DigiThin XS 2600 panels, Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12k camera with 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses, Vanishing Point Vector and Viper camera tracking systems, full RGB lighting system including LED Cloud, 1x Celeb 850, 1x Diva-Lite 41, 5x Diva-Lite 31 and 5x Q5 Color all controllable through a ChamSys MagicQ lighting desk, VR Scouting system using a HTC Vive Pro and audio system with speakers around the screen. HP workstations allow the process to be facilitated end-to-end by Unreal Engine to use photorealistic environments.
Watch video

Careers

On successful completion, you’ll be prepared to advance within your chosen games industry specialism. The course supports creative, design-led, production-focused, technical and hybrid practitioners, helping you build evidence of advanced professional practice through work-based and research-informed projects.

Potential career paths include:

  • Senior or specialist games practitioner
  • Technical artist
  • Game programmer
  • Systems designer
  • Game producer
  • Concept, narrative or animation specialist
  • Independent developer
  • Educator
  • Games academic or researcher

You’ll also be well placed for further academic study at PhD level. All students have access to Careers, Placements & Employability, our dedicated careers team.

Students on this programme have the opportunity to enhance their studies with a placement year, gain valuable work experience, and take part in international activities—potentially supported by the Turing funding.

All students have access to Careers, Placements & Employability, our dedicated careers team.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

This course uses a flexible, distance-learning approach designed for professional learners in the games industry. You’ll develop your practice through work-based and inquiry-driven learning, supported by tailored supervision and structured online engagement.

Teaching activities may include one-to-one supervision, online seminars, asynchronous discussion, reflective journals, Digital Academy progress documentation, independent research, project development and structured check-ins. You’ll apply learning directly to your workplace, freelance practice or chosen specialist context.

Our teaching is supported through our Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard, where you can access learning materials and continue your development wherever you are. You’ll receive regular formative feedback from your supervisor to help you refine your creative, technical or professional work.

Assessment

Assessment is designed to reflect professional games development practice. You’ll produce work-based or industry-aligned artefacts, design or technical breakdowns, creative portfolios, reflective journals, professional development logs, research-informed analyses, production planning, evaluative reports and a major independent project aligned to the MA or MSc route.

You’ll receive formative feedback throughout the course through supervision meetings, Digital Academy posts, reflective logs and iterative project submissions. Formal assessments at the end of each module contribute to your module mark.

Learning support

Your course tutors will provide lots of support. But you can also take advantage of our Academic Skills team, who can help you with:

  • Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)
  • Written English (including punctuation, grammar)
  • Academic writing (including how to reference)
  • Research skills
  • Critical thinking
  • Revision, assessment and exam skills (including time management)

Additional support

If you have additional needs like dyslexia or a sensory impairment, then our Student Inclusion Services are here to help make sure nothing stands in your way.

Feedback

You will be supported by supervisors and games specialists whose academic, technical, creative and professional experience is matched to your project route and specialism.

Staff

You will be supported by supervisors and games specialists whose academic, technical, creative and professional experience is matched to your project route and specialism.

Please note, teaching team staff members may change during your studies.

Profile Image

Dr Kieran Hicks

Course Director

Dr Kieran Hicks is a game design lecturer, they are the director of the DEMI research centre. Their research explores games from user-based and design-based lenses, using games as a tool to engage diverse groups in beneficial activity.

Kieran's profile
Profile Image

Matthew Syrett

Senior Lecturer

Matthew is an experienced academic and game artist specialising in environment and prop design. His work brings creativity and practical skills together, helping teams build engaging game worlds.

Matthew's profile
Profile Image

Professor Christopher Headleand

Head Of Department - Sugi

Prof. Headleand is a Computing & Video Games academic with over 20 years' experience; internationally recognised as an expert in student engagement. He is head of Games Design & Technology & researches Virtual Reality, Visualisation & Serious Games.

Christopher's profile

Fees

For the course starting on 20 September 2027 the tuition fees are:

Study option UK / Channel Islands International
Part-time £11,250 per course £11,250 per course

If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.

Alumni discount

If you have previously completed an undergraduate degree with us, you may be entitled to an alumni discount off your course fee for any subsequent postgraduate taught course. For further information please contact feesandbursaries@staffs.ac.uk.

Not included in the fees:

The estimated cost of text books over the duration of the course. All essential text books are available from the library, but some students chose to purchase their own copies.

Travel, subsistence, entrance fees etc. incurred by optional trips and visits away from the University related to the course.

The cost of materials for the development of a student’s individual practice and work. Additional costs vary dependent upon student’s own choice of materials and approach to their practice.

Optional personal insurance when borrowing equipment such as cameras, lighting equipment etc. for extended period of use off campus [Approx. £50-£100]. It may be possible to add some items to home contents insurance.
Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Sources of financial support

Providing you are studying towards a full Masters qualification you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan to help with tuition fees, maintenance and other associated costs. Student loans are available for many of our postgraduate degrees and are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The loan can cover a wide range of postgraduate study options; part-time, full-time and distance learning. 

For more information and how to apply visit masters loan.

Apply now to Professional Games Development

Location Award Study option Start date
Stoke-on-Trent campus MSc Part-time, distance learning 20 September 2027 Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at University of Staffordshire, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of University of Staffordshire enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations. 

Have you considered?

Games Art MA

Stoke-on-Trent

Study options
Full-time
Part-time
for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2025

for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2026

in the UK for Games Education

Rookies Games Design and Development 2023, 2025

TIGA Best Games Institution 2024, 2025

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021