Games Design and Development with Foundation Year Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

On this BSc (Hons) Games Design and Development degree, you will be empowered in your ability to create new worlds and design gameplay experiences from scratch, all through the use of powerful games engines, creation of a variety of new asset types, and confident utilisation of code.

Specialised teaching focused on game design and development will help prepare you for a career in the fast-growing and highly creative games industry.

What you'll study

BSc (Hons) Games Design and Development has been designed by experienced course leaders with active participation within the UK games industry to provide sector-leading study of modern game design and development paradigms.

The curriculum is grounded on the principles of how games are made, providing a broad foundational underpinning which is software-agnostic, while allowing for high-level specialisation through study of contemporary topics in modern gaming and resulting in a highly-personalised final major project.

The course content develops skills across design fundamentals, player behaviour, asset creation (such as 2D, 3D, animations, and other multimedia assets), and technical skills such as use of code and games engines. You will define and understand the design paradigms of successful titles across the levels of study, leading to the deep understanding required to enable experimentation of style and approach, and eventually the confident creation of brand-new experiences.

We will introduce you to the software and techniques used across the games industry, such as real-time games engines, media creation tools such as 2D, 3D, and animation software, and integrated development environments. You will learn how to design experiences which are engaging and well-articulated, and then bring them to life through the application of a range of mediums: from tabletop and card games, to traditional digital games and cutting-edge forms of human-computer interaction.

As the course continues, you will work on collaborative and individual projects that mirror professional studio pipelines. You will investigate areas such as UX and UI, player behaviour, adaptive and dynamic design paradigms, and more advanced applications such as local and networked multiplayer design, and next-generation human-computer interaction; developing your confidence as a designer, and building your fluency as a technical specialist.

In your final year, you will undertake a major project where you create a substantial piece of work that reflects your design and development specialism and career ambitions. This project will enable you to build a sharply honed professional portfolio that demonstrates your skills in games design and development, and showcases your individual voice to future employers and members of the UK games industry.

You will graduate with strong academic, creative, design, technical, and professional skills and a developed portfolio that prepares you for careers in game design and development, and the wider digital creative industries.

Foundation year

The foundation year course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to continue onto your Honours degree. You will study a range of subjects that will underpin your future study and also gain valuable experience of university life, with full access to campus facilities. Successful completion of the year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.