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Computing for Games

Entry requirements


We welcome A Levels in a wide range of subjects, especially in those relevant to the course for which you apply.

We may consider a standalone AS in a relevant subject, if it is taken along with other A Levels and if an A Level has not been taken in the same subject. However, you will not be disadvantaged if you do not have a standalone AS subject as we will not ordinarily use them in our offers.

60 credits (with a minimum of 45 credits achieved at level 3) in a relevant subject.

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

T Level

P-M

P (Pass) grade must be C or above, not D or E

UCAS Tariff

104-120

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points, primarily from Level 3 equivalent qualifications, such as A levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma, or current, relevant experience. Grade 4 (or C) or above in GCSE English Language, or equivalent, is a minimum language requirement for all applicants. Due to the creative nature of our courses, you will be considered on your own individual merit and potential to succeed on your chosen course. Please contact the Applicant Services team for advice if you are predicted UCAS points below this range, or if you have questions about the qualifications or experience you have.

a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points, when combined with a minimum of 64 UCAS tariff points from the Supporting Qualifications

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer games

Gain the skills to pursue a career in software development, in the games industry and beyond

Study game development through the lens of computer science on this Computing for Games degree. Building upon industry-standard software, you’ll implement new tools to extend what’s possible with existing engines and program games that push technical boundaries.

Working in multidisciplinary teams, you’ll be the one to develop real-time interactive systems, fine-tune the source code and its technical characteristics and devise solutions to problems. You'll be studying at the No. 1 university for game design in England according to the Princeton Review, 2023.

You will:
Study key computing principles and related mathematical concepts, learning how to apply these to your own technical work
Get under the hood of video game engines like Unity and Unreal, learning a range of programming languages like C#, Python and C++
Engage with the latest technologies, including procedural content generation, to develop broadly transferable skills
Blend creativity and science while developing teamwork and communication skills that are highly desired in the industry
Gain an ‘optimisation mindset’ by learning to work within platform constraints
Make games with artists, animators, composers, designers, writers and other programmers, developing teamwork and communication skills
Study on a course accredited by The Chartered Institute for IT

Modules

You'll concentrate on programming in multiple languages, including C#, Python, and C++, as well as software engineering methods, agile project management, and versioning techniques. By studying industry-standard methods, and focusing on collaboration, creativity and enterprise, you'll learn how to build and sell original games.

Year One:
Beginning with an introduction to programming, you’ll learn the basics of computing using Python. We’ll support complete beginners as we go through the standards for collaborative software development, helping you apply what you’ve learned to a small team-based exercise.

You’ll then embark on your first multi-disciplinary game development project alongside artists, animators, composers, designers, and writers. This project gives you a practical understanding of game engineering processes and game engine architecture - typically using either C++ in Unreal 4, or C# in Unity.

Throughout the year, you'll work individual creative computing projects into your games. These projects typically involve procedural content generation and physical computing, reflecting our research strengths.

Modules
Principles of Computing
Digital Creativity
Development Foundations
Data Fundamentals
Individual Programming Project
Multidisciplinary Teamwork

Year Two:
You’ll focus on developing your specialism in computing for games and collaborate with students from across the Games Academy to design and build a product.

You’ll explore key principles in computational mathematics, as well as delving into more complicated game development concepts in advanced game programming and artificial intelligence.

Modules
Advanced Game Programming
Computational Mathematics
World Building: Pre-production
World Building: Production
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Year Three:
In your third year, you’ll develop greater intellectual freedom and further your specialism in computing for games. You’ll then harness these skills to conduct your own individual research and development project under the supervision of a subject-matter specialist. This will provide you with the space to realise a substantial computing artefact of your own and apply scientific research methods to find cutting-edge insights into a topic of your choice.

Complementing this is a major collaboration, in which you’ll work in multi-skilled teams to produce an innovative digital product or service based on your own intellectual property.

Modules
Graphics & Simulation
Research & Development: Proposal
Future Skills
Research & Development: Dissertation
Major Collaboration

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

Assessment methods

Coursework assessment with no formal examinations.
Portfolios, projects, pitches and papers.

The Uni


Course location:

Penryn Campus

Department:

The Games Academy

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

85%
Computer games

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

92%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
91%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

89%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
66%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
74%
Male students
26%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
17%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
B

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.

100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

30%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
26%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
13%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£20k

£20k

£16k

£16k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here