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Computer Games Programming (with Foundation Year)

Entry requirements


A level

C,C

Any subject considered.

A pass in any Access Course would be deemed suitable for entry onto this programme.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MPP

Any subject considered.

T Level

Pass (D or E)

UCAS Tariff

64

UCAS points from a minimum of 2 A-Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer games programming

**Reasons to choose Kingston**
- Kingston is an educational partner of Sony through PlayStation First.

- In our inKUbator, you can learn directly from the industry. Speakers have been from Sony, Splash Damage, Aardvark Swift, Interactive Selection, CryTek and Unity.

- Our games lab includes Sony PlayStation 4 development consoles; PCs with GTX1080 graphics cards and supports software including; Microsoft Visual Studio 2017, Unity 3D Pro 2018, Unreal 4.20 and Maya.

- Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.

**About this course**
Considering the many opportunities offered by the growing games industry? This course could be for you. You’ll graduate with an impressive portfolio to showcase your work.

You’ll learn C++ and C# programming languages, use game engines, such as Unity and Unreal, and develop games for PC, mobile, tablet and the Sony PlayStation 4. Studies include the use of artificial intelligence in real-time strategy, race and first person games as well as educational games. You’ll also learn the computer science that underpins programming, such as requirements analysis and design and network communications.

You’ll be able to participate in a 24-hour games creating team, Game Jams, and attend optional trips (such as the PC Gamer Weekender).

**Future Skills**
Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

**Career opportunities**
You’ll be prepared for a wide range of computing careers. Graduates have become games programmers, virtual reality games developers, technical programmers and software engineers.

Modules

Example modules:
– Multiplayer and Game Console Programming
– 3D Graphics Programming and Artificial Intelligence
– Professional Game Development Environments

To view the full list of modules, please visit the University course webpage.

Assessment methods

We use a studio based environment for our teaching comprising student led taught elements with practical workshops, tutorials and seminars and most teaching sessions take place in our dedicated games lab. Each module has four hours of directed learning per week. The lectures are supported by in-class activities and interactive taught elements to underpin our active learning approach to game development. Workshop sessions are based on and are reinforced by a problem-centred approach to learning. Students work both individually and in groups to develop their skills, facilitated by the lecturer. Group work is undertaken using an Agile approach as in the games industry. Teaching resources, such as video materials, presentations, links to ebooks and worksheets are provided on the University's web-based virtual learning environment.

Assessment includes coursework and practical/written exams with a focus on learning through making and the development of artefacts. In-class assessed workshop activities support the problem-centric approach of learning and are used to provide individual, timely oral and written feedback and which helps prepare students for the assignments. Each assessment contributes to the students' portfolio which leads to a showcase of work to show potential employers in the both the games and computing industries.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Kingston University

Department:

Department of Computer Science

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.

79%
Computer games programming

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

74%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
74%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
84%
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

63%
Library resources
53%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
91%
Male students
9%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
D

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.

£23,000
med
Average annual salary
89%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

37%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
7%
Information technology technicians
6%
Business, research and administrative professionals

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

£22k

£29k

£29k

£30k

£30k

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 criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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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Course location and department:

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):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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