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Games Programming (including foundation year)

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language and Mathematics at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent, eg Functional Skills at Level 2).

UCAS Tariff

32

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

8 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Computer games programming

**Why study this course?**

Our Games Programming (including foundation year) BSc (Hons) degree has a built-in foundation year, designed to equip you with the key principles of programming, mathematics and physics for game development, preparing you for the following three years of your course. You’ll graduate from this course with all the specialist skills needed to join the creative field of games programming.

**More about this course**

The foundation year of this course will teach you the fundamental aspects of programming, computer hardware, game design and mathematical techniques.

This course allows artists and programmers to work together to design and produce games. This part of the course has been approved by our games industry partner TIGA as it replicates the real working process in professional practice.

The foundation year on this course is shared with a number of other foundation year degrees, so in Year 0 you’ll get to study with other students who are interested in a variety of different specialisms.

The foundation level of this course will ensure you have the fundamental skills in games programming needed to succeed in the subsequent three years of your course. Our dedicated staff will help to build your academic abilities and your confidence throughout this four-year degree.

You’ll be encouraged to attend gaming events and enter game competitions during the course, giving you the chance to discover game designs created by your peers. There will also be the opportunity to exhibit your work at the annual Summer Show, which displays students work at all levels and will give you the chance to show your work to a professional audience.

Following your foundation year, you'll study the same course content and modules as those who study our Games Programming BSc (Hons) degree.

You'll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the traditional three-year course.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£17,600
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,600
per year
International
£17,600
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£17,600
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Holloway

Department:

School of Computing and Digital Media

Read full university profile

What students say


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

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
78%
Male students
22%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
21%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
A
C

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.

£20,000
low
Average annual salary
90%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

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.

£19k

£19k

£26k

£26k

£29k

£29k

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 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?

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