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Games Design and Production

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C-B,B,C

96-112 UCAS Tariff points - Minimum of 2 A levels with grades CCC - BBC

AS levels are accepted in combination with Level Three qualifications; including A-levels and BTECs.

Pass level 3 QAA approved Access Diploma .96 to 112 UCAS tariff points.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade C or grade 4 (or above) in Maths and English GCSE is required.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28

96 to 112 UCAS tariff points.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications. 96-112 Ucas Tariff Points.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

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

MMM-DMM

96-112 Ucas Tariff Points

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

96 to 112 UCAS tariff points.

96 to 112 UCAS tariff points.

T Level

P

C in core subject

UCAS Tariff

96-112

Minimum number of A2 subjects or equivalent - 2

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Computer games programming

Computer games design

Video Game development has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, AAA, Indie, Advergaming, Hyper-Casual and Serious Applications offer a broad landscape for excellent employment opportunities. With this continued expansion, there has never been a better time to get involved in video game production.

Keen to kick-start your career in the games industry? Looking for a degree that will help you develop the skills and experience you need? Are you looking for a course that will allow you to build functional games? Whether you are an aspiring programmer, designer or artist, our specialised games design and production course with optional placement year, will give you the chance to experience the world of professional games design and put your newly developed skills to the test. This kind of experience is invaluable to future employers and will give you the competitive edge within the job market.

Throughout this games design degree, you will study gaming in a range of contexts, from the basics of games design and digital arts, to the fundamentals of programming. As you move into the second and third years of your degree, you will be able to focus on the area of specialism that interests you, choosing from optional modules taught by leading experts in the field. You will become experienced in group working through agile methods, you will learn about narrative and storytelling, human computer interaction and user experience, developing a broad understanding of historical and emergent technology. You well investigate developing trends while building knowledge and understanding of the broader digital creative industries.

The optional placement module and intensive team-based learning environment will give you the chance to apply your skills in a real-world setting. You will gain an understanding of organisational structure, internal processes and how development teams work, so you will graduate with a clear focus on your next step into industry. Indeed, the USP of this degree is the years of experience we have in formulating multidisciplinary teams to build real world product, within a professional working structure and environment.

**You will:**
- Learn how to think both creatively and technically as a game designer and producer

- Gain fundamental and advanced knowledge in creative computer programming

- Gain fundamental and advanced knowledge in digital graphics and art

- Develop specialist skills in planning, prototyping, and producing computer games

- Work in multidisciplinary teams to produce functional polished product

**Visit our Game Design and Production degree CourseFinder webpage** https://bit.ly/2YZj32h
**Explore all of our Game Design and Production courses and read our helpful FAQs** https://bit.ly/39R2YSR
**Sign-up to an Open Day or Campus Tour** https://bit.ly/3sAsT8m

Modules

**Year one**
- Design Theory Fundamentals
- Visual Art
- Entertainment Technologies
- Design Practice Fundamentals
- Digital Graphics
- Introduction to Programming

**Year two**
- Advanced Gameplay Development
- Game Development Foundations
- Human Data Interaction
- Digital Narrative Technologies
You will also choose one of the following two optional modules
- Digital Environment Art
- Games Engine Programming
- Digital Character Art
- Advanced Games Engine Programming
In addition, you will choose one of the below optional modules
- Advanced Games Engine Programming
- Digital Character Art

**Year three**
- Creative Portfolio
- Final Project Proposal and Prototyping
- Final Project Development
- Practice Based Dissertation

**Visit our Game Design and Production degree CourseFinder webpage ** - https://bit.ly/2YZj32h

The Uni


Course location:

University of Salford

Department:

School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology

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.

83%
Computer games programming
83%
Computer games design

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

94%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
72%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
94%
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

67%
Library resources
33%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
44%
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?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
85%
Male students
15%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
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.

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

Top job areas of graduates

47%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
12%
Information technology technicians
5%
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.

£23k

£23k

£25k

£25k

£26k

£26k

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 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:

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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