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Games Design

Attendance

Campus

Start

Duration

1 Year

Start

September 2023

Delivery

Campus Taught

Our MA Games Design (with optional Professional Placement) course has been designed with industry in mind. It will give you the opportunity to specialise in an area of Games Design, even if your specialism is to be a one-person team and do it all!

This degree programme offers you a dynamic and friendly creative environment where you are encouraged and inspired to play, learn and think creatively. Games Design covers the conceptual, visual and digital development of games, and you will be given an industry perspective that will equip you to seek employment in the trade.

From the start of the course, you will be exploring and developing ideas and concepts relating to games and are actively encouraged to play, to question the nature of your specialism and express the ideas formulated through personal project work.

Why study with us

You will develop a portfolio that will give you the advantage in an ever-competitive sector or the ability to become independent developers.
The University is an official academic partner of the Unreal Engine team.
You can get involved in our annual cJAM employability event, where you’ll pitch your ideas to industry professionals who are offering work placement opportunities.

Interested?

Download

games design ba student designing on a screen

Degree Show 2022

Discover the award-winning creative work produced by our postgraduate Games Design students. The degree show features work in a range of mediums by students from the School of Arts & Media.

Access the Degree Show

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What you’ll do

Level Design, Concept Art, Board Games, 3D Modelling, Narrative, Game Mechanics, VFX, User Interface and more – What you specialise in is up to you.
You are encouraged to operate in a specialist area of Games Design and given the creative freedom and necessary skills to develop your own ideas.
We have an established visiting Industry Speaker programme which includes Lead Designers, 3D Artists, QA, Production and Technical Artists from AAA and independent game development studios.

Module overview

Course delivery

This course is taught face-to-face at one of our UK campuses.

100%Face-to-face

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Looking to start your postgraduate journey?

Our range of subjects and study modes can support your goals, take your next step with a postgraduate degree.

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Academic expertise

Industry Links

The course is part of the Unreal Academic Partner Program. Which recognises UCLan’s provision of experienced staff and high-quality resources. As well as our commitment to excellent student experience in preparation for their future careers.

Future careers

Our Games Design graduates have gone onto a variety of highly successful games companies, for example Warner Brothers, Ninja Theory, Rare, Naughty Dog and Riot Games. Our Graduates have also gone on to create their own development studios such as White Paper Games.

On successful graduation from this course are you will be able to display a rich portfolio of work that will showcase your specialist skills.

These specialist skills are what industry have identified as key in individuals working in modern Game Development.

This postgraduate qualification will open exciting career opportunities within commercial design practices and you’ll also be equipped with the skills needed to develop your own practice or consultancy.

Fees and funding

2022/23

Full-time£7800 per year

Part-time£867 per 20 credits

International

Full-time£14500 per year

2023/24

Full-time£8,400 per year

Part-time£933 per 20 credits

International

Full-time£15,500 per year

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country and see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

Select your country/region

This course is tailored to suit your area of study – Games is a large subject so your study/specialism could be concept art, 3D modelling, level design, character design, animation, narrative, engine work, accessibility, texturing, effects, materials…. The list goes on.

We would ask you to enter a Learning Agreement which is an agreement between you and us which lays out a roadmap of what you would study, how, the rationale and intended outcomes.

Alongside you practice work you would, along with the whole MA cohort from a range of art and design courses, take on two research modules which would help inform your practice work. These modules look at your current methodologies, other creatives methodologies, get you networking, reflecting and formulating new ways of working to help inform your practice.

The coursework is continually assessed through the project work.

There are no exams.

The course team have a wide variety of skills and are highly experienced in developing your visualising, creative thinking, digital modelling and games development skills. Team members include Bev Bush, Senior Lecturer who was named in the Women in Games Top 100 (2013) and Associate Lecturers Pete Bottomley and James Burton of White Paper Games.

We have an established visiting Industry Speaker programme which includes Lead Designers, 3D Artists, QA, Production and Technical Artists from AAA and independent game development studios throughout the UK who bring with them a broad experience of the games development industry.