the United Kingdom
University of Portsmouth| The award | How you will study | Study duration | Course start | Domestic course fees | International course fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA (Hons) | Full-time, Sandwich | 3 - 4 years | September | - | - |
Overview
The games and tech industries continue to dominate the globe, and they're always seeking game designers and developers. Become their next rising star on our BA (Hons) Computer Games Design degree course.
With help from our teaching team of games industry experts, you'll dive into the theory of game design and development. You can specialise as a programmer or artist, designing, developing, and testing games for different audiences using our advanced game development facilities. For an extra boost to your professional experience, you can complete an optional work placement.
Discover what it takes to become an industry-ready games designer at Portsmouth, two-time winner of the TIGA Best Educational Institution Award (2021, 2014).
Course highlights
Accreditation
This course is accredited by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry. TIGA accreditation is applicable to courses meeting any of a range of games industry needs, such as programming, art, design and entrepreneurship.
In 2024, several University of Portsmouth graduates won at the TIGA UK Games Education Awards, including ‘Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Programmer’.
The University was also rated Gold Tier for social opportunities for gamers by Uswitch broadband experts, who assessed factors including the number of Esports players from National Students Esports (NSE), and followers on Discord and Twitch.
Careers and opportunities
With an estimated global value of $184.4 billion (£147.4 billion) as of 2022 (Newzoo, 2023) the computer games industry is a force to be reckoned with. In the UK, it contributed £2.9 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020/21, and the number of workers in the field grew to 20,975 (TIGA, 2022).
As the game industry and its workforce continue to expand – especially across sectors adopting its technologies and systems – multi-skilled and specialist graduates are more in demand than ever before.
Areas you can work in with a Computer Games Design degree
Game design positions in industry tend to be segmented into various responsibilities, including:
Your theoretical, programming, and art skills from completing this course will allow you to pursue a career in any of those fields – with a graduate level design role as a starting point.
Jobs you can do with a Computer Games Design degree
You can work in various design roles, such as:
As you further your career, you can advance to senior management positions like Creative Director.
Continuing your studies
If you wish to continue your education, our course provides a natural path to a Master's degree. You can study Game Design at an MSc or MA level, or you can study MA Art or MSc Computing courses based on your specialisation.
Placement year (optional)
After your second or third year, you can complete an optional work placement to gain professional experience and enhance your skills. It's also a great incentive for employers once you graduate.
You can work for a company, organisation or agency, or you can go self-employed and start your own business with fellow students or by yourself.
Whatever you decide – or even if you just want some employability advice – our Careers and Employability team can support you every step of the way.
Supporting your creative career
Our dedicated Careers and Employability team have extensive recruitment experience across a multitude of areas including the creative sector.
They can provide you with supporting and advice, including:
The team will continue to support you throughout your placement year and beyond, providing you with help for up to 5 years after your graduate.
Placement roles
You can work in various junior positions in designing, programming and artistry, such as:
Placement destinations
You can intern at games studios and technology companies like:
Alternatively, you can work as an independent or freelance game designer and developer.
Ongoing careers support
Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.
Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Careers and Employability Service to help you find your perfect role.
https://www.port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent. A relevant qualification or experience in art/design/creative computing or graphic arts is required. Applicants without relevant qualifications will be asked to provide a portfolio to support their application.
English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
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Consider a Foundation or Pathway course at University of Portsmouth to prepare for your chosen course:
If you do not meet the entry requirements for this course then consider one of these courses from another institution:
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