BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
Design, production, testing. Study Game Design and gain experience in the full game production pipeline.
£9,000 per year
Partial funding is available for eligible home fee applicants who are residents of Scotland via the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).
For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from September 2024.
£11,100 per year
The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.
For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from January 2024.
£11,100 per year
The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.
For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from September 2024.
£11,100 per year
The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.
For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from September 2024.
For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £13,000 per year
For EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £9,000 per year
*Student visa required
For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.
For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £15,000 per year
For EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £ 11,100 per year
*Student visa required
For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.
For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £15,000 per year
For EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £ 11,100 per year
*Student visa required
For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.
For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £15,000 per year
For EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £ 11,100 per year
*Student visa required
For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.
September
September
September
September
- Listening – 17
- Writing – 17
- Speaking – 20
- Reading – 18
- International ESOL C1 Expert – pass in all four components
- International ESOL SELT B2 (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) – minimum 33 in all components
- ESOL Integrated Skills in English II – pass in all components
YOUR CAREER IN GAME DESIGN BEGINS NOW


Game Design skills
Game Design Degree course structure
In their first year, students will learn fundamental development and programming skills, explore level design and narrative construction. In the second year, students will learn more about the industry, and work in collaborative teams to complete project briefs in a simulated games studio environment. They will also be able to specialise in a topic of their own choosing and develop a comprehensive portfolio to use as they move into graduate employment.Topics include:
- Programming Basics
- Structured Programming
- Object-Oriented Programming
- Introduction to Algorithms
- Boolean Algebra, Numeral Systems
- Vector Arithmetic
- Version Control
The implementation and tweaking of game mechanics and mechanisms in common game engines are applied to a game project.
Topics include:
- Game Design Fundamentals
- Game Engine Basics
- Game Mechanics
- Game Mechanisms
Topics include:
- Asset management and creation
- Playtesting and QA
- Data collection principals and ethics
- Statistics for game design
- UI/UX
- Level Design
Topics include
- Academic research and writing
- Game Production basics (Agile/Scrum, Kanban, Risk analysis, etc)
- History and Culture of Games
- Ethics of video games
- Theories of play (Flow, Magic circle, MDA)
- Narrative in video games
Topics you may draw upon in Creative Studio 1 include:
- Rapid Prototyping
- Games narrative
- Reward systems
- User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) design
- World building
Topics you may draw upon in Creative Studio 2 include:
- Commercial games
- Modern marketplaces for games
- Games product lifecycle
- GAAS
- Mobile and platforms
- Business Planning
- Marketing
Topics you may draw upon in Creative Studio 3 include:
- Games with Meaning, Inquiry, and Purpose (Serious Games)
- Game Economies
- Psychology of Games
- Accessibility
- Research Methodologies and their Application in the Creative Media Industries
- Scientific Research and Practice
- Contemporary Issues Surrounding Research
- Developing a Research Question / Hypothesis
- Gathering, Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation of Data
- Literature Review and Critical Analysis of Existing Research
- Research Ethics

What jobs will this course lead to?
- Game Designer
- System Designer (Gameplay Designer)
- Level Designer
- UI Designer
- Technical Game Designer
Course FAQs
While we would recommend that anyone who is studying Game Art & Animation should invest in their own hardware, our labs are kitted out with high end PCs that you will have access to for your classes. Students can also book access to PCs when they aren’t in use.
We are looking to see an applicants’ best and most refined artwork in whatever medium they choose, and should evidence their creativity and technical skill. You are welcome to contact our admissions team for advice on what you should include.
We are looking to see applicants passion for film, if you have created any work before applying. This can include examples of your work, script work or practical mov examples or anything creative and film related that boosts your creative vision. We would also like a 800 word write up of why you want to study film production as well as what your favourite is and why? (400 words on each). You are welcome to contact our admissions team for advice on what you should include.
You can provide a PDF document or a personal URL with your artwork. Traditional artwork should be scanned and submitted in a digital image format like JPEG, or as part of a PDF.
