BSc (Hons) Games Programming Degree
Unlock your creativity, take your skills to the next level and study game design at SAE. On our fast-tracked game design course, you’ll learn about game mechanics and systems, explore theories of play and develop game design, playtesting, production, and community management skills – all while using the very best industry-standard game design software. Start in January or September.
£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.
£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 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 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 January 2024.
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)*, £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.
January and September 2024
January and September 2024
January and September 2024
January and September 2024
- 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
What you can expect from your degree
Always wanted to learn to make games as a games programmer? With SAE’s fast-tracked games programme degree, you’ll take part in an immersive learning experience – uniquely tailored to aspiring games programmers – across 2 years rather than the usual 3. Integrating fundamental theories with hands-on practice, you’ll set yourself up for success thanks to this accelerated games programme degree course, where you’ll be preparing for a thriving career from the moment you arrive.
Throughout this unique and practical focused games programming course, you’ll refine industry-specific skills, gaining technical expertise and practical proficiency. During your time as an SAE student, you’ll have unlimited access to the industry-standard software in our state-of-the-art computer labs, meaning you’ll gain a good working knowledge of software programmes like Unreal Engine 5, Unity3D, Visual Studio and Maya, and programming languages C++ and C#.
In addition to mastering games programming techniques, you’ll gain vital project management skills, refine your academic writing abilities, and learn how to problem solve effectively to ensure optimal project results. Over the course of your game programme degree, you’ll also benefit from the mentorship of SAE’s experts, who are all seasoned professionals in the industry with a vast amount of knowledge to share.
Levelling up
As part of your degree in games programming, you’ll work with SAE students within the games programme degree, as well as those in other creative disciplines such as music, film and animation, on a range of projects that mirror real-world scenarios. This will build your teamwork skills, enrich your professional portfolio and provide you with an extensive network of creatives to stay in touch with after graduation.
At the end of your 2 years with SAE, you’ll have gained essential knowledge across game engines, mechanics and mechanisms and will be well versed in design principles, composition algorithms, artificial intelligence and many other industry-relevant topics. So, whether your dream is to become a game designer, analyst, programmer or writer, it’s definitely game on at SAE.
What you'll learn
- Gain key knowledge and skills in game programming, forming a solid foundation for your future studies and career.
- Learn programming languages C++ and C#.
- Confidently operate the latest industry software, including 3ds Max, Unreal Engine 5, Maya and Unity3D.
- Design your own game world, NPCs, levels and content using common engines.
- Understand professional workflows for environment creation and real-time games programming.
- Collaborate on original projects with peers from other creative disciplines, such as animation, film and audio.
- Develop a significant portfolio of work to present to industry.
- Build a network of peers and professionals across the creative industries.
- Graduate career-ready with a degree in games programming from a recognised creative institute.
- Games programming course start dates available in January and September.
YOUR CAREER IN GAMES BEGINS NOW
What your course structure will look like
The BA/BSc (Hons) Games Programming is an accelerated games programme degree course that takes place over 2 years and 6 trimesters. Its structure follows 3 distinct stages – each designed to help you develop specific skills. Dividing it this way ensures you graduate as a well-rounded games programmer with a universal understanding of the entire game development process.• Stage 1 (T1 and T2) provides a foundation of core technical knowledge.
• Stage 2 (T3 and T4) broadens your skills by creating collaborative game projects, and exploring new areas of games programming.
• Stage 3 (T5 and T6) is all-encompassing, covering every aspect of games development from conception to completion, including entrepreneurial aspects like project management, finance and business skills.
Topics include:
- Programming Basics
- Structured Programming
- Object-Oriented Programming
- Introduction to Algorithms
- Boolean Algebra And Numeral Systems
- Vector Arithmetic
- Version Control
Topics include:
- Game Design Fundamentals
- Game Engine Basics
- Game Mechanics
- Game Mechanisms
Topics include:
- Design Patterns
- Data Structures
- Software Architecture
- Copyright Basics
- Game Production Basics
- Optimisation (Profiling)
Topics include:
- Statistics
- Heuristics
- AI Fundamentals
- Pathfinding
- Behaviour Trees
- Finite State Machines
- Composition Algorithms, e.g.
- Maze, Dungeon and Landscape Composition Algorithms
Topics may include:
- Level Design
- Computer Graphics
- Shader Programming
- Lighting
- Animation Programming (IK, FK)
- PCG Advanced (L System, Generative Algorithms)
- Persistent Data
Topics may include:
- VR/AR development
- Specific Platform Development
- Mobile Development
- Performance Optimisations
- Multithreading
- Performance Analysis
- Business Planning
- Marketing
Topics may include:
- Network programming
- Server-Client Communication
- Lag Compensation
- Back-End Development
- Machine Learning
- AI Advanced (GOAP, Utility AI)
- ECS
- Compute Shaders
- Physics
- Research Methodologies And Their Application
- 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
Topics may include:
- Machine Learning
- AI Advanced (GOAP, Utility AI)
- ECS
- Compute Shaders
- VR/AR Development
- Physics
WHY STUDY GAME DESIGN AT SAE?
Creative collaboration
Engage in collaborative projects with your games programming course peers, as well as SAE students from other creative disciplines.
Career Outcomes
What Jobs will this course lead to?
- Game Designer
- Game Economy Designer
- Level Designer
- Simulation Specialist
- Analyst
- Community Manager
- Systems Designer
- User Experience Designer
- Graphics Programmer
- Games Writer
YOUR DREAM CAREER BEGINS NOW
With our industry connections, specialised teachers and personalised education in world-class facilities, you can unleash your creative future with a Game Design & Development degree.
Course FAQs
We will use a wide range of tools and software including Unity Engine (2D and 3D), Direct X / Open GL, Blender, C# programming language, Photoshop, Illustrator and Visual Studio.
Yes, you will learn how to design and develop Multiplayer Games using network programming, client-server communication and file I/O.
Yes, we are excited to teach our students the latest technologies such as AI to create an effective immersive experience for the player.
