BSc (Hons) Games Design with foundation year
Course Overview
The UK market for video games reached a record £7.16billion in 2021 (1). If you seek a career in a strong sector of the economy, then a career in games is an excellent choice. From PC, console and mobile games to serious games for education and training and the emerging virtual reality games market, software developers seek highly qualified games specialists.The first year of our 4-year BSc (Hons) Games Design with foundation year degree offers an introductory study into games. The emphasis is on creativity, with specialisation on the route that you want to follow. Key topics include simple games production using industry recognised platforms and technologies. Our dedicated games team will work to help you develop your skills, preparing you for your degree. Our teaching aims to develop you to be able to work in the games industry.
The foundation year constitutes a “bridge” between further education and higher education. There is a greater emphasis on practical work, with dedicated support to help you to prepare for the more demanding academic tasks on the degree programme proper.
Once you've successfully completed the foundation year, you'll automatically progress onto the main degree programme where your studies will focus specifically on games design (though you'll have the chance to transfer streams to BA (Hons) Games Art or BSc (Hons) Games Programming on completion if you prefer^). Throughout the degree, you will undertake a broad study of games, emphasising the technical, design and innovation aspects rather than programming. Key topics include content production, games and level design, as well as platforms and technologies. Our dedicated games team will help you develop skills and knowledge in games analysis, usability and playability testing, games production and the business of computer games.
Team-based projects involving regular critique sessions are designed to help you develop the high level of teamwork and communication skills vital in the games industry. Our intensely practical, hands-on approach aims to encourage and support you to develop a high-quality portfolio of work ready to demonstrate your skills and creative air to potential employers.
(1) Ukie - https://ukie.org.uk/consumer-games-market-valuation-2021 accessed on 13 July 2022
^Subject to approval by the relevant programme leader
Highlights
- Our Computer Science courses are top in the UK for student satisfaction, according to The Complete University Guide 2022.
- Interdisciplinary projects with students from our other games courses give you opportunities to learn the vocabulary, production pipelines and work cultures of these disciplines, along with valuable team working skills.
- We frequently collaborate with games development companies on games usability testing and offer you the opportunity to test upcoming games before they go to market. Previous students have been credited for their work in some of these testing sessions.
- Our game jams are great opportunities to build your social network and practice your team working, problem-solving and project management skills.
- In your final year, you can focus your studies on the area of games design in which you wish to specialise, giving you the chance to create a suitable portfolio piece for your website.
- During your final year, you’ll work with students from our other games courses to produce a complete game demo that will be available for industry employers to view at the end-of-year degree show.
Key Features
- University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most. We were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
- The course covers both 2D and 3D game environments, concepts and mechanics for traditional gaming (PC and console), mobile gaming (cloud, social and casual), and virtual reality gaming, along with game play analysis and testing.
- Our dedicated games tutors have a vast range of industry experience and an extensive network of contacts in the games industry. Members of our team have worked in AAA studios, run their own studios, authored books and are actively conducting research.
- Teamwork and collaboration are essential for games industry success, so we encourage you to work on games projects in interdisciplinary teams with students from our other games courses.
- Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.
- We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills in preparation to impress potential employers.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.
Entry Requirements
- 48 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
- Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
- We’re happy to consider your application if you have non-traditional entry qualifications, provided you can demonstrate relevant experience or a suitable portfolio of work that is deemed a reasonable substitute for the above qualifications.
- You'll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of appropriate work.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- If English is your second language and you feel you need extra help with your language skills, you have the option of studying specialist language modules during the foundation year. Please contact the English for Academic Purposes team for further information and advice.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
As a BSc (Hons) Games Design graduate, you'll have the ability to work independently, develop games, develop concepts, respond to briefs, and understand commercial markets. You'll possess skills in teamwork, communication, project management and problem-solving. You'll also have a portfolio of work that you created using industry-standard tools. This portfolio will allow you to demonstrate your skills, creative flair and passion for games development.
Moreover, elements of games design are emerging in fields such as business, education and healthcare. These areas offer enormous potential for ambitious games graduates who can communicate with non-gamers.
What can I do with this qualification?
Alternative career options
Not all graduates enter the gaming industry as game designers since their skills are transferrable to other creative roles in the film, music, and media industries. Another option is a multimedia artist or digital animator, working in computer game creation, but you won't be responsible for the overall design. If you are more interested in the technological side of game production, consider pursuing a career in software engineering. This career will allow you to turn a design team's ideas into a gamer's reality through coding and programming. Please note that you may need postgraduate study and/or work experience to enter these alternative careers.
- Multimedia artist
- Social media manager
- Software engineer
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
If you wish to apply to multiple institutions or courses for September, then apply through UCAS
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
Institution Code Name: BOLTN
Institution Code Number: B44
Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com
International Applicants
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
This course is not currently accepting international online applications.
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Partner Organisation Applicants
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Teaching & Assessment
Overall, the course is very practical in nature, with group work and team-based projects that encourage you to work alongside our more technical and artistic students (from the Games Programming and Games Art courses), forming an important part of your training. These experiences are designed to help you learn the industry pipelines and terminology used by these specialisms and the team working, project management, problem-solving, organisation, and communication skills essential in the games and interactive entertainment industry.
You can also expect lectures, demonstrations, practical lab sessions, critique sessions (peer and assessed), reflective learning through journals and logs for various activities, as well as online sessions and support. Guided independent study and self-directed learning are equally essential to your success; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for practical activities and working on projects.
We also encourage and support you to create your portfolio. This provides evidence of your creativity and skills in games design ready to show potential employers and is considered vital for securing your first job in the industry.
In terms of formal assessment, you can expect written reports, assignments, projects, case study analyses, in-class tests, demonstrations, presentations, and others. These contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes. We also use other forms of assessment to help you learn, especially critique sessions. These provide feedback and inform your development, though these do not count towards your final module mark.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Introduction to Digital Art
- Introduction to 2D Game Construction
- Introduction to 3D Game Construction
- Foundation Project
- Fundamentals of 3D
- Level Design
- Introduction to Games Design
- Scripting
- Intermediate Scripting
- Narratives
- Intermediate Level Design
- UI/UX Design
- Advanced Games Scripting
- Advanced Level Design
- Group Portfolio Project
- Major Project
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 0 | Coursework 92% Practical exams 8% |
| Level 1 | Coursework 70% Practical exams 20% Written exams 10% |
| Level 2 | Coursework 67% Practical exams 8% Written exams 25% |
| Level 3 | Coursework 70% Practical exams 15% Written exams 15% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 0 | Guided independent study 55% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 45% |
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 67% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 33% |
| Level 2 | Guided independent study 63% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 37% |
| Level 3 | Guided independent study 74% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 26% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
