Course Overview
This course is offered as a four year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. You may also be interested in our three year BSc (Hons) Games Development course.
The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate degree.
During your first year, we will help you identify what employers are looking for from their future recruits, including practical and transferrable skills, personal qualities and business awareness. This new knowledge will lay an excellent foundation for you when you graduate, enabling you to present yourself effectively to employers using a CV, application form and during interviews.
We will also encourage you to develop your entrepreneurial skills. We'll show you how to formulate a plan for a new idea or product, showing who your customers are and how their needs will be met. You' ll also learn how to pitch your ideas in a range of ways.
Other modules in the Foundation Year include Computing Essentials, covering web design and mobile apps, networking and programming, and also Digital Media which will give you the basic processing skills needed to manage content such as images, animations and audio.
The BSc (Hons) Games Development focuses on how to program games, from traditional software design and coding to the latest techniques employed within graphics and AI. The course also provides an insight into other disciplines within the industry (design, modelling, animation and business), to ensure you can appreciate the roles of others within a diverse team.
What will this course cover?
You will develop your programming skills (C#) and apply them to the development of 2D mobile and console games and 3D levels within a commercial games engine. Additional modules will provide a taste of other disciplines within the games industry including an introduction to games design and 3D modelling. Further modules provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the hardware on which games are deployed.
Throughout the course you will continue to develop your programming skills (C++) and apply them to the development of realistic AI and graphical applications using a graphics library. You'll be taught about the processes involved in managing the development of complex games within large teams and as member of your own team, develop a game in collaboration with students on other courses, such as BA (Hons) Audio and Music Production and BA (Hons) Animation and Visual Effects.
During your final year you will develop a physics engine and integrate it into a games engine. Extend your understanding of the more complex AI techniques used within games and given an insight into how games companies operate, along with invaluable tips on how to start a career in the industry, either as an employee of an established games studio or as an indie developer. A major component of the final year is the project, which provides you with an opportunity to draw on the knowledge and skills gained in the previous years, to develop a game or related software application.
More placements, more choices
Bucks is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.
We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.
Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student. To increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.
Course Details
UCAS CODE: G46G
The lecturing team includes experienced professionals and there are regular visits from expert guest lectures who provide a context for the material being taught.
We are a member of the PlayStation® Vita Academic Development Programme run by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), which provides access to professional console development hardware and software tools.
We are an NVIDIA CUDA Teaching Centre. This is in recognition of the adoption of the CUDA parallel programming technology within the BSc (Hons) Games Development curriculum.
We are also a member of TIGA. The trade association representing the UK's games industry.
What are the course entry requirements?
If you do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year programme, or do not feel fully prepared for a Level 4 course, this four-year programme including a Foundation Year could be for you.
You'll need to hold GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C/4 or above, and will usually have achieved a minimum of 90 credits from a Level 3 qualification such as A Levels or BTECs.
International students should hold an IELTS of 5.5 (minimum of 5.5 in all areas).
Applicants will also be invited to attend an interview.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Course Modules
Module Map
This module map provides a list of the modules that make up your course.
Each module is worth a specified number of credits (typically either 15 or 30 credits for undergraduate courses). Compulsory (or ‘core’) modules cover key subject knowledge, while ‘option’ modules enable you to develop your own interests. For a full-time course you must take modules worth a total of 120 credits at each level of the course. The number of option modules you can take depends on the number of compulsory modules at each level. You can find more information about how your course is structured via the Academic Advice pages.
Our teaching is informed by research and employer requirements, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the subject area. In addition, where we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an option module, this may not be offered. If an option module does not run, we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
The modules available on this course are as follows:
Foundation Year Modules
- Inquiry and Research Skills
- Digital Media
- Computing Essentials
- Preparing for Success Knowledge and Creativity
- Preparing for Success Self-development and Responsibility
Year 1 Modules
- 3D Modelling
- Computer Architectures
- Console Game Development
- Game Design
- Level Design
- Maths for Games
- Networking
- Programming Concepts
Year 2 Modules
- Graphical Programming
- Object Oriented Programming
- Object Oriented Analysis & Design
- AI for Games
- Game Development (Team Project)
- Character Animation
- GPU Programming and Shaders
- Agile Software Development & UML
Year 3 Modules
- Advanced Programming
- Advanced AI for Games
- Physics Engine Programmer
- Data Structures & Algorithms
- Game Engine Development
- The Game Business
- Project
Fees
How much does it cost
Full Time Home and EU, September 2019: £9,250 per year
Full Time International, September 2019: £12,000 per year
Full Time Home and EU, February 2020: £9,250 per year
Full Time International, February 2020: £12,000 per year
Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.
Questions about fees?
Contact our Enquiries Team:
0330 123 2023
advice@bucks.ac.uk
How do I apply?
For application details please visit bucks.ac.uk/applying-to-bucks
