Games and Animation Production, BA (Hons)

AT A GLANCE

Transform your passion for gaming into a career by producing games and animations alongside studies in other creative, business and computing disciplines.

The global games industry is booming and was worth £80 billion in 2019. Interest is growing all of the time and there are an estimated 20 million gamers in the UK alone. With developments in technology in areas such as virtual and augmented reality, the opportunities to work in this exciting industry are only expected to increase in the years ahead.

The vast majority of the games and animations produced in Britain are done so by small and medium-sized businesses and students on this course work in such a professional environment by working on individual and group projects in comfortable class sizes. The whole ethos of the course is to develop individuals who can respond creatively to commercial challenges, and who are able to pitch and promote their ideas and work collaboratively to realise them.

Whether you want to develop your practice in mobile, PC, console, VR or multiplatform games production, or finesse your skills in animation, the vocational focus of this course can help you break into the sector you are interested in. As well as incorporating industry standards throughout, it is taught by active practitioners and visiting experts. You will also undertake a work placement relevant to your career plans.

The course is taught in dedicated rooms in UCW’s Knightstone Campus. You will also benefit from the new equipment, modern library and bright and spacious study spaces in our new University Centre in the Winter Gardens, also in the centre of Weston.

This course also offers a comprehensive itinerary of optional visits to studios and businesses in the games and animation industry, and games conventions in the UK and abroad. In recent years and at an additional expense, students have visited EGX in Birmingham and Gamescom in Cologne, for example.

Please click on the next tab to find out more about what you will learn on this programme and how it is taught and assessed.

Please contact the course leader Nim Lind or UCW’s HEART student services team if you have any questions. It would also be great to meet you and show you around at our next Open Day.

Our partnership with UWE Bristol

Course costs

2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
2021 entry part-time tuition fees: £6,375 per year.

This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for you to complete the course.

It also includes:

The use of UCW equipment and specialist software.
Attendance at guest lectures at UCW.
Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students and £5 for part-time students.
The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
The loans of books from our libraries.
Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.

It does not include:

The approximate £20 cost of a hard drive.
Optional studio/business visits at an approximate cost of £25 each.
Optional residential visits at an approximate cost of £50 (UK) and £100 (overseas) per night.
Extra printing and photocopying above the £5/£10 limit.
The cost of books or any specialist artistic materials that you may wish to purchase.
Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
Accommodation and other living costs.

UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.

You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.

All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth 30 credits each.

Year 1:

Understanding Animation for Production – 30 credits
Understanding Art for Production – 30 credits
Understanding Games Development – 30 credits
Understanding the Games and Animation Industries – 30 credits

Year 2:

Creative Collaborative Production – 30 credits
Creative Independent Production – 30 credits
Games and Animation for Cultural and Ethical Awareness – 30 credits
Wider Professional Practice - 30 credits

Year 3:

Pitching to Industry - 30 credits
Professional Practice - 30 credits
Specialist Collaborative Production - 30 credits
Specialist Independent Production - 30 credits

Teaching and assessment

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, case studies, presentations, skills practice and project work. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled classes, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework.

This course has an average of 13.5 hours of scheduled teaching per week and a work placement element totalling 60 hours over the duration of the course.

Assessment is via a combination of practical exams and coursework, with an assessment breakdown of 50% practical exams and 50% coursework. There are no written exams on this course.

Please click on the course handbook button to find out more, including how the course is delivered on a part-time basis.

Graduates of this course are eligible to apply for postgraduate courses such as the Master's degrees in Commercial Games Development and Animation at UWE Bristol.
Graduates of this course could also seek positions in the games and animation industries as games producers, designers and developers, or related roles in the wider creative arts industry.

Industry insight

The total value of the UK games industry is expected to reach £4 billion in 2020 (UK Animation, VFX and Games Industry: Strategies, Tends and Opportunities report).

Course length
Full-time: 3 years (3 days a week)
Part-time: 4 years (2 days a week)
Start date
13th September 2021
Course codes
Institution: W47
Course: GAPR
Campus: -
Tuition fees
Full-time: £8,500 per year;
Part-time: £6,375 per year