Games Design

Program Overview

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Games Design

MA

Attendance

• Full-time
• Part-time

Campus

• Preston Campus

Start

• September 2025

Duration

• 1 year

Delivery

• In-person

Our MA Games Design course has been designed with industry in mind. It will give you the opportunity to specialise in an area of Games Design, even if your specialism is to be a one-person team and do it all.

This Games Design degree programme offers you a dynamic and friendly creative environment where you are encouraged and inspired to play, learn and think creatively. Games Design covers the conceptual, visual and digital development of games, and you will be given an industry perspective that will equip you to seek employment in the trade.

From the start of the course, you will be exploring and developing ideas and concepts relating to games and are actively encouraged to play, to question the nature of your specialism and express the ideas formulated through personal project work.

Why study with us

• You will develop a portfolio that will give you the advantage in an ever-competitive sector or the ability to become independent developers.
• The University is an official academic partner of the Unreal Engine team.
• You can get involved in our annual cJAM employability event, where you’ll pitch your ideas to industry professionals who are offering work opportunities.

Degree Show 2024

Discover the award-winning creative work produced by our postgraduate Games Design students. The degree show features work in a range of mediums by students from the School of Arts & Media.

What you’ll do

• Level Design, Concept Art, Board Games, 3D Modelling, Narrative, Game Mechanics, VFX, User Interface and more – What you specialise in is up to you.
• You are encouraged to operate in a specialist area of Games Design and given the creative freedom and necessary skills to develop your own ideas.
• We have an established visiting Industry Speaker programme which includes Lead Designers, 3D Artists, QA, Production and Technical Artists from AAA and independent game development studios.

Modules

Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Research Methodologies
  • Module code: DE4401
• Research in Context
  • Module code: DE4402
• Reflective Practice
  • Module code: DE4403
• Experimental Practice
  • Module code: DE4404
• Specialist Practice
  • Module code: DE4405
• Games Design Advanced Practice
  • Module code: XB4406

Related courses

• Animation, MA
• Scriptwriting, MA
• Music Industry Management & Promotion, MA
• Publishing, MA
• Sports Media Production, MA
• Ceramics, MA
• Children's Book Illustration, MA
• Fine Art, MA
• Graphic Design, MA

Entry requirements

• Applicants should hold a 2:2 degree or equivalent professional experience or learning in a related field
• Applications from all candidates will be considered on their merits in the light of the nature and scope of the programme
• IELTS: Score of 6.0 or above
• A high level of achievement in undergraduate studies at a university elsewhere such as North America: Minimum overall GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale
• All applicants are requested to submit digital supporting material and where possible will be invited to attend an interview with a portfolio of recent work

Fees and funding

2025/26

• UK:
  • Full-time: £9,450 per year
  • Part-time: £1,050 per 20 credits
• International:
  • Full-time: £17,900 per year

Additional costs

As part of your course there may be additional costs to consider that are not included in your tuition fees. Most of these will be optional, but some courses have essential additional costs.

Scholarships and bursaries

We offer many scholarships, bursaries and funds to support you during your studies.

Learning and assessment

This course is tailored to suit your area of study – Games is a large subject so your study/specialism could be concept art, 3D modelling, level design, character design, animation, narrative, engine work, accessibility, texturing, effects, materials…. The list goes on.

We would ask you to enter a Learning Agreement which is an agreement between you and us which lays out a roadmap of what you would study, how, the rationale and intended outcomes.

Alongside you practice work you would, along with the whole MA cohort from a range of art and design courses, take on two research modules which would help inform your practice work. These modules look at your current methodologies, other creatives methodologies, get you networking, reflecting and formulating new ways of working to help inform your practice.

The coursework is continually assessed through the project work.

There are no exams.

Further information

The course team have a wide variety of skills and are highly experienced in developing your visualising, creative thinking, digital modelling and games development skills. Team members include Bev Bush, Senior Lecturer who was named in the Women in Games Top 100 (2013) and Associate Lecturers Pete Bottomley and James Burton of White Paper Games.

We have an established visiting Industry Speaker programme which includes Lead Designers, 3D Artists, QA, Production and Technical Artists from AAA and independent game development studios throughout the UK who bring with them a broad experience of the games development industry.