Program Overview

BA (Hons) Games Art

The BA (Hons) Games Art programme at Manchester Metropolitan University is designed to equip students with the technical, artistic, and industry skills necessary to become a game artist. Through practical projects tailored to individual artistic styles, students are encouraged to think creatively and collaboratively, developing the skills required to navigate the complexities of the modern creative industries.

Course Overview

The programme is structured to ensure direct relevance to current industry games art roles, with modules that embed technical and conceptual approaches to the production of art for games. Students develop skills in concept art, storytelling, 2D and 3D art production, and other valuable skills for employment in the game industry.

Features and Benefits

• Part of the £35m investment into specialist spaces with the latest technologies at the School of Digital Arts (SODA).
• Gain knowledge, skills, and expertise to enter the games industry, one of the fastest-growing industries in the digital and creative sector.
• Develop skills as a games artist through practical projects and collaboration with the SODA community.
• Meet and work with professionals in the field of games art and beyond, enhancing confidence and industry knowledge.
• Immersed in a dynamic, thriving creative community with exciting events and opportunities.

Accreditations, Awards, and Endorsements

• Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) overall gold status.
• National Student Survey 2025 (NSS) shows 97.4% of students were positive about teaching staff.

Year 1

In the first year, students are introduced to a broad range of game art skills, including:

• 3D Art for Games: Exploring core areas of 3D art for games, industry-standard software, and workflows.
• Concept Art and Design for Games: Introducing core principles of concept art and design, integrating design thinking and digital image-making.
• Experimental Game Art: Developing skills in creating experimental assets for games and introducing the workflow of making them production-ready.
• Animation for Games: Exploring the role of animation within game art, focusing on adapting modelling and rigging techniques to support animation.

Year 2

In Year 2, students build upon the creative and technical skills acquired in the first year, studying:

• Character Art: Developing sculpting skills, focusing on mastering the fundamentals of human anatomy for artists.
• Environment Art: Exploring the creation of immersive game environments, blending storytelling with technical artistry.
• Technical Art: Applying technical and conceptual processes to develop innovative methodologies for the production of art for games.
• Speculative Futures: Harnessing creative, collaborative, and critical skills to tackle urgent environmental and social justice issues.

Year 3

In Year 3, students participate in projects designed to prepare them for a career in the industry, including:

• Collaborative Studio Practice: Creating a body of work in collaboration with peers and partners in the creative and digital industries.
• Games for Good: Exploring the potential for games as a means of driving positive social change.
• Independent Project: Consolidating degree learning into a self-directed project, integrating theoretical, contextual, and technical skills.
• Games Industry Portfolio: Developing an industry-ready game art portfolio, showcasing skills across a range of game development and related career paths.

Study and Assessment

• Study: Combination of lectures, seminars, and independent study.
• Assessment: 100% coursework across all years.

Placements

• SODA Placement Year: Opportunity to take a year working on placement within the industry.
• SODA Study Year Abroad: Chance to spend an academic year studying with an approved partner university overseas.

Entry Requirements

• Typical offer: 104-112 UCAS tariff points.
• IELTS score: 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5.
• UK students: Level 3 qualifications, including GCE A levels, Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma, Access to HE Diploma, UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma, OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma, and T levels.
• International students: IB Diploma with minimum 26 points overall or 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects, and IELTS 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5.

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are still being finalized. Information on 2025/26 standard undergraduate fees for UK/Channel Islands and EU/Non-EU international students is available.

Careers Support and Prospects

• Employed or in further study: 88.7% of UK-domiciled, full-time, first-degree graduates.
• Graduate Outcomes survey 2021/22 leavers, HESA data.
• Careers Service support, including Future Me and Rise, to get ready for further study or working life.
• Opportunities to meet employers and prepare for interviews.
• Lifelong access to online career resources as an alumnus.

Your City, Your Community, Your Campus

• Life in Manchester: A bustling city with a history of driving progress, home to a diverse community.
• City-centre campus: Modern learning spaces, lively Students’ Union, and fantastic social hubs and sporting facilities.
• Student community: One of the UK’s largest and most diverse student communities, celebrating difference and treating everyone as an individual.