BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming (with a foundation year) Bachelor's degree at Staffordshire
BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming (with a foundation year) at Staffordshire. You'll work through specialist options and undertake an independent project, gaining both technical depth and professional skills applicable across the games industry and beyond.
About this course
BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming (with a foundation year) is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at Staffordshire, based in Stoke on Trent Campus. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Computer games and animation graduates from this provider, 87% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 63% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 87% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2021-23. Continuation 70% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 6 modules
- Bespoke Platform DevelopmentCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module will challenge your ability to identify the operational and functional characteristics of a simple game and systemically take this product from conception to implementation with a theoretical backing in project formulation, planning and execution. Implementation will be performed using suitable game development frameworks, sound programming principles, for a proprietary gaming platform.
- C# Scripting For Games EnginesCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module considers an introduction to the fundamentals of scripting in C#. Scripting is an important tool in developing interactive and fun experiences for players. You will learn how to leverage the power of C# scripting to technically design and build interactive gameplay solutions.
- Computational MethodsCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Computer games systems need to solve computational problems very quickly, in order to deliver the best experience possible. In Computational Methods, students will learn the kinds of techniques, developed through computer science, that can help to solve computational problems in the most efficient ways possible. Students will also learn to appreciate just how long problems can take if the more efficient techniques are not employed.
- Introduction To Graphics ProgrammingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of computer graphics in games and graphical programming techniques applied to games.
- Mechanics PrototypingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module develops further students understanding of game mechanic creation using a game engine. Students will learn how to plan, communicate and implement core game concepts, such as characters, enemies and game loops in order to create fun, playable prototypes of their own design.
- Programming FundamentalsCompulsory20 credits
Module details
There are a wide range of core programming concepts that a required to understand before you can create more complex games and applications. In this module we will introduce the techniques required to get started in the world of programming, this means topics such as: data types, conditionals, functions, and object-oriented programming will be taught which will culminate in the development of a text-based game.
Year 2 9 modules
- Applied Mathematics For GamesCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Modern computer games are often required to demonstrate a close approximation of the physics of the real world. At the very least, games need to be internally consistent. In Applied Mathematics for Games students will learn the mathematics and physics of the real world and learn how they can be adapted for in-game simulation.
- Game Artificial IntelligenceCompulsory20 credits
Module details
What are fundamental Artificial Intelligence skills a student needs to build their own games and enter the games industry? Game Artificial Intelligence addresses this question and provides the knowledge and practical skills in four key areas: Research, Steering behaviours, Pathfinding (i.e. A*) and Decision Making. The module assessment challenges you to understand the importance of not just implementing AI algorithms, but also to engage in problem solving and research into the state-of-the-art
- Junior Collaborative Games DevelopmentCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Students will work in a junior role in a group comprised of students from across the suite of games development courses to mimic a games development studio. They will work with other juniors and level 6 students who take the role of seniors, to make a vertical slice of a game.
- Multiplayer Games ProgrammingCompulsory20 credits
Module details
Networking and multiplayer elements are used in most games to connect players together and to allow them to interact and engage within a game world. In this module you will learn how to create a networking library that is able to send complex information over a network, design a multithreaded codebase that is able to run multiple strands of code concurrently and design and develop a multiplayer game.
- Real-Time Rendering FrameworkCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This module will introduce you to graphics and real-time 3D rendering application, targeting high level shading and modern graphics API and C++. Considerations of object-oriented principles, extensible code, and rendering architecture as part of a game engine will be explored throughout the module.
- Experimental SystemsOptional20 credits
Module details
This module will explore mixed reality and experimental technology for games, critically understanding the theoretical backing of mixed reality interactions, risks and techniques. Implementation will be performed using suitable game development engine, appropriate tools and hardware, for a mixed reality platform.
- Game AudioOptional20 credits
- Real-Time Illumination ProgrammingOptional20 credits
Module details
This module will provide a comprehensive introduction to programming ray tracing. Ray tracing is a powerful technique for creating realistic lighting in computer graphics, and is increasingly being used in computer games. Throughout the module, you will learn the fundamentals of ray tracing, including the theory behind it and how it differs from traditional rasterisation techniques. You will gain a hands-on experience in setting up a development environment for creating ray tracing applications,
- Tools DevelopmentOptional20 credits
Module details
Creating tools and unique systems to help improve and streamline the games development process is vital to ensuring consistency of tasks, speed of development and the quality of the game. Tools can range from build systems, procedural content generation, asset creation and more. In this module you will learn how to identify problems, conduct research, design a solution and ultimate create a system.
Year 3 7 modules
- Cross Platform Engine DevelopmentCompulsory40 credits
- Games Development ProjectCompulsory40 credits
- Low-Level Platform OptimisationCompulsory20 credits
- Advanced Game Artificial IntelligenceOptional20 credits
- Advanced Real-Time GraphicsOptional20 credits
- Audio ProgrammingOptional20 credits
Module details
This module will introduce you to the low-level processes and structures at the heart of game audio. You will explore a variety of different tools and approaches, then identify
- Cloud-Based Multiplayer Games DevelopmentOptional20 credits
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
Who it's for
You're drawn to games and understand that building them requires serious technical skill. You think in logic and problem-solving, and you want to move beyond playing to creating the systems beneath the surface. You're comfortable with sustained, focused study, this is demanding work, and you value learning by making things, testing them, breaking them and fixing them. You may come from a traditional academic background or you may be returning to study after time away; either way, you're ready to commit to building expertise over four years.
Careers & job market
Across Art & Design disciplines nationally, 87% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after finishing their degree, and 55% of those in work are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. Graduate earnings data shows starting salaries between £22,000 and £27,000 at the 15-month point, rising to £20,825–£29,400 after five years. These are national figures from Graduate Outcomes and the LEO dataset and will vary depending on your specific role, location and career trajectory.
University & format
This course is studied full-time at the University of Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent Campus, and is taught in English. The BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming spans 4 years, including a foundation year. The University of Staffordshire is a nationally recognised degree-awarding body. Teaching quality is recognised with a Silver award in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Names detected beside accreditation or recognition copy on the provider course page; verify the route and intake.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 94% |
| another higher-education qualification | 2% |
| No / unknown prior qualifications | 2% |
| Other | 1% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code I6K7). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at Staffordshire →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £24,000 | £22,000 – £30,000 | 35 |
| 3 years after | £22,500 | £17,000 – £28,500 | 295 |
| 5 years after | £29,000 | £22,000 – £36,500 | 300 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Information Technology ProfessionalsSOC 2020 213 · 27% of published destinations · ASHE median £55,357
- Web and Multimedia Design ProfessionalsSOC 2020 214 · 18% of published destinations · ASHE median £32,574
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 210; response rate: 61%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
87% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £24,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 7.8 out of 10: NSS 76.7% · in work or study 87% · continued 70%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of Staffordshire
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Stoke on Trent Campus
1,636 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Staffordshire from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Staffordshire; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Staffordshire’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Staffordshire and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Staffordshire
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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