Games Development BSc/BSc (Hons)



Join a community of students passionate about achieving a games development bachelor’s degree
Overview

A degree in Games Development prepares you for the technical end of this exciting entertainment industry. This course provides you with opportunities in the games industry, related research and development companies, as well as other screen industries such as VFX and complex data visualisation.

This course will enable you to become a proficient game developer and open doors to may game developer job opportunities.

On successful completion of this programme, you will have the knowledge, understanding and skills to gain graduate-level employment in games development and the software industry in general.

Your studies are designed to provide entry into the core software engineering layer of the digital entertainment industry. From here, you will be able to progress into a wide range of career paths, both technical and managerial. Based on sound software engineering principles, the course will also equip you for a software engineering career in the wider computing industry.

There is a host of British game developers around today and the market is only growing. Becoming accustomed to game development software at Edinburgh Napier University will allow you to compete for highly sought after positions in this exciting industry.

This programme is accredited by ScreenSkills, an industry-led skills body for the screen industries.

Student with virtual reality headset on.

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

4 years

Start date:

Sep

UCAS code:

G443

Placement:

Yes

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Student stories

Read stories from students of Edinburgh Napier's Computing study area

How to apply

Find out how to apply for our undergraduate courses and what to expect after you have submitted your application. You'll find advice and support on completing your application, including your personal statement.

Course details

In your first year you will cover a wide area of computing related subjects.

In your second year, the emphasis is on the development of your software development skills that you will start to apply to games-related problems (real-time Computer Graphics).

The third year builds on the foundation established in the first two years to further your understanding of Games Development concepts and techniques, from Artificial Intelligence to Games Engineering.

In the final year of the degree, you will study advanced topics, perform a deep dive into cutting edge game technologies which interest you, and complete your honours project.

  • calendar How you’ll be taught Concepts and techniques are presented in lectures. Practical sessions run in labs are a central part of the learning process.
  • note and pen Assessments On average 70% of the work is assessed through practical projects and 30% through exams.
  • briefcase Work placement This course includes the possibility of a yearlong industry work placement during your third year of study.
  • library Facilities We have a dedicated lab, fully refurbished in 2018 and equipped with high-end PCs and GPUs.

Popular modules

Year 1

  • Foundations of Software Design and Development
  • Computer Systems 1
  • Foundations of Mathematics
  • Introduction to Human Computer Interaction
  • Mathematics for Software Engineering
  • Programming Fundamentals

Year 2

  • Object-Oriented Software Development
  • Systems and Services
  • Database Systems
  • Software Engineering Methods
  • Algorithms and Data Structure
  • Computer Graphics

Year 3

  • Data Analytics
  • Physics-Based Animation
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Games Engineering
  • Fundamentals of Parallel Systems
  • Group Project

Year 4

  • Honours Project
  • Concurrent and Parallel Systems
  • Advanced Games Engineering
  • Computational Intelligence
  • Information – Society and Security

ACCREDITED BY

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Study with us

Discover more about who we are, how to apply, what you can study, and where Edinburgh Napier could take you.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Our entry requirements indicate both Standard and Minimum qualifications with which we normally accept students. Competition for places varies from year to year and you aren't guaranteed a place if you meet the minimum qualifications.

Minimum year 1

SQA Higher

Standard Entry Requirement

BBBB to include Maths.

National 5 grade C in English.

Minimum Offer Entry Requirement

BBCC to include Maths at grade B.

National 5 grade C in English.

You may be given an adjusted offer of entry if you meet our specified minimum entry requirements within our widening participation criteria, and outlined in our Contextual Admissions Policy. Click here for further information about our entry requirements and admissions policies.

A Level

BCC to include Maths.

GCSE grade C/4 in English.

Irish Leaving Certificate

H2, H2, H3, H3 at Higher Level to include Maths and grade O4 in Ordinary Level English.

Scottish HNC

HNC with B in the graded unit in one of the following; Computer Games Development.

Higher B in Maths.

National 5 C in English.

BTEC (QCF) Extended Diploma Level 3

Minimum grades MMM (Merit, Merit, Merit) in a related subject.

A Level grade C in Maths or equivalent.

GCSE grade C/4 in English.

BTEC (QCF) National Diploma Level 3 plus A Level

Minimum grades DD (Distinction, Distinction) and A Level Maths grade C.

GCSE grade C/4 in English and Maths.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Award of Diploma with 28 points overall with three HL subjects at grades 6, 5, 4 to include Maths at grade 5.

Grade 4 in SL English.

European Baccalaureate

Pass at 70% or above with grade 7 in three subjects to include Maths.

Grade 6 in English.

T Levels

Merit - T Level with additional A-Level in Maths grade B 

GCSE English grade C/4

Minimum year 2

HNC/D

HNC - Pass in Computer Games Development with Grade A in the graded unit and Higher Maths at grade B. 

HND - in Games related subject with Grade C in the graded unit and Higher Maths at grade B.

SQA Advanced Higher

BBC to include Maths.

A Level

BBB to include Maths.

BTEC (QCF) Extended Diploma Level 3

Minimum grades DDD (Distinction, Distinction, Distinction) in a related subject and A Level Maths at grade C or equivalent.

English language requirements

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English. Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.


International students

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BN Nursing/MSc Nursing (Pre-registration) (Adult, Mental Health, Child, Learning Disabilities)
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

Admissions policies

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2023/24 2024/25
Scotland £1,820 £tba
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £9,250 £tba
Overseas and EU £15,160 tba
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland will be invoiced the tuition fees for 3 years of their 4 years of study. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.

Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next.
For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees

Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships

If additional compulsory costs other than the tuition fees are applicable, these will be detailed in the course details.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Careers
Close up of students hands building micro controllers

Our course prepares you to join the world of UK game developers, a unique career path which allows creativity and IT know-how to combine and conjure up weird and wonderful realities for global fanbases,

With your degree you could work in:

  • Software development
  • Games development
  • Video game programming
  • Artificial intelligence
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