Computer Games Programming with Foundation Year

University of Derby
Undergraduate BSc (Hons) Full-time 4 Years Computer games and animation

A-Level Entry

DDD

UCAS Points

72 points

Avg. Graduate Salary

£24,000

About this course

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change.

This highly-regarded computer games programming degree gives you the theoretical grounding and the practical skills you'll need to develop computer games – either for entertainment or for serious applications.

KEY FEATURES OF THE COURSE

  • REQUIRED SKILLS: If you’re serious about making it in the computer games industry, you’ll need a sound understanding of computer science as well as practical games development skills – this degree gives you both.

  • OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCES: You will take part in team projects and have the chance to develop a game in your final year which will be exhibited at our annual Games Expo.

  • PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: If you choose to take the optional year in industry, your chances of success will be even greater. Past students have worked for companies like Kuju, Frontier Developments and Sumo Digital.

  • NO EXAMS!: We’ll assess you with other methods throughout your degree.

    HOW YOU WILL LEARN You’ll learn in our industry labs that hosts a range of software including Unreal Engine, Unity Lab and Steam. Our XR (cross-reality) lab is a dedicated space for mixed-course games development and visualisation projects.

    Your lectures will be intentionally interactive, incorporating questions and answers and simulation. Seminars and tutorials will give you the opportunity to develop understanding and its application in both familiar and unfamiliar circumstances. Practical sessions will give you the chance to develop your skills in both equipment use and the evaluation of experimental procedures and data. Team working will also allow you to develop interpersonal and communication skills – an important skill for the workplace. 

    YOUR CAREER This computer games programming degree will equip you for roles such as Gameplay Programmer, Tools Developer and AI Programmer. However, its solid grounding in computing and software engineering opens doors to other software development roles too.

    STUDY OPTIONS This course is also available without a Foundation Year option.

  • Entry Requirements

    A-Level Grades DDD
    UCAS Tariff Points 72 points
    BTEC MMP

    Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    2134 Programmers and software development professionals
    2139 Information technology professionals
    2141 Web design professionals
    3131 IT operations technicians
    3132 IT user support technicians
    2136 IT quality and testing professionals

    Course Details

    Qualification
    Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
    Study Mode
    Full-time
    Duration
    4 Years
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    Derby
    Scheme
    Undergraduate
    Subjects
    Computer games and animation
    Avg. Graduate Salary
    £24,000