Location

Farnham

Start date

Sept 2026, Sept 2027

Duration

3 years full-time

UCAS logo

UCAS codes

Course: G450
Institution: C93

+1

Foundation year

Optional extra year of study

+1

Placement year

Optional extra year of study

Entry requirements

Check qualifications

Games Development at UCA

Write the code. Build the system. Ship the game on our BSc (Hons) Games Development degree at UCA Farnham.

 

Code with creative purpose

This is a BSc rooted in computing, but taught inside a creative arts university. That means you'll develop rigorous programming and software engineering skills alongside people who think visually, design intuitively, and challenge you to build things that feel as good as they function. It's a combination that produces developers who understand the full picture – way beyond the code.

From prototype to platform

You won't just build games that run on your machine. The curriculum takes you from foundational programming and games architecture through to advanced systems development and real platform deployment – including optimisation for different hardware, performance profiling, and publishing to hardware. By the time you graduate, you'll have hands-on experience of the full development pipeline from early prototype to shipped product.

Make games as part of a real production team

You work as part of a collaborative games studio which runs across first and second year, embedding you in cross-disciplinary teams with games artists and designers. In first year, you'll contribute as a junior developer. In second year, you'll step into leadership – managing scope and analysing playtesting data to drive technical decisions. The goal is to produce publishable titles, and make a seamless transition to your first studio role.

Built for the jobs that matter

Graduates from accredited courses have stronger employment prospects – so this curriculum has been designed with industry accreditation at its core. It's benchmarked against QAA Computing standards and mapped to BCS (British Computing Society) criteria. Your campus sits near the UK's two largest developer hubs in Guildford and London, with guest speakers from studios like Epic, Supermassive Games, Ubisoft, and Codemasters bringing live industry insight throughout.

Two minute stories


Discover the stories of our Games students

What you'll study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

Find out more about the Integrated Foundation Year

Introduction to Games Development; 30 credits
This module introduces fundamental programming concepts and workflows for interactive games development. You will create simple game systems while learning professional practices such as version control, documentation, and reflective evaluation. Ethical, inclusive, and sustainable considerations are embedded to establish responsible technical practice.

Career Catalyst: Skills & Capability; 30 credits
Career Catalyst: Skills & Capability focuses on building creative, technical and digital capability aligned to professional standards. You develop transferable skills through practical projects, feedback and reflection, strengthening professional literacy and confidence. This module prepares you to apply your skills effectively across disciplines, laying the foundations for collaboration, industry engagement and complex creative challenges.

Games Architecture and Software Engineering; 30 credits
This module focuses on the design and implementation of structured game systems and technical architectures. You will analyse scalable and reliable software solutions, responding to performance, security, and testing challenges. Emphasis is placed on technical documentation, adaptability, and responsible system design.

Collaborative Games Studio 1 (Foundation); 30 credits
You will work as junior developers within cross-disciplinary teams to produce a playable game prototype. The module introduces Agile workflows, collaborative production tools, and professional studio practices. Ethical, legal, and IP considerations are embedded to support industry readiness.

Games Platforms and Hardware; 30 credits
In this module you will explore the technical challenges of deploying games across different platforms and hardware configurations. You will analyse platform constraints, optimise performance, and document deployment strategies. Ethical, sustainability, and business considerations inform platform selection and development decisions.

Career Catalyst: Communities & Influence; 30 credits
Career Catalyst: Communities & Influence emphasises collaboration, participation and real-world impact. Working with audiences, communities and professional contexts through live briefs, projects and engagement opportunities. This module develops professional agency, teamwork and networks, helping you understand how creative practice creates value, influence and opportunity within industry, civic and global contexts.

Advanced Games Development; 30 credits
This module advances your technical expertise through the design and implementation of complex, industry-standard game systems. You will work autonomously, critically evaluating technical solutions within global production contexts. Ethical, security, sustainability, and commercial considerations are embedded throughout development practice

Collaborative Games Studio 2 (Production and Leadership); 30 credits
You progress into leadership roles within a collaborative game development environment. You will manage scope, mentor junior developers, and analyse playtesting data to inform technical and design decisions. The module develops leadership, professional responsibility, and ethical studio practice.

If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.

While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.

Please note: If you are an international applicant, you will need to enrol onto the course ‘with Professional Practice Year’. It will not be possible to transfer onto the Professional Practice Year after enrolment

Creative Research; 30 credits
Creative Research prepares you for the Major Project through advanced technical and contextual research. You investigate specific development challenges, synthesise theory and practice, and plan pre-production strategies. The module supports independent inquiry and ethical research practice.

Career Catalyst: Futures & Direction; 30 credits
Career Catalyst: Futures & Direction supports your transition beyond graduation by focusing on professional identity, positioning and future direction. Consolidating learning through portfolio development, research and career planning you will prepare for employment, freelance practice or further study. The module develops autonomy, confidence and resilience, equipping you to navigate and shape your future professional pathways.

Major Project; 60 credits
The Major Project is the culmination of the BSc (Hons) Games Development course. You will independently design, implement, and evaluate a substantial game development project, demonstrating advanced technical competence, research integration, and professional practice. The module evidences autonomy, ethical responsibility, and industry readiness.

This course is designed to offer you (if eligible) the opportunity to study part of your degree aboard at a UCA partner university, while still earning credits towards your UCA degree.

For more information please visit the Study Abroad section

Integrated foundation year

  • Independent study: 72%
  • Scheduled teaching: 28%
  • Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Year one

  • Independent study: 72%
  • Scheduled teaching: 28%
  • Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Year two

  • Independent study: 74%
  • Scheduled teaching: 26%
  • Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Year three

  • Independent study: 76%
  • Scheduled teaching: 24%
  • Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 20%

Professional placement or International year (if undertaken)

  • Independent study: 98%
  • Scheduled teaching: 2%
  • Maximum percentage of scheduled delivered online: 100%

Please note: these details are for 2026 entry and could be subject to change for other years of entry.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Upcoming webinars

We offer a range of webinars throughout the year that you may be interested in.

You can also view recordings of all previous sessions through the UCA webinar archive.


Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2026/27

  • Integrated Foundation Year: £9,790
  • BSc course: £9,790

    If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee, for 2026/27 this is £1,955. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

    Government guidance indicates that tuition‑fee caps will rise annually with inflation from 2026, subject to legislation, so tuition fees are likely to increase each year of study. 

Tuition fees - 2026/27

  • Integrated Foundation Year: £9,790 (see fee discount information)
  • BSc course: £9,790 (see fee discount information)

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee, for 2026/27 this is £1,955. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

Government guidance indicates that tuition‑fee caps will rise annually with inflation from 2026, subject to legislation, so tuition fees are likely to increase each year of study. 

Tuition fees - 2026/27

  • Integrated Foundation Year: £18,000
  • BSc course: £18,000

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2026 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £3,490. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of the Course Information Document for more details of the costs you may incur.

Find out what's included in your tuition fees.

Games Development Career opportunities

Taking advantage of our proximity to the UK’s largest games hubs, our course connects directly with some of the best-known names in the industry, including:

  • Supermassive Games
  • EA
  • Sony
  • Creative Assembly
  • Supergonk
  • Two Point Studios
  • Zappar
  • Hangar 13
  • Atom Republic
  • Rebellion
  • Miniclip

We also regularly welcome input from active industry practitioners, who can offer expert advice and guidance to students about the realities of working in the computer games market.

The UK games industry is the fifth largest in the world, with plentiful opportunities, particularly in London and the South East where almost half the market is based. According to the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment, the games industry grew by 26 per cent between 2017 and 2018, and 82 per cent of games companies are looking to expand their workforce.

This course is uniquely focused towards producing graduates who are steering their careers towards being a Technical Artist working between both the artists, designers and programming teams.

They can work in various roles such as:

  • Games designer
  • Games programmer
  • Rendering programmer
  • Games developer
  • Gameplay programmer
  • Games producer.

 

Kevin Tarazona, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Games), UCA Farnham

What careers can you do with a Games degree?

When you sit down to play a game, you’re witnessing the result of hundreds of people working together behind the scenes.

You may also like to consider further study at postgraduate level.


Games Development entry requirements

For both the BSc (Hons) course and the Integrated Foundation Year we will need to see your portfolio, please see the portfolio requirements section for more details.

Select your country to find the equivalent requirements

Portfolio requirements

For both the BSc (Hons) course and the course with the Integrated Foundation Year we will need to see a portfolio.

  • UK applicants: We will invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person.
  • International applicants: We will ask you to submit an online portfolio. 

These courses focus on fundamental, traditional art skills and contemporary digital techniques. Your portfolio should show us that you have the underlying skills to fulfil the demands of the course as well as demonstrating your creativity and passion for this subject area. Your portfolio should provide an insight into your work ethic, enthusiasm and skills as an artist.

Please check our games degree portfolio advice and read our advice on creating a strong games portfolio.

UCAS applicants should also check our UCAS personal statement guide for games applicants.

Full portfolio requirements and advice

Overhead shot of students working at computers in a Games Studio

What our Games Development students say

“You don’t see many Games Development courses offered as a Bachelor of Arts. Learning the technical aspects of programming, but in a creative way and surrounded by creative people, is what drew me to UCA.” 

 

Read Sam's story Chat to UCA students

Apply now

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UCAS codes

  • UCA institution code: C93
  • Three year degree: G450
  • Plus professional practice year: G451
  • Plus integrated foundation year: G45A
  • Plus integrated foundation year and professional practice year: G45B

Key statistics

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