Part of Screen Yorkshire’s Connected Campus group, our three-year Graphics for Games programme has been carefully designed to fulfil the needs of the contemporary gaming industry.

With a particular emphasis on the creative side of games design, you’ll be taught the core theories that underpin the discipline and use these to guide your practical work and, in turn, gain the vocational experience needed to start a career in this fast-growing industry.

Our industry experienced team of academics (including Carlton Reeve and Peter Chapman) and visiting industry experts (such as Michael Ogden, Iki Ikram and Ben Smith) will equip you with the knowledge you need to emerge as a confident, creative and experienced graduate ready to embark on a stimulating career path.

You’ll gain a robust understanding of topics including:

• game level design and creation
• digital and physical concept art
• 3D computer animation
• observational drawing
• digital motion capture
• image production and manipulation

In your final year you will undertake an individual studio project, where you can collaborate with students from other disciplines and showcase the skills you’ve developed throughout the course.

You’ll have regular access to state-of-the-art facilities like the six camera Motion Capture Suite and technical equipment which you can use to put theory into practice and enhance your skillset. You can borrow equipment for you own personal projects too.

The department has close links with a number of prominent organisations. This includes the resident Working Academy placement agency and Game Republic (the Yorkshire Games Industry Association), of which we are member. With access to such partners you’ll be able to gain the insight and experience needed to successfully enter this competitive industry.

Sandwich year

This four-year BA (Hons) in Graphics for Games programme offers you the opportunity to take up a placement year working in industry in your third year.

The placement year is an excellent way to develop your professional experience, build industry contacts, and gain insight into the day-to-day work of a games industry designer.

During the second year we’ll  offer you all the support you need to find a placement that is aligned to your career aspirations and personal interests.

These include sessions on CVs, interviews etc. from the Careers service at the University and presentations by both employers and previous year's students on their placements.

Once on placement you’ll have support and guidance from a placements tutor, who will monitor your progress.

After completing your placement you’ll return to complete the final year of the programme, and apply all you’ve learnt to your final project.

Many students continue their relationship with their placement employers - working for them part-time, developing Final Year Projects with them or going back to them into graduate positions.

Many of our graduates are now important figures within the animation and games development industry.

Alumni from our long-standing games development courses have worked on games development in high-profile organisations (including games such as Lego Lord of the Rings, Watchdogs, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, and the Burnout series) and for major organisations (such as Ubisoft, Sony Computer Entertainment, Rockstar Games, Blizzard and EA).

Others are currently employed as: games designers, artists and testers, animation apprentices, 3D modellers, editors, graphic designers, new media consultants.