BSc (Hons) Game Design
Carlisle, United Kingdom
BSc
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2027
TUITION FEES
EUR 16,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international student fee | EUR 9790 EU student fee
Key Summary
About: The BSc (Hons) Game Design at the University of Cumbria moves study from playing games to analyzing and building them. You'll use specialized game labs to create playable prototypes, learn industry-standard software, and work in team projects that mirror studio workflows. The curriculum mixes design theory, programming fundamentals, and production skills.
Career Outcomes: Graduates get a toolkit for roles in indie studios, AAA companies, and interactive agencies. Typical careers include Game Designer, Systems Designer, 3D Environment Artist, Level Designer, UI/UX Designer, QA Tester, Technical Animator, Asset Modeler; you may move into gameplay programming, production or technical art in XR/AR/VR.
The program shifts the focus away from simply playing games to systematically analyzing and constructing them. Rather than studying mechanics purely in a lecture hall, you will spend your time in specialized game labs building fully playable prototypes, mastering industry-standard software, and working on collaborative team projects that simulate real studio environments. The curriculum addresses the rapidly evolving tech landscape by balancing core design theories with foundational programming and production skills.
The multi-year curriculum takes you from core design fundamentals to launching a finished game product:
- Year 1: Core focuses include Introduction to Game Design, 3D Asset Creation, and Games Literacy, establishing standard asset pipeline workflows and interactive narrative principles.
- Year 2: Moves into intermediate production with Level Design, Advanced 3D Modeling, and Mechanics Scripting, where students begin coding more complex player interactions.
- Year 3: Centers entirely on career preparation, featuring a Collaborative Game Project (working in a studio team environment) alongside a Major Independent Portfolio Project to display to recruiters.
Graduates emerge with a robust, professional-tier portfolio displaying multi-genre playable prototypes and creative assets. Key competencies include mastering 3D asset workflows and asset pipelines, scripting fluid player mechanics, creating immersive environment designs, and possessing a deep technical understanding of professional engine frameworks like Unreal Engine and Unity.
Students can apply for several non-repayable institutional bursaries and grants to help manage education costs. A notable option is the Cumbria Bursary, which awards monetary assistance to eligible first-year undergraduate students with an audited household annual income below £25,000.
The comprehensive technical toolkit provided prepares graduates for various roles across indie studios, major AAA game companies, and interactive media agencies:
- Game Designer / Systems Designer
- 3D Environment or Character Artist
- Level Designer / World Builder
- UI/UX Designer for Interactive Media
- Quality Assurance (QA) Tester or Production Assistant
- Technical Animator / Asset Modeler