Overview
Embark on a career in gaming with a Games Design degree from Canterbury Christ Church University. Explore the futuristic world of games design and development with our industry-leading and dynamic Games Design course.
Not only will you explore the processes in design and development, but you'll earn how to design games for a range of multimedia platforms including computers, mobiles, and consoles. In a technological world that is constantly evolving, our games design course will teach you the skills to innovatively design videogames that are unique, creative, and complex.
As part of our studio-based community, you’ll have access to creative spaces that reflect the studio environment, preparing you for industry. From the ground up, we’ll support you in developing the technical and teamworking skills needed to succeed.
The foundation year will help you take your first step into higher education, broadening your industry knowledge and enabling you to progress to an undergraduate degree. It aims to help you develop a strong foundation of game design, alongside academic and transferable skills, to ensure you get the most out of your degree-level studies.
What’s more, you’ll build a comprehensive portfolio, showcasing your skills, knowledge, and experience gathered throughout your course. Whilst this course is primarily practical, you’ll develop your critical thinking and writing skills, which will aid you as you enter the professional world. On this games design course, you’ll acquire a range of transferable and specialist skills that will set you up for working in a variety of professions.
Studying games design at university will enhance your industry knowledge with a focus on games psychology, the industry itself, and broader culture around games and gaming. As the course progresses, you'll choose what you want to specialise in, giving you the opportunity to enhance your creativity and skills as your confidence grows within the design process.
We know employers are looking for dynamic, open-minded graduates who can adapt, innovate, and collaborate. So we have designed a new way of teaching and learning to ensure that you are work-ready for when you graduate.
94%
of our Games Design students were satisfied with the teaching on their course
National Student Survey 2024Entry requirements
Qualification type |
Grades |
|
A Levels |
DDE |
|
BTEC |
MPP |
|
Access |
Pass 45 Credits |
|
International Baccalaureate |
TBC |
|
Combinations |
A combination of qualifications totalling 64 UCAS points minimum |
Applicants without formal level 3 qualifications will also be considered.
Find out more information about entry requirements.
International students
Find out about IELTS requirements. Depending which country you're from, there may be specific entry requirements. Check your country to see if this is applicable to you.
If you have any questions about entry requirements for this course, please contact our Course Enquiry Team.
64
UCAS Points
Module information
We know employers are looking for dynamic, open-minded graduates who can adapt, innovate, and collaborate. So we have designed a new way of teaching and learning to ensure that you are work-ready for when you graduate. Alongside the modules below you will choose from our new curriculum that will help you achieve student success, engage with contemporary topics and work with industry or the community.
As well as the core modules, you will also have the opportunity to study a number of option modules. The availability of specific option modules may vary from year to year. This will be subject to a minimum number of students choosing the module and staff availability. It means we cannot guarantee the availability of a particular option module. However, we will ensure you have a choice of option modules.
Core/optional modules
*Modules subject to approval
How you’ll learn
You'll typically be taught through a combination of technical and creative workshops, lectures, interactive seminars, individual tutorials, demonstrations, and exercises, though the balance between these elements will vary depending on the specific module content (such as the different balance between theory and practical delivery in a module).
This varied approach is designed to support you with learning how to use and apply software, but also to think about games design as a creative and commercial practice. There are times when working on projects is beneficial, and other times where listening to presentations from games designers and researchers will support your growing skills.
You'll be asked to apply the skills you have acquired, generally in the form of a practical project (a game, a prototype, a demonstration, a presentation, written evaluation, or occasional essay). These become increasingly complex as the course progresses and your confidence and expertise increase. In addition, you'll be surrounded by a community of games makers, researchers, and players, and other creative practitioners.
The expectation is that as a games design student you will actively seek out collaboration and input from staff and peers, and in doing so improve your work and contribute to the games design community.
It is expected that you'll spend 24 hours per week outside class time studying independently. This will include everything from researching games, to analysing game theory, developing projects individually and even assignments of your own creation.
Did somebody say workload? In games design we make, create, explore, play, critique, and love our craft. We do take our passion seriously and expect that you will too. While your workload will shift in response to deadlines, you should see your studies as equal to a full-time job of at least 36 hours per week.
The teaching team consists of highly qualified academics and practitioners with a wide range of expertise and experience. Many are research-active and deliver research-informed teaching. You should note members of the teaching team might change.
Guest speakers from industry as well as postgraduate students sometimes assist in teaching and assessing some modules. However, experienced academics teach the vast majority of lectures and seminars.
Games Design is ideal for creative people who have ideas and want to make games. We will welcome you into a creative community and teach you valuable skills demanded by the games industry and beyond.
Alan MeadesProfessor of Games Design
How you’ll be assessed
Games Design is assessed through the submission of practical assignments normally consisting of a practical response to a brief (such as a game), and a supporting set of materials (such as a PDF collection of planning and development, and/or a written or video-based evaluation). The requirements of each module are unique to its learning aims and will be made clear in their briefs. There is one module per year that is assessed using essays, but this is primarily a practical degree programme. There are no formal exams. Modules are loaded with opportunities for 'formative' assessment also known as the “crit” for which you receive feedback from your tutor and peers.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
Portfolio-based practical submission and essays will typically be used to assess the Games Design course. You'll be responding to a number of creative briefs that enable you to propose and develop solutions using the skills, approaches and disciplines that you deem appropriate. You are assessed against module-specific Learning Outcomes and marking criteria which are made available to students during their studies.
Feedback
You'll receive formative feedback on all practice-based assessments in session and summative feedback on end of module assessment hand-ins. Feedback is intended to help you learn and you are encouraged to discuss it with your module tutor. In addition to summative feedback (normally returned 15 working days after submission), you'll have frequent opportunities to present and receive feedback on your progress as part of the teaching.
Your future career
A degree in Games Design will help you to enter the games design industry (which is a growth sector in the UK) and help you expand the medium of games into new areas. The transferable skills you develop on the course could also open opportunities in software development, games journalism, education, and the creative sector more generally.
A foundation year provides an introduction to academic study and life at university, supporting every student to achieve their full potential.
Martin WattsFoundation Year Course Director
Games Design
Fees
The 2025/26 annual tuition fees for this course are:
| UK | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time - Foundation Year 0 | £9,535 | £15,500 |
| Full-time - years 1-3 | £9,535 | £15,500 |
Tuition fees for all courses are payable on an annual basis, except where stated.
The tuition fees relate to 2025/26 only. Please read the 2025/26 Tuition Fee Statement for further information regarding tuition fees and year on year fee increases.
Home (UK) Fees
Home (UK) tuition fees for Foundation Years at Canterbury Christ Church University will be set in line with the maximum tuition fee cap for foundation years in classroom-based subjects or non-classroom based subjects, as set by the UK Government.
Home (UK) tuition fees for subsequent years 1-3 are currently set in line with the maximum tuition fee cap for standard undergraduate degrees set by the UK Government.
The Government has announced that it will increase the tuition fee cap by 3.1%, in line with inflation, for the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to parliamentary approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 onwards, our undergraduate home tuition fees for subsequent years of study are expected to be £9,535.
Overseas/International Fees
Undergraduate / PGCE tuition fees for international students are not set by the UK Government.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Regulated by the Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.
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Duration:
4 yearsUCAS code:
I601Location(s):
CanterburyAny questions?
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*We are advertising this course as ‘subject to approval.’ When we add new courses or update existing courses, we advertise the course as ‘subject to approval’. We do this to let you know the University still needs to agree to run the course. It is rare for a course not to gain approval, but it is not guaranteed. There may be changes to course and module titles, content and assessment, but we will tell you about these if there is a change. You can still apply to study a course subject to approval. We have prepared some questions and answers to tell you more.