Creative Computing at UCA

Whatever industry you want to work in, our BSc (Hons) Creative Computing degree course at UCA Farnham gives you the foundational knowledge and the creative opportunities to specialise, preparing you for the career you’re aiming for.  

This degree is collegiate in set-up; you'll work alongside Computer Science students in your first year to build your coding skills, before getting opportunities to work with Digital Art and Virtual & Augmented Reality students to develop creative ideas and projects.  

You’ll have access to the very latest facilities as you build your knowledge and confidence, moving into visual programming and then specialising in areas like audio, mobile app development, or AI.  

There’s plenty of creative freedom, and you’ll be encouraged to bring your own ideas and concepts to the table, ready for your final-year project.

 

Course entry options

Select from the options below to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

What you'll study

What you'll
study

Launch
This week is all about preparing you for university learning for the year, through workshops designed to audit and refresh your existing skills to prepare you.

Programming & Interactivity
You’ll be introduced to the fundamental concepts of programming and learn core aspects of software literacy, framed around building an interactive application. You’ll do this through weekly labs, pre-recorded materials, and self-directed study. After core learning has taken place, from week 8 you will have focused development labs, which will support you with troubleshooting your applications.

Equality Diversity & Inclusion
Through this unit, you’ll develop an awareness and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and learn progressive values and attitudes for creative practice.

Data and Databases
This unit introduces the basic concepts underpinning relational databases and to provide the tools for designing, implementing, and querying databases.

Opportunity
A range of activities will be available to broaden your engagement and subject knowledge, such as Code Jams and Design Sprints. Other activities could include study trips and/or studio visits within the local area, nationally or internationally. Examples of this would be the Berlin digital arts/music/culture festivals Transmediale and CTM, or to other European destinations such as Amsterdam or Barcelona.

Programming & GUI Applications
You’ll continue to build your fundamental concepts of programming and help establish core aspects of software literacy, framed around building graphical user interface applications using Java.

The Computing Professional
This unit introduces you to the professional roles and working practices in the computing and related industries.

Web Design & Development
You’ll establish your understanding of browser-based design and development using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and use these to create a piece of online work that uses one or more of these elements (structure, style, front-end programming). 

ATOM Activities
ATOM activities are tiny pieces of diverse individual learning that facilitate interdisciplinary exposure and give you the chance to learn topics that would not otherwise be scheduled on your timetable.

PLE Digital Outcome 1
Your PLE Digital Outcome is a purposefully edited, self-directed record of your constructive engagement with and presence on, digital media platforms across the year. Examples of this could be an online portfolio or blog/vlog, or social media activity.

Launch
This week is all about preparing you for university learning for the year, through workshops designed to audit and refresh your existing skills to prepare you. 

Virtual Frameworks
You’ll continue to build your understanding of programming concepts and help establish core aspects of software literacy. You’ll do this by building a web-based application that uses p5.js and its associated libraries to enhance the potential of your creative applications.

The Conscious Practitioner (or Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 2)
Explore creative practice in relation to a range of global perspectives, as you continue to learn about subject specific concepts of inclusion, exclusion, and diversity.

Electives (choose one)

Hardware Projects using Arduino (Elective)
You’ll join students on BSc (Hons) Computer Science and BA (Hons) Digital Art to take part in a range of creative and technical workshops developing core skills in Arduino.

Motion Capture Technologies (Elective)
This intensive unit is designed to give you a grounding in the core skills, knowledge and understanding required for Motion Capture production. Focusing on beginner to advanced motion capture techniques, character/creature creation, as well as performance capture cinematics work.

Digital Storytelling (Elective)
Open to you and to students on BSc (Hons) Computer Science you’ll develop core skills in film language, cinematography, sound recording and post-production techniques. 

Opportunity
A range of activities will be available to broaden your engagement and subject knowledge, such as Code Jams and Design Sprints. Other activities could include study trips and/or studio visits within the local area, nationally or internationally. Examples of this would be the Berlin digital arts/music/culture festivals Transmediale and CTM, or to other European destinations such as Amsterdam or Barcelona.

Electronic Objects
Develop your understanding of the Python programming language and help establish core aspects of physical computing by building an interactive electronic object that uses Arduino, MicroPython, and Processing.

Application Development: Industry Brief 
In this unit you’ll develop an application in line with the requirements of the industry partner involved with the project. This unit will provide an opportunity to focus your Javascript and p5.js skills developed in the first term and apply these in an industry-focused setting. 

Electives (choose one)

Virtual Production Studio (Elective) 
You’ll learn how to use the Virtual Production Stage to produce live or online virtual productions of all sorts and disciplines. You’ll learn the fundamentals of virtual production and explore the key underlying technologies; including the core functionality and more advanced elements of game engines such as Unreal and their role within the VP process, a walk-through of the LED wall set up and merging digital and physical props and design workflows.

Environmental Storytelling (Elective)
When one walks through a building, watches a film, goes to the theatre, enjoys a theme park, engages in a virtual or augmented reality experience, or plays a video game, they are embedded in a world that conveys meaning through its perceptible architecture: from the geometry, elevation, materials, lighting and textures, to character and prop models; level design to particle and sound effects, all generate affect and are crucial channels of communication for the thoughtful designer. This unit is all about learning how narrative is embedded in environmental design.

Pervasive Game Studio (Elective) 
This unit explores and practices the design of pervasive games. As the name indicates, pervasive game experiences refuse traditional boundaries of games and play, whether this is the field, the board, or the screen.

ATOM Activities and PLE Digital Outcome
These units are an extension of the Year 1 ATOM Activities and PLE Digital Outcome.

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

Launch
This week is all about preparing you for university learning for the year, through workshops designed to audit and refresh your existing skills to prepare you.

Artificial Intelligence for Creativity
Building on your existing Python knowledge and using open-source machine learning frameworks, you will learn to create and work with AI models – towards the creation of unique and innovative cutting-edge creative applications.   

Data Visualisation
Using open-source data visualisation frameworks you will learn to design, create, and deploy visualisations that allow for creative, critical, and meaningful interactions with data. 

Opportunity
A range of activities will be available to broaden your engagement and subject knowledge, such as Code Jams and Design Sprints. Other activities could include study trips and/or studio visits within the local area, nationally or internationally. Examples of this would be the Berlin digital arts/music/culture festivals Transmediale and CTM, or to other European destinations such as Amsterdam or Barcelona.

Final Major Project
The culmination of your skills, passion, and creativity, the final major project and your role in it (if as a team member) should be ambitious but achievable and framed within how you want to promote yourself as a creative computing practitioner/computer scientist. You’ll produce a creative, challenging, detailed and logical proposal for a body of work that you’ll complete in the final semester. You will plan the production of this work using a common industry methodology, the approach of which will be covered during this unit. Alongside the project, you will be compiling a showreel of work to showcase your mini-projects and prototypes thus far. The unit and year will finish with an exhibition which celebrates the prototypes and

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

Industry placement
offer

Preparing graduates for successful careers underpins everything we do, and all students on this course may be offered support to identify and prepare for an industry placement according to their individual needs. We’ll draw on our wide range of contacts within the creative industries to help provide you with opportunities that align with your interests and future career aspirations.

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.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

  • Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250
  • BA course: £9,250

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2024 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850. 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.

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

  • Integrated International Foundation Year: £9,250 (see fee discount information)
  • BA course: £9,250 (see fee discount information)

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2024 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850. 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.

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

  • Integrated International Foundation Year: £16,950
  • BA course: £17,500

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2024 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £3,390. 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.

Please note: The fees listed on this webpage 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 your Course Information for details of the costs you may incur.

Facilities

Our games and computing courses have studios with high-end PCs with Alienware towers, 4k dual screen monitors and Wacom Cintiq graphics tablets, all dedicated to games design, with software including Unity and Unreal games engines. There is also a VR development studio. In addition, our Farnham campus has sound production and Foley studios, pro tools and a specialist library.

View 360 virtual tour

Computing and games studio, UCA Farnham

Computing and games studios, UCA Farnham

 

Computing and games studio, UCA Farnham

VR motion capture studio, UCA Farnham

Career opportunities

Career
opportunities

Having had the opportunity to tailor the academic units to their areas of specialised interests, graduates have the opportunity to adapt their creative talents to roles within a variety of industries.

These include working as a:

  • Games software developer
  • Special effects developer for film and television
  • VR creative developer
  • User Experience auditor
  • Music technology developer
  • Software engineer.

Graduates of this course may wish to consider opportunities for further study on one of our postgraduate courses.

What’s it like being a student at UCA?

That’s a big question. Get some answers from people who are studying right here, right now.

Chat to a student

Entry & portfolio requirements

Entry & portfolio
requirements

BSc (Hons) course
BSc (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year

The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:

  • 112 UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
  • Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
  • Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
  • Merit at UAL Extended Diploma
  • 112 UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
  • 27-30 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade 9-4/A*-C including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.  

Portfolio requirements

These courses don’t require a portfolio.If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Applicant Day where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course. 

We’re interested to know if you have any background in computing and why you wish to study at a creative university, so we recommend you include this information in your personal statement.

 


BSc (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BSc (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:

  • 32 UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
  • Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
  • Pass, Pass, Pass at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
  • Pass at UAL Extended Diploma
  • 32 UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
  • 24 points from the International Baccalaureate, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade 9-4/A*-C including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply. 

Portfolio requirements

These courses don’t require a portfolio.If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Applicant Day where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course. 

We’re interested to know if you have any background in computing and why you wish to study at a creative university, so we recommend you include this information in your personal statement.

 


*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades -  in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.

BSc (Hons) course
BSc (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year

The entry requirements for these courses will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country:

Any additional entry requirements listed in the UK requirements section, e.g., subject requirements, work experience or professional qualifications, also apply to international applicants applying with equivalent qualifications.

Portfolio requirements

These courses don’t require a portfolio.

We’re interested to know if you have any background in computing and why you wish to study at a creative university, so we recommend you include this information in your personal statement.

 


BSc (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BSc (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

For these courses you need to have completed 12 years of schooling (with good grades) and show strong evidence of your ability to successfully complete the programme and progress onto your chosen degree.

Any additional entry requirements listed in the UK requirements section, e.g., subject requirements, work experience or professional qualifications, also apply to international applicants applying with equivalent qualifications.

Portfolio requirements

These courses don't require a portfolio. 


English language requirements

To study at UCA, you'll need to have a certain level of English language skill. And so, to make sure you meet the requirements of your course, we ask for evidence of your English language ability, please check the level of English language required:

Don't meet the international entry requirements or English language requirements?

You may be able to enter the course through the following entry pathways:

Apply now

Please use the following fields to help select the right application link for you:

Course statistics