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Term 1
You'll be introduced to the University and the technical workshops and facilities available to you. The first term includes a range of lectures and seminars and you’ll start to explore your creative practice.
Thinking, Prototyping and Practice
You will examine the advanced specialist tools, methods, concepts and processes relevant to Games through a series of projects, workshops and advanced technical sessions. You will critically examine gameplay, rules and mechanics. You will be encouraged to explore and challenge the expanding discipline through a range of practice-based projects.
Audiences and Experiences
You will evaluate contemporary games culture in reference to specific audience, their needs and interests. This audience will be specified by your tutor. Through a series of projects and supported by workshops you will design experiences for specific audiences. These experiences might entertain, educate, augment or challenge your audience. It is likely that some of the themes explored through this unit will be developed further in subsequent units.
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Term 2
During term two you begin developing your MA project, evaluating and testing out the aims of your proposal over a sustained period of self-directed study.
Real and Virtual Worlds
This unit examines the relationship between the real and virtual world through a series of projects, workshops and advanced technical sessions. You will explore tools, methods, concepts and process to create a virtual world. You’ll define who this is for, design an experience specific to them and consider the transition between worlds.
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Term 3
In the third term of the course, you'll apply the knowledge gained through your research to create a final body of work.
Realisation and Dissemination: Pre-Production
Through projects, workshops, and lectures you will undertake a rigorous investigation into an area of personal interest within Games. You are encouraged to critically engage with the discipline and its key debates in order to initiate and locate a body of work.
You will 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.
Realisation and Dissemination
Through this unit you will demonstrate your: in-depth subject knowledge; understanding of context; creative independence; applied ideas and innovation; technical skills; resolution (appropriate to your intended audience); personal strategy for presenting work.
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Fees
The course fees per year for 2019 entry are:
- UK and EU students full-time - £6,910
- International students full-time - £15,500 (standard fee)
- International students full-time - £14,800 (full early payment fee)
The fees for 2020 entry have not been confirmed but will be listed here as soon as possible.
Find out more about our course fees and any financial support you may be entitled to:
These fees are correct for the stated academic year only. Costs may increase each year during a student’s period of continued registration on course in line with inflation (subject to any maximum regulated tuition fee limit). Any adjustment for continuing students will be at or below the RPI-X forecast rate.
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Fee discounts & scholarships
To support all of our current students and our recent UK and EU alumni to progress to the next level of study, we have developed a new range of fee discounts across a range of courses.
Games Design
MA - UCA Farnham - 2019
Our MA Games Design course allows you to engage with the innovative and rapidly growing global games industry.
This high-quality creative course gives you the opportunity to examine audience engagement at postgraduate level through a variety of approaches in the widening market for games outcomes.
MA Games Design will challenge and expand your critical understanding and experiential design techniques for the dynamic games of tomorrow. You’ll explore different perspectives on game-play, developing compelling and exciting new work with an entrepreneurial attitude.
The course will explore games through the expanding possibilities of interactive entertainment. You’ll investigate games in other contexts (including applied games), explore the game mechanics of interaction and immersion, employ new technologies and creative approaches (XR), and build upon your existing digital design workflows and technical knowledge. You’ll also take part in UCA Game Jams, as well as attending many external industry events.
You’ll be taught from outstanding studios with dedicated industry hardware and software. You’ll also have access VR Development facilities, allowing games to be deployed to a variety of platforms, and a library of console, PC, board and card games.
The MA Games Design course will be delivered by lecturers with games industry experience, experience from related creative industry backgrounds and research. It will also be informed throughout by a range of visiting lecturers, from indie to AAA developers, who are from companies such as Rocksteady Studios, Supermassive Games, EA, Rebellion, Fireproof Games, NDreams, Two Point Studios, Gears For Breakfast, Supergonk, Failbetter Games, Weather Factory and many more.
The South East of England holds significant proportion of the UK games industry, offering many opportunities for off-site visits and trips, games networking events and other cross-course activities. UCA Farnham is uniquely positioned, right in the heart of the South East, only 20 minutes away from Guildford – dubbed the Hollywood of computer games – and just 55 minutes from London, locating two of the three largest games industry hubs in the UK. Studying so close to Guildford and London will give you access to the UK’s largest tech conurbation and games and technology start-ups.
Length of study:
One year full-time
Campus:
UCA Farnham
Entry year(s):
2019
Entry requirements:
Honours degree, normally 2.1 or above, and/or relevant work experience
Course details
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.
Facilities
Our Computer games studios have high-end PCs dedicated to games design with games systems and interactivity software including XNA, Unity and Unreal 3D Editor. Sound production studios, foley studio and pro tools suites. There is a modern library with a wealth of books, journals, special collections and online resources.
Course leader
Andy Bossom
Course Leader Games Art
Course Leader Andy Bossom joined UCA in 2015 to lead our Games Art courses. He is a published author and currently writes about the games industry and games design process for Bloomsbury Publishing and Imprint Fairchild Books.
How to apply - 2019 entry
I am a UK or EU citizen ...
- • I'm applying for full-time study
- Apply directly to UCA
I am not a UK or EU citizen ...
- • I'm applying for full-time study
- Apply directly to UCA
When to apply:
You can apply throughout the year but we recommend you try and apply as early as possible so you have time to arrange accommodation and visas, if required.
More information:
Go to our how to apply pagesEntry requirements
UK entry requirements
- An honours degree or equivalent qualification in the subject or a related discipline
and/or
- Relevant work experience, demonstrating your ability to study at postgraduate level.
Consideration will also be given to applicants who can make a strong case for admission in relation to a particular project and can demonstrate their potential to satisfactorily complete the course.
Your portfolio
For this course we will require you to attend an Applicant Day and bring your portfolio for assessment. Further information on how to compile a portfolio and the specific requirements for examples of work to be included will be provided on the Applicant Portal after you apply.
Get in touch