University of Abertay Dundee
Game Design and Production BA (Hons)
University of Abertay Dundee

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews for 45 graduates of Game Design and Production BA (Hons) at University of Abertay Dundee for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Design Studies.

Overall student satisfaction
69 /100
45 total respondents
The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in CAH25

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Design Studies at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22500 £19000 £22000
25-75 percentile range £20000 - £26500 £15000 - £24000 £15500 - £29000


Salary of all UK Graduates of CAH25

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22025 £20113 £23568
25-75 percentile range £19981 - £25071 £15144 - £24676 £17604 - £29974

Course Description

Developed for creative and technically minded people with a desire to become a key part of the games industry, this degree is designed to make you work-ready, teaching you game concept and asset creation, game prototyping, and production and leadership skills.

Abertay’s BA (Hons) in Game Design and Production is within its renowned School of Design and Informatics, one of the most prestigious schools for videogames education in the world. The course is accredited by TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry.

Learn key aspects of game making and development, such as level design, concept development and project management. You will also have the opportunity to work alongside artists and programmers in small development teams to collaborate on project briefs set by media and computer games companies.

Having launched the world's first computer games degree in 1997, Abertay has been instrumental in building the city of Dundee as a global hub for computing and gaming.

Abertay is ranked:

  • Top university in the UK and throughout Europe for Video Games Education (Princeton Review 2015, 2016. 2017. 2018, 2019, 2020)
  • UK University of the Year 2021 - Teaching Quality (The Times/ Sunday Times Good University Guide)
  • UK Top 10 - Student Satisfaction & Teaching (Guardian Good University Guide 2021)
  • UK Top 10 - Student Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2020)

Accredited by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers' Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry. TIGA accreditation is applicable to courses meeting any of a wide range of games industry needs, such as programming, art, design and entrepreneurship.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Game Design and Production BA (Hons) at University of Abertay Dundee

50% Elementary occupations
10% Managers, directors and senior officials
5% Finance Professionals
5% Sales occupations
5% Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
5% Process, plant and machine operatives
5% Business and Financial Project Management Professionals
5% Media Professionals
5% Finance Professionals

Grading & Study Time

You will spend around 15 hours per week in lectures, tutorials and practical activities, with the remainder of your time spent in self-directed learning. Lectures, tutorials and practical activities increase your understanding of the subject and allow you to develop competencies in technological, theoretical and collaborative work. A large proportion of the course revolves around making games and building a portfolio that demonstrates your skills and specific area of creative practice. During first and second year, your work will mostly be assessed through practical coursework, presentations and reflective essays. In later years, taught module assessment is by a mixture of exams, critical essays and coursework. Project modules are assessed through the submission of conceptual work, design solutions, interactive media products and project reports. The final year dissertation and project allows you to focus on a specific topic within design and production and develop a specialist area of expertise.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course

Qualification requirements

Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (80 UCAS tariff points)

HNC in Care and Administrative Practice or Applied Science with B required in graded unit for entry to Year 1 Sufficient science and discursive subjects and a strong academic profile to be competitive. English and Maths at least at National 5 Grade B.

HND Legal Services: AAA in Graded Units. Other relevant HND qualifications will be considered on an individual basis; please contact us for advice.

Including one in a relevant subject/science (80 UCAS tariff points)

31-30 overall or 665-655 in 3 HL subjects.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Game Design and Production, BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Game Design and Production BA (Hons)

Scotland £1820 year 1
England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Ireland £9250 year 1
EU £15000 year 1
International £15000 year 1

Additional fee information

International/EU fees are £15,500 for the following courses:-

BA (Hons) Computer Arts

BSc (Hons) Computer Game Applications Development

BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology

BSc (Hons) Computing

BSc (Hons) Computer Science

BSc (Hons) Computer Science with Cybersecurity

BSc (Hons) Ethical Hacking

BA (Hons) Game Design and Production

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)
  • year 2

University Rankings

Positions of University of Abertay Dundee in top UK and global rankings.

See all 10 university rankings of University of Abertay Dundee

About University of Abertay Dundee

Conveniently situated in the middle of Dundee city centre, Abertay University provides an energetic and vibrant learning atmosphere. All campus buildings belonging to Abertay are grouped close together, allowing their learners to easily get where they need to be. Dundee itself is one of the smaller cities in Scotland, but at the same time offers a wide selection of leisure and nightlife, as well as employment opportunities in the creative industries in particular.

List of 43 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Abertay Dundee - Course Catalogue

Where is this programme taught

Abertay Campus
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