Creative Computing with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

University of Portsmouth

Overview The traditional lines between creative artists and programmers are dissolving, with coding skills becoming established as a creative medium in their own right. If you're looking to get the best start as a digital creative, you need a qualification that hones your artistic abilities, while giving you practical experience with the software and technology you'll use in your career.

This Creative Computing degree course (with optional Foundation year) focuses on using the latest skills and concepts from computing to create art, music, animation, apps, websites and games.

You'll learn coding, graphic design, audio production and software skills, preparing yourself for work in a varied jobs market where innovations such as virtual reality and machine learning are increasingly common alongside established technologies.

When you complete the course, you'll graduate with a BA or BSc, depending on which modules you select in years 2 and 3, and your choice of final year project. You'll have a versatile set of skills, practical knowledge and developed artistic ability, making you highly employable in many fields, from game design to music programming, digital marketing to design, or creative practice to IT.

Optional Foundation year If you don't yet meet the entry requirements for a 3-year Bachelor's degree, you can do a Foundation year before you start your degree. This gives you the academic grounding and technical experience you need to get the most out of a full undergraduate degree.

What you'll experience On this Creative Computing degree course you'll:

• Get practical experience with coding, graphic design and audio production, continually improving your abilities with these vital skills

• Use the tools, software and devices used by professionals in the industry, preparing you for your future career

• Hone your creative skill by producing digital portfolios and physical artefacts for exhibitions

• Learn about programming for games, audio, virtual and augmented reality, and animation

• Get experience in electronics and interface design

• Develop transferable skills you can use in your life and career, including critical thinking, academic writing, research, reflective practice, contextual awareness, - project management, team work, time management, and peer assessment

• Participate in Gamejam, a week-long event where you'll make a computer game alongside other students, staff, alumni and professionals – this gives you great experience in collaborating with people from different disciplines

You'll get experience with the technology you'll use in your career, some of which aren't available in other institutions. This includes:

• A virtual reality suite – including our Oculus Rift and HTC Vive kits, heart monitors, facial recognition systems, and Electroencephalograms (brainwave interfaces)

• A Motion-capture (MOCAP) studio using a Vicon optical system to capture movement

• Game development kits – including Unreal Engine and Sony Playstation dev kits

The music studios you'll use include:

• A valve 32-channel TL audio mixing desk

• SSL Matrix 2 console with Neve 1074 and SSL dynamics and EQ

• A 7.1 surround studio (Genelec) with a Slate Raven multi-touch console for multichannel work and spatial audio projects

• A Buchla System 7 synthesiser (1 of only 2 in a European university and the only one in the UK)

Careers and opportunities

When you finish this Creative Computing degree course, our careers and employability service can help you find a job that puts your diverse set of skills and abilities to work in the industry.

Areas you could work in include:

• Film/TV special effects and post-production

• Visual interface design

• Computer graphics design

• Video game development

• Music production

• Multimedia systems analysis