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BA (Hons) Games Art
Seeking to turn your artistic vision into breathtaking game environments and striking characters? Our Games Art degree offers highly practical tuition designed to develop your skills in digital asset creation for games development, focusing on 3D modelling, texturing and lighting so you can learn to create artwork for the latest AAA games.
Key information
Award:
BA (Hons)
Mode of Study:
Full-time
Duration:
3 years
Location:
The University of Bolton
UCAS points:
104
UCAS code:
GH46
Start date:
20/09/2021
Course Details
There are over 2250 active games companies in the UK, with over 95 in the Manchester area alone*. Our Games Art degree was designed after consultation with industry experts from a number of these companies and aims to prepare you for a career creating interactive worlds and charismatic characters for the games industry.
Taking an intensely practical approach that is designed to mimic the working environment found in the games industry, we’ll work to develop your understanding of the creative and technical possibilities of games art. Our studio-based course will guide you from the basics of digital art, through character and environment modelling, texturing, lighting, level design and concept art, to the latest technologies in traditional and handheld game art.
We share your passion for games and offer a supportive atmosphere where you can show your work and respond to critiques, which may come from staff, your peers or guest experts from industry. These sessions help you learn to develop your ideas and improve your presentation and communication skills ready for a career in this ever-growing industry.
*Ukie, June 2018, UK Games Map - http://ukie.org.uk/research/ accessed on 22 August 2019
Highlights
- Interdisciplinary projects with students from our other games courses give you opportunities to learn the vocabulary, production pipelines and work cultures of these disciplines along with valuable team working skills.
- We collaborate with games development companies on games usability testing, and offer you the opportunity to test these upcoming games before they go to market. Previous students have even had their names mentioned in the game credits.
- Our dedicated games labs feature high-specification hardware and industry-standard software, including Wacom Cintiq drawing screens, Pixologic Zbrush, Autodesk Maya, and Substance Painter/Designer.
- Our Game Jams are great opportunities to build your social network and practice your team working, problem solving and project management skills.
- In our portfolio modules, you can focus your project on the area of games art in which you wish to specialise, giving you the chance to create a large portfolio piece for your showreel.
- During your final year, you’ll work with students from our other games courses to produce a complete game demo that will be available for industry employers to view at the end-of-year degree show.
Key Features
- University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
- Our dedicated games tutors have a vast range of industry experience and an extensive network of contacts in the games industry. Members of our team have worked in AAA studios, run their own studios, authored books and are actively conducting research.
- Team working and collaboration are essential for games industry success, so we encourage you to work on games projects in interdisciplinary teams with students from our other games courses.
- We organise studio visits and field trips to games development companies, and will encourage and support you to undertake work experience and industrial placements with relevant studios.
- Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.
- We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
Professional recognition
- 104 UCAS points. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points.
- Your Level 3 subjects must include a at least one creative subject that includes some art and design; for instance, A-level Art and Design or BTEC Extended Diploma in Interactive Media.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English.
- If you don’t meet the standard entry requirements you may be accepted on the basis of a satisfactory portfolio and interview performance.
- You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
- If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Want some reassurance or advice? Speak to one of our advisors. Email us at admissions@bolton.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)1204 903 394.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
As a BA (Hons) Games Art graduate you’ll be able to demonstrate skills in creativity, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and project management. You’ll also be able to work independently, develop concepts and respond to briefs. The key to gaining employment in the games industry is the quality of your portfolio, and developing this, is an integral part of the course. Our expert staff will support you to develop a personal portfolio of knowledge and experiences that reflect industry needs.
What can I do with this qualification?
BA (Hons) Games Art graduates could secure employment in a variety of careers including game art design, art direction, video production, visual effects, level design and modelling, and arts management.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:
- Film
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Web design
- Broadcast media
- Teaching
- Digital media
Course fees
| Home Fees | Year of study | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry year | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | |
| 2020 | £9,250 | £9,250 | £9,250 | - | £27,750 |
| International | Year of study | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry year | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | |
| 2020 | £12,450 | £12,450 | £12,450 | - | £37,350 |
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021/2022 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2021/2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
For 2022-2023 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2022-2023 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
Bursaries
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
September start
Please apply through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) for September entry.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £24. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £13 is applicable.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
Institution Code Name: BOLTN
Institution Code Number: B44
Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
How you apply is determined by your current location and what you are choosing to study:
- Apply direct to the University. Links for the next available intakes of this course are shown below. Please click the link which will direct you to the online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this.
- Apply via one of our approved in-country referral partners. A list of our partners may be found on the International pages of this website.
- Apply via UCAS for courses starting in September only – visit www.ucas.com.
Should you have any queries please contact the International Team on +44 (0) 1204 903110 or email international@bolton.ac.uk
-
Apply online: University of Bolton BA(Hons) Games Art - 20 September 2021
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Technical College
University of Bolton
The University welcomes applications from our group partners and progressing students so we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible. By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
Please ensure when you are asked to add a contact email address you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address we will be unable to identify you as a partner and you will be referred to apply via UCAS, which incurs a cost.
-
Apply online: University of Bolton BA(Hons) Games Art - 20 September 2021
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
We use a variety of teaching and learning methods to help you achieve your potential, including lectures, demonstrations, practical lab sessions, critique sessions (peer and assessed), reflective learning through journals and logs for various activities, as well as online sessions and support. Creating your portfolio is a vital part of the course, allowing you to demonstrate your creativity and skills in the construction of concept art and 2D and 3D assets such as characters, environments and vehicles.
The course is very practical in nature, offering opportunities for you to develop high-level of visual creativity and softer skills such as team working, problem solving, organisation and communication that are highly valued in the games and interactive entertainment industry. Guided independent study and self-directed learning are also essential to your success; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for practical activities and working on projects.
In terms of formal assessment, you can expect written examinations and reports, assignments, projects, case study analyses, in-class tests, demonstrations, presentations, and others. These contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes. We also use other forms of assessment to help you learn, especially critique sessions. These provide you with feedback and inform your development, though these do not count towards your final module mark.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Art Fundamentals
- Digital Sculpting
- Level Design
- Fundamentals of 3D
- Environment Art
- Advanced Digital Sculpting
- Advanced Environment Art
- Technical Art
- Hard Surface Modelling
- Major Project
- Group Portfolio Project
Assessment methods
| Level | Assesment method |
|---|
Learning activities
| Level | Learning activity |
|---|
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
Meet the team
The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.
Programme Contacts
Col Harding
Programme Leader
c.harding@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903424
Enquiry Team
University of Bolton
enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903903
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