Games Arts MA

Program Overview

The Games Arts MA at UCA Farnham is a one-year postgraduate program that equips students with advanced skills and knowledge to create sophisticated games art for the industry. The program combines theory and practice through the development of a high-quality games art project, and explores research and professional practice related to the games industry. Graduates have gone on to pursue successful careers in a variety of roles within the games industry, including concept designer, game designer, and software engineer.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Games Arts MA at UCA Farnham is a one-year postgraduate program designed to equip students with the advanced skills and knowledge to create sophisticated games art for the industry. Building on existing talents, the program focuses on developing research skills and specialization in chosen areas of game arts. Taught at UCA Farnham's newly built £2 million School of Games & Creative Technology, the program combines theory and practice through the development of a high-quality games art project. Students learn to be ambitious, become team leaders and planners, and develop into well-rounded game artists. In addition to technical skills, the program also explores research and professional practice related to the games industry. Students can choose to work on a group professional practice project with students from other games postgraduate courses or to pursue a creative business start-up.

Outline:

The Games Arts MA program consists of three terms, each with specific modules and projects.

Term One:

• Launch Week: Introduces students to the program, peers, and collaborative working.
• Thinking, Prototyping, and Practice: Examines games and the use of interactivity and gamification narratives through 2D, 3D, AI, VR, and AR.
Encourages students to explore their own work through the lens of visual narrative, design, art principles, and audience.
• Games Research and Professional Contexts 1: Equips students with analytical tools to interpret existing games and gameplay experiences, and apply these skills to their own practice through a reflective report.

Term Two:

• Opportunity Week: Provides opportunities for collaborative work, replicating industry practice.
• Exploration and Development: Deepens students' knowledge and understanding of games art and aligned industries.
Students research and identify areas of interest aligned with their intended subject specialty, and explore, develop, and prototype these areas in line with industry practice and deeper subject understanding.
• Games Research and Professional Contexts 2 (Includes Creative Business Start-up or Collaborative Practice Project option): Students choose one of two options:
• Collaborative professional practice group project:
This involves groups of students across the games postgraduate portfolio collaborating on a project, potentially based on an industry brief.
• Creative business start-up: This provides students from any creative discipline the opportunity to develop an idea, have it evaluated, and win a prize, developing their thinking and skills for innovation throughout the process.

Term Three:

• Games Arts Major Project: This is the final project, where students showcase their acquired skills and knowledge.
Students employ in-depth research to enhance their social and cultural understanding, leading to a visual outcome in line with future and contemporary industry practices, aligned with their chosen areas of expertise/interests. The project should demonstrate a critical approach to visual meaning, narrative, and understanding of the chosen outcome.

Assessment:

Assessments are tailored to each module and may include a combination of the following:

• Written assignments
• Essays
• Presentations
• Project work
• Portfolio development
• Participation in group work
• Reflective practice

Teaching:

The program is taught by experienced academics and industry professionals who are active in their fields. Teaching methods include:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Workshops
• One-on-one tutorials
• Group discussions
• Project supervision
The program also utilizes cutting-edge technology and facilities, including dedicated computer games studios, VR motion capture studios, and sound production and pro tools suites.

Careers:

Graduates of the Games Arts MA program have gone on to pursue successful careers in a variety of roles within the games industry, including:

• Concept designer
• Game designer
• Games developer
• Multimedia programmer
• Multimedia specialist
• Software engineer
• VFX Artist

Other:

• The program emphasizes research and professional practice, preparing students for careers in the demanding and evolving games industry.
• Students have the opportunity to collaborate with games industry professionals and gain valuable real-world experience.
• The program is designed to help students develop their own unique creative vision and voice within the games art field.

Tuition fees 2024/25 entry: £10,500 Tuition fees 2024/25 entry: £10,500 (see fee discount information) Tuition fees 2024/25 entry (MA): £18,000 2024/25 entry (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - 30 weeks): £17,500 2024/25 entry (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - 15 weeks): £8,750