MSc Games Design and Development

Advanced Game Character Development: Develop advanced skills in game character creation from design, to modelling, to texturing and lighting. This unit will take you through both the theoretical study and practical  application of technology in character development within a game pipeline.

Mixed Realities: Build an advanced understanding of the methods, techniques, and critical theories that underpin the design and development of innovative mixed reality experiences. Covering virtual worlds, VR/AR, and immersive experiences.

Ludonarrative Design: Study the design and innovative technologies that support storytelling through play itself. You'll learn how to develop a ludonarrative experience that uses gameplay mechanics as a story medium and advanced narrative systems.

Advanced Studio Project: Undertake a large development project in this double semester unit that simulates the working practice of a simulated studio with a group of students. Use professional project techniques, group management, requirements analysis, and innovative games technology to develop a solution to a substantial problem.

Games Research Project: Deliver an academic research project utilising state of the art research, scientific, and scholarly best practice in exploring prototypes, evaluating contemporary literature and evidence, and collecting and analysing data under the supervision and tutelage of an expert in the field.  

Games Masters Project: Bring everything that you have learned on your masters, both academic and professional, together in a final masters level project specialising in an area agreed between you and a supervisor. Develop a state of the art product in your specialism that both utilises the cutting edge in games technology and best practice, and can serve as the centrepiece of your portfolio. 

• Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 or equivalent is required in a relevant subject.
• Relevant subjects include Game Design, Games Technology, Games Programming, Games Software Engineering, Games Development, Game Art, Computer Science, or a digital technology or creative industries related subject. Other subjects may also be considered relevant. 

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%
• Nigeria:  Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:2
• Thailand:  Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
• Vietnam:  Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

Applicants may be invited to interview if they do not have a Psychology degree accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). 

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in writing, speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

MSc Game Design & Development is an advanced masters course designed for students who have already completed a relevant degree, and have existing experience in game design, development in contemporary game engines, 3D modelling, academic writing, and relevant technologies. The course will tutor students in advanced principles but will expect them to bring or develop an established understanding of relevant baseline skills and technologies. Relevant technologies might include a suitable programming language, Unity 3D, Unreal, Maya, and Substance Painter.

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

• Game Designer
• Gameplay Developer
• Character Artist
• Narrative Designer
• VR/AR Developer
• Games Research & Development

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your MSc, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Disability and additional learning support according to individual circumstances.
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.
• Loan of lab coats and safety glasses.

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information. 
• Travel costs, for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding information can be found on our website.
• Expenses relating to placement or research projects e.g. travel etc. up to a maximum of £200 per student.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Financial help available from BU

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/funding for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

We offer a range of scholarships to students who are beginning their studies at BU. Our website also provides details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

Dr Charlie Hargood is a Principal Academic at Bournemouth University in the department of Creative Technology. He is an internationally recognised research leader in narrative systems, and a regular contributor to ACM Hypertext and Social Media where he has twice won the SIGWeb Englebart prize for models of location aware narrative, is organiser for the Narrative and Hypertext Workshop, and regularly serves on the programme committee. He has contributed to numerous research projects, and was technical lead for both the Leverhulme funded StoryPlaces project investigating interactive location aware stories, and the EPSRC funded UBhave project exploring mobile behavioral interventions. He has lead and contributed to the development of significant applications that remain widely used within research, and has published in a range of internationally recognised conferences and journals.