Programme Specification for 2012/13

BSc (Hons) Games and Multimedia Technologies

... using computers to entertain and enthrall through creative endeavour ...

The games sector has grown to be a multi-billion dollar industry over the last decade throughout the world, employing thousands of computer programmers, designers and multimedia specialists. Looking at the requirements of the industry, it becomes clear that while traditional programming skills are still in demand, the industry requires a further range of skills including understanding the issues related to user interface design & user requirements, and a broad range of graphic, animation, virtual reality, audio and video production skills. These are skills that traditional computer science graduates lack.

This programme aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry. We have consulted widely with many different games companies to find out what they require from students coming into the industry, and the key issue that continually arises is the need for well rounded people who can communicate effectively about all areas of the games design and development process, as well as having a specialist area to which they dedicate themselves. Consequently this programme offers a mix of general skills that all professionals need (such as communication skills, basic creative computing, games design and development skills) but also has a strong specialist focus, enabling students to choose a specialist area and concentrate on that from the 2nd year of the degree onwards.

The courses have been designed in conjunction with industry and are continually monitored to make sure that they match the needs of this exciting but fast changing business - for example, we have recently offered our students the chance to develop on the iPhone and iPod Touch platform (one of the first Universities in the UK to do so), as well as being one of the first Universities in the UK to offer students the chance to develop on XBox 360s using XNA. We have also invested in PSP development kits for student use, thus giving our graduates the opportunity to have used many different types of hardware and software during their studies.

On successful completion of this degree programme students would be able to:

design, develop and create interactive multimedia games on a variety of platforms;
produce 2D and 3D animations;
manage the creation of interactive games;
design and deliver multimedia content such as audio and video for multiple platforms including the web;
program and design in various commercial software environments;
use principles of design and analysis to ensure their work is of the highest standard;
communicate effectively with business, computing and design professionals.

What's the difference between ...
BSc (Hons) Games and Multimedia Technologies and other digital media programmes?

Typical content
The following is an indication of current programme content. However, the rapidly changing nature of the subject area means that both the courses offered, and individual course content, are likely to change in future years. Finally note that certain combinations of options may not be available.
For details of timetabling and study patterns, see the timetables page. All courses are 30 credits unless otherwise stated.

Year One

Year Two

Optional Sandwich Year

For students who choose a sandwich degree, the third year is spent in industry or business on a fully paid work placement that we help to arrange. This option is open to all students and on successful completion of the sandwich year they return to complete the final year of the degree course. This is a highly valuable chance to experience the level of work expected in industry.

Year Three

A substantial individual project based around developing a new multimedia game
Multimedia Games Design & Development 3

Two options chosen from:

Technologies
Typical technologies taught on this programme include: Java; C#; .Net; HTML; XML; XNA/Xbox 360; Flash; Director; Final Cut Pro/Adobe Premiere; DVD Studio Pro/DVD Production; Sound/Music Production; Games Engines (e#g# Half Life 2); Desktop Publishing; 3D Animation/Modelling.
Note that some of these technologies are taught on optional courses, so we cannot guarantee that you will be exposed to them all.

Specifics

Professional recognition
BCS CITP logo This degree has full CITP accreditation from BCS - the Chartered Institute for IT, the body responsible for establishing and maintaining technical and ethical standards in the computing profession. This means that on successful graduation from this degree, you will have fulfilled the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP). However, please note that there are additional requirements, including work experience, to achieve full Chartered status - see the BCS website for further information.

Career opportunities
Students graduating from this degree programme will be able to apply for a number of varied careers in the entertainment industry. The main focus is for successful graduates to work in the games industry (whether that be console/PC/Web/Mobile based, or a combination of these), but the skills acquired on the programme will also enable students to apply for other positions such as multimedia specialists, video editors/producers, audio editors/producers, 3D/2D animators, web design & development roles and many other exciting areas within creative computing environments.

Links
The final year degree show, held every year, gives some idea of the work the students produce; take a look at e-Motion and Digital FreeForm.

Location
This degree programme is based in the Department of Creative Digital Technologies, School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences, Greenwich Campus, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London SE10 9LS.

Study mode
3 years full-time / 4 years sandwich / 6 years part-time

JACS/UCAS code
BSc (Hons) Games and Multimedia Technologies - GG64 BSc/IMGD

School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences

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Programme Specification for 2012/13