UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 06 JUNE 2014
The team behind the ‘Gamer Camp’ courses at Birmingham City University are amongst the first UK universities to launch a two-year undergraduate games development degree.
With UK degree courses normally lasting three to four years, the University’s new ‘Interactive Entertainment’ courses in games development, digital art and digital marketing, aim to condense a full-time, three-year degree into just two years.
“Our new Interactive Entertainment courses are entry-level, undergraduate versions of our popular masters courses ‘Gamer Camp’ and ‘Future Media’,” says Programme Director Zuby Ahmed.
“Our postgraduate courses are partnered and co-designed with companies like Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Crytek, Mediacom and McCann, and graduates have gone on to work for companies such as SEGA, Rockstar North and 383 Project.”
Zuby Ahmed, who is also Managing and Creative Director of indie developer SmashMouth Games, says:
“The new courses are taught by the same tutors as our postgraduate degrees, who have decades of games industry and digital marketing experience between them. Plus, the students get a free laptop, for the duration of their time with us.”
Rather than the UK average of 14 hours contact time (i.e. teaching) per week over a 39-week year, students on the highly vocational Interactive Entertainment courses are expected to work and study 9am-5pm, 42 weeks of the year.
“When we speak to our partners in the games and digital industries, they constantly stress the need for graduates to have real experience in their specialism, and in working collaboratively, alongside people with different skillsets,” said Zuby.
“For example, our digital artists may design the art assets for a video game, which is then coded into a game by our game development students. Meanwhile, the social media and digital marketing campaigns for the game, are planned and delivered by our digital marketing students.”
“The idea is to simulate a real-world studio experience, to provide students with the experience needed to find a role in a highly-skilled, competitive jobs market.”
Potential students will have the opportunity to sample the course on the next University Open Day on Saturday, 14 June 2014.
The two year degrees also allow students to take one of NTI Birmingham’s one-year masters degrees, Gamer Camp, Film Futures or Future Media, effectively as a third year.
More information on the courses, and how to attend the Open Day can be found at bcu.ac.uk/IntEnt.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10056751/University-teaching-time-fails-to-rise-despite-fees-hike.html
[2] http://www.nus.org.uk/en/advice/money-and-funding/average-costs-of-living-and-study/