ObjectivesThis course is designed to meet the increasing demand for postgraduates with the high-level skills needed to help create new computerised games for the leisure and education industries. Games development companies are finding it difficult to recruit staff with software engineering skills. Games development is a highly competitive market and to compete companies need highly qualified people to maintain their cutting-edge status within the global games industry. This also enables them to exploit new discoveries in software and computer architecture technologies. As a result, career prospects for Computer Games Systems graduates are excellent.
Entry requirementsEntry requirements The course is open to graduates with a UK honours degree (or equivalent) in computing, technology, engineering or science. You must also have experience of computer programming. Applicants with relevant experience may also be considered. If you are an international student and English is not your first language, you will require an English language qualification equivalent to IELTS 6.5.
Academic titleMSc/PGDip Computer Games Systems
Course descriptionHow do you study?
The course offers an excellent combination of theoretical studies and practical experience through coursework assignments, software development and group projects culminating in a significant and practical Masters project individually tailored to meet your career aspirations.
Why study at Nottingham Trent University?
Students in the School of Science and Technology have use of a new, purpose-built £8 million building, which offers state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities specific to the subjects taught in the School. This includes exceptional computing resources, multimedia editing suites and specialist labs for imaging, networks and communications. As well as the facilities within the School the whole campus benefits from free WiFi access.
MSc Computer Games Systems is taught by highly experienced staff members, many of whom are involved with cutting-edge research that ensures their teaching remains at the forefront of computing technology.
Coupled with the strength of our teaching and facilities is the direct relevance of the MSc Computer Games Systems course content. You will have the chance to learn a range of software engineering techniques for games, ranging from low-level programming languages for fast games to high-level and computer network environments for distributed games. This will enable you to build and develop your specialist knowledge in the area(s) of gaming that excite your interest.
The taught part of the course will give you the high quality academic knowledge in games prototyping, artificial intelligence and 3D algorithms that is now in demand within the global games industry.
Assessment
All modules are assessed by coursework only.
Place of study
The School of Science and Technology is situated on the University's Clifton campus just four miles from the centre of Nottingham. This campus is a self-contained green-field site with excellent accommodation and facilities.
The Clifton campus library is open seven days a week and students have 24-hour access to a number of IT resource rooms. The campus has benefited from considerable investment over the past five years. It has comprehensive sports facilities - including a multi-million pound sports hall, two gyms, and an all-weather floodlit sports pitch, as well as a new Student Support Centre, offering careers advice and support with financial and personal issues.
Food, drink and retail outlets include The Point – a multi-purpose venue with a bar, a cafe, and an entertainments programme. There is also the campus News and Food convenience store, which sells all the student essentials.
The campus hosts the Ticket Express Travel Agency, Blackwell’s bookshop, the Sunrise Medical Practice and a branch of HSBC bank. There is a regular bus service available that provides easy access to Nottingham’s vibrant and exciting city centre.
Your future career
The industry-focused nature of this course will ensure that you stand out from the crowd when it comes to job applications and pursuing your future career. Nottingham Trent University graduates are widely respected amongst employers and our Computing and Technology students are perceived as having the competitive edge due to the hands-on approach of our teaching.
This course provides the software engineering knowledge and programming skills applicable to a broad range of careers in the industrial and business sectors – and the transferable ICT skills to go with them. You will learn how to design, develop and implement software related to games projects in industrial and business environments. Therefore, because of the shortage of skilled software engineers, your skills will be highly sought after by employers.
MSc/PGDip Computer Games Systems
The course includes the following taught elements:
* 3D Algorithms
* Advanced Software Engineering
* Artificial Intelligence for Games
* Games Prototyping
* Major Project
* Research Methods
* Software Engineering for Games Design
On completion of the taught elements of the course you will then have the opportunity to undertake an MSc topic. This gives you 15 week to concentrate full time on any area of games programme that interests you and apply what you have learnt to a specific problem. Projects can be undertaken in conjunction with games companies and this is actively encouraged.