BSc Computer Games

Our BSc Computer Games (including Foundation Year) could be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for a three-year version of our computer science, electronic engineering and mathematics courses and you want a programme that improves your skills to support your academic performance.

Open to UK and EU applicants, this four-year course includes a Foundation Year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department followed by a further three years of study in our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

During Year Zero you will study on our Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics Pathway which will cover topics such as statistical analysis and modelling, and computer programming. At the end of Year Zero all students who pass the Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics Pathway will have a choice of which course to progress with. As well as BSc Computer Games students on the Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics Pathway could also study BSc Computer Science, BSc Mathematics or BEng Electronic Engineering.

This is a degree in world-making. You craft stories, characters and plot in order to build imaginary worlds that a player can journey through. Our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence; at Essex you master both game design and computer programming, giving you total control over the worlds you want to create.

From Year One of BSc Computer Games you will gain the skills to design and specify complex, non-trivial games by focusing on the following areas:

• The mechanics of a game, including gameplay elements and the relationship with story
• The concepts and techniques of computer game programming
• Real and virtual worlds
• Artificial intelligence behaviours for non-player characters
• 2D and 3D graphic effects and game objects (eg weapon systems)

At the end of your course, you will be able to create the outline design specification for a computer game of your own design, and to implement a game using industry-standard techniques. Both for entertainment and for more serious purposes such as virtual reality training, computer games, gamification and games intelligences are increasingly important in today's world.

Our School is a community of scholars leading the way in technological research and development. Today's computer scientists are creative people who are focused and committed, yet restless and experimental. We are home to many of the world's top scientists, and our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence.

Programming at Essex

Teaching someone to programme is about opening a door. In Year 1 at Essex you will study a module that introduces you to programming using Python. We assess your ability to think in a programmatic way in the very first week of term and if you require additional support, we offer classes which will boost your skills and confidence with programming.

Our expert staff

Our Essex Pathways Department is a gateway to the University of Essex, helping students without standard entry requirements to grow in confidence, unlock their potential, and nurture their ambitions so they can progress in academic study.

The University of Essex was the birthplace of the ‘virtual world'. Multi-User Dungeons (MUD) – multi-player, real-time virtual worlds – were created by our students, including Richard Bartle, who still teaches Computer Games here today. Richard was also included in Geek.com's list of the most influential game developers of all time.

Our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering research staff also includes Dr Adrian Clark, who works on computer graphics and augmented reality.

Specialist facilities

During Year Zero, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our Essex Pathways Department to support you, such as:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials
• Our new Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student
• Our social space is stocked with magazines and newspaper, and provides an informal setting to meet your lecturers, tutors and friends

Our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering also offers excellent on-campus facilities:

• We have six laboratories that are exclusively for computer science and electronic engineering students. Three are open 24/7, and you have free access to the labs except when there is a scheduled practical class in progress
• All computers are dual boot Windows 10 and Linux. Apple Mac Computers are dual boot MacOS and Windows 10
• Software includes Java, Prolog, C++, Perl, Mysql, Matlab, DB2, Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, and Project
• Students have access to CAD tools and simulators for chip design (Xilinx) and computer networks (OMNet++)
• We also have specialist facilities for research into areas including non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, intelligent environments, robotics, optoelectronics, video, RF and MW, printed circuit milling, and semiconductors.

Your future

We have many graduates in senior positions in the computer communications industry, as well recent graduates working in IT and computer companies.

Our school has a large pool of external contacts, ranging from companies providing robots for the media industry, through vehicle diagnostics, to the transforming of unstructured data to cloud-based multidimensional data cubes, who work with us and our students to provide advice, placements and eventually graduate opportunities. Read more about computer science and electronic engineering career destinations here.

Our recent graduates have gone on to secure impressive roles, including as a Java/Actionscript Developer for Playtech and as an Associate Software Developer for Sky.

We also work with our University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Clearing entry requirements

We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of our courses with most offers at BBC-CCD (112 – 88 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent. We consider each application individually and requirements may be lower for some of our courses, so please get in touch if your grades are below those outlined here.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

• Undergraduate students in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering typically attend a two-hour lecture and a two-hour lab for each 15 credit module. Students are also invited to departmental seminar groups/workshops.
• A significant amount of practical lab work will need to be undertaken for written assignments and as part of your learning

Assessment

• In your first year, you will have exams before the start of term in January
• Your assessed coursework will generally consist of essays, reports, in-class tests, individual or group oral presentations, and small scale research projects
• All credit-bearing modules will involve a final exam, which will be either essay-based or in the form of a test