Undergraduate study 2018/19
Games and Web
Our trophy cabinet
What’s inside
The awards we’ve won don’t just make us feel proud. They give you an idea of what the University is like.
Study with us
4–5 Our courses
Meet us
Apply to us
Hear how Senior Lecturer Matt Novak turned a childhood fascination into a career
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Dayna’s student journey so far
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University of the Year The Times Higher Education named us as their University of the Year in November 2013. They liked our “bold, imaginative and innovative initiatives.”
Queen’s Award We’ve always supported the international student community. So we were very pleased to win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2013.
Queen’s Anniversary Prize The Queen’s Anniversary Prize is a big thing in UK Higher Education. We were delighted to earn one for our role in expanding global boundaries of new music.
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A Four Star University QS Stars have given us four stars. That means we are “highly international, demonstrating excellence in both teaching and research with an excellent environment for students and staff.”
Educate North Award The Educate North Awards celebrate the role of Higher Education in the North of England. We won New University of the Year at the awards in 2015.
Athena Swan We’re serious about gender equality. We want an equal number of men and women on our science and engineering courses, for instance. Our commitment was recognised in 2015 with the Athena SWAN Bronze Award.
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Welcome to Games and Web The games and web industries are exciting, global and always evolving. They generate billions of pounds worldwide each year and play an increasing part in our lives. This is great news for graduates as there are career opportunities across the world. At Huddersfield, technology and creativity are at the heart of the student experience. We encourage games and web students to be ambitious, visionary and innovative. Our courses are designed to combine industry knowledge and academic theory with practical experience to support you in graduating ready for work, starting your own company or further study.
We aim to provide you with an insight into the latest developments in the games and web industries and the careers and opportunities that are open to you. You have the chance to complete a year-long placement in industry, or even start your own small company. We host an active industry guest speaker programme, giving you the opportunity to listen to and network with experienced industry representatives. Last year’s programme featured speakers from organisations including Rockstar and FormerDroid. I look forward to seeing you at Huddersfield. Dr Michael O’Grady Subject Area Leader
Find out more about our awards at hud.ac.uk/about/our-awards
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Check this out!
The games and web industries are truly global offering you some dynamic and exciting job opportunities. And they’re crying out for talent. So if you’ve got what it takes, we can help you step up to the next level.
Study with us
Awards
Guest speakers
Our games students won six prizes at the Game Republic Awards 2016, including three 1st place awards!
We run an active guest speaker programme, giving you the chance to hear from inspiring industry figures.
Perhaps you want to develop your programming skills, or you’re looking to use your design talents to create graphics for games or the web. With such fast-moving industries, anything’s possible. If you’re keen to make your mark, we could help you get started on an incredible career.
I really like the idea of being self-employed and the course covers this too.
Our courses combine the latest knowledge and thinking with real-world practicality to help you prepare for work. Technology and creativity are what it’s all about in all our courses. We’ll give you the chance to take part in national competitions, live projects and Game Jams. You’ll also be able to come along and hear some inspiring names from the industry at our special guest lectures.
Dan Park, Web Technologies BSc(Hons)
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Our courses are geared to be practical, but you can dial up your hands-on experience even more by taking a year-long placement. Perhaps you’ll work 1. Pocket Galaxy A game for Android and iOS developed by our in-house studios, Canalside Studios.
2. The Library Year 2 Computer Games Design work by Samuel Dickson.
in a cutting-edge business developing something creative. Or you could work at the University’s own Canalside Studios. The Studio develops their own games for release and they have also produced work commissioned by commercial clients. In fact, you could even set up your own business by taking an Enterprise Placement Year.* We’ll give you access to the kit that they use in the industry, including video and photographic equipment and cutting-edge software. So you should have everything you need to unleash your creativity. Just to let you know, previous graduates have gone on to work for companies like Microsoft Xbox, Rockstar Games, Virgin, Siemens, Shell, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, American Express and EA Games.** 3. Live projects Final year Web Design student, Sophie Parry, meeting with her industry client to go over her project work.
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*The Enterprise Placement Year is only open to UK/EU students. **Source: LinkedIn.
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Graduates employed from this subject area
Computer Games Design BA(Hons)
91.7%* Key information: UCAS code: G4W6 Duration: 3 years full-time, 4 years inc. placement year Entry requirements: ABB at A Level DDM at BTEC in Art and Design or a games related subject 128 UCAS points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications A Foundation course in Art and Design: Distinction Additional criteria: GCSE English and Maths grade C or above or equivalent Interview
Graduates employed from this course
**EPY is open to students from within the UK or the EU only.
If you enjoy exploring what’s possible with digital design and games development, we could help you really get to know the subject. We encourage students to be creative, visionary and always ambitious with their designs. We explore some of the more complex aspects of game and level design, and games art during the course. We aim to cover all the bases, including how to design and plan game ideas and concepts, and then develop, create and build your own games. Your course is very much designed for the real-world. We maintain active links with industry figures, during your course you could have the chance to hear from them – in the past we’ve hosted art directors, animators, illustrators and designers from the freelance world and from companies like Rockstar, Formerdroid and Realtime UK.
You’ll have the chance to take part in lots of internal Game Jams. And we’ll encourage you to get involved in externally organised events like the Global Game Jam and Game Republic. If you’d like to take what you’ve learnt out into the real-world, we also give you the chance to spend a year working in industry. Alternatively, we have a small number of placements available in our in-house games development studio, Canalside Studios. Here you could find yourself working as part of a team developing games for a range of platforms.
Key information: UCAS code: G4P3 Duration: 3 years full-time, 4 years inc. placement year Entry requirements: BBB at A Level DDM at BTEC 120 UCAS points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications Additional criteria: GCSE English and Maths grade C or above or equivalent
Finally, you could even think about starting your own small business while you’re here by applying for the Enterprise Placement Year (EPY).**
Final Year work by Shivam Devani. Shivam was a finalist in the Grads in Games, ‘Search For A Star’ national competition in the Environment Art category. He also won first prize in the ‘Game Art and Animation’ category at the Game Republic Awards 2016.
Placement Chance to start your own studio with our Enterprise Placement Year scheme. You’ll even get support from an industry mentor.
Facilities Access to innovative, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
Websites, social media, the apps we use for entertainment and for organising our everyday lives – if you’re like most people, you’ll experience web design many times every day. Web designers play an important part in our lives, constantly creating new ways for us to access and experience the web. We’ll give you the opportunity to gain the skills employers are looking for by looking at both the creative and technical aspects of web design. We’ll look at moving imagery too, specifically animations and videos. How people access the internet is constantly developing, so we’ll study how to design and create content and experiences for devices including smartphones, tablets, watches and traditional computers. We’ll get you working on projects in teams to create complex products. It’s all about helping you develop your technical, design and project management skills. You’ll gain invaluable experience – in fact, some projects may mean you end up working on a real product for an industry client.
Connections
For detailed course and employability information, including full entry requirements, please visit hud.ac.uk/courses
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BSc(Hons)
90%*
We maintain connections with the games industry, ensuring course content is current.
*Percentage of graduates from this subject area who go on to work and/or further study within six months of graduating (Destinations of Leavers Survey 2014/15).
Web Design
*Percentage of graduates from this course who go on to work and/or further study within six months of graduating (Destinations of Leavers Survey 2014/15). **The EPY is only open to students from within the UK or the EU. *** Course now offered is Web Design BSc(Hons).
To gain even more experience, you have the chance to take a placement with an employer in your third year. This is your opportunity to put what you’ve learnt into practice, broaden your range of skills and gain great contacts too. There’s also the opportunity for you to start your own small business through our Enterprise Placement Year (EPY) scheme.**
Showcase Final Year showcase attended by industry representatives.
Jason Wan graduated Interactive Multimedia BA(Hons)*** in 2008 and is now Senior Digital Designer at DS.Emotion. “In my current role I design and develop marketing websites. My course provided me with opportunities to explore and learn different skills from visual design to programming. The tutors at the University were always there to guide and inspire me. They always pushed me to enhance my skills.”
For detailed course and employability information, including full entry requirements, please visit hud.ac.uk/courses
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Graduates employed from these subject areas
8690%*
Key information: UCAS code: G422 Duration: 3 years full-time, 4 years inc. placement year Entry requirements: BBB at A Level DDM at BTEC 120 UCAS points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications Additional criteria: GCSE English and Maths grade C or above or equivalent
Web Technologies
A childhood fascination becomes a successful career
Matt Novak Just about every business and organisation has a web presence. And many of them are looking to expand that presence and exploit the latest technology. There’s a huge demand for skilled graduates who understand the technology; cloud computing; touch, gesture and motion-based technology; as well as mobile and tablet apps. If you can keep pace with the new technology, and know how it can be used to inform, educate, market, sell and innovate, then you could be an attractive prospect for an employer.
ASP.NET, and we’ll also cover innovative frameworks such as Bootstrap and Laravel. During your studies you’ll be given the chance to take a placement in your third year. It’s an excellent opportunity to put what you’ve learnt into practice. There’s also the opportunity for you to start your own small business through our Enterprise Placement Year (EPY) scheme.**
Access to innovative, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
“As a child the first thing I ever wanted to be was a teenage mutant ninja turtle, but that soon changed! Once I left primary school I knew I wanted to do work in something to do with games, I didn’t know exactly what, but I was just fascinated by them. As I was playing them I would think ‘how is all this happening?’ “When the PS2 launched they released a disc with a keyboard attachment that allowed you to design your own games. So I made my own version of the games I loved. That made me realise I didn’t enjoy coding and I enjoyed the art side more, but that was all part of my development and discovering what I was interested in.
“I came to Huddersfield to study the Computer Games Design course that I now teach on. After I graduated I went back to the company I had done my placement with as a Lead Artist. It was quite a small games company which was a great start as it meant that I was working on multiple projects, and leading projects, really quickly. “During my time there I built up lots of contacts, so I decided to go it alone and I worked as a freelance artist for a range of different companies for a few years, whilst developing my own game. When the University got in touch asking me to take part in the guest lecture series I found that I really enjoyed teaching, so now I’m a full-time Lecturer. It’s fun seeing someone develop and knowing that I have helped them, especially when you see students who may have done nothing before turn into amazing artists. Year 2 work by Eva Glover
Facilities
Senior Lecturer, Department of Informatics
I’ve always been fascinated by games. As a child I remember playing Mario on the SNES and wondering how it all happened.
To help you develop your capabilities, we’ll look at a range of computing languages. The most common ones we use are JavaScript, PHP and
**The EPY is only open to students from within the UK or the EU.
Meet our staff
BSc(Hons)
This course aims to provide you with the skills to help organisations harness the technology. We’ll look at making applications for web, desktop, mobiles and projections. You’ll study the principles of creating and accessing data, as well as embedding data structures such as maps, tweets, eBay bids, Amazon offers and Facebook comments in your digital products.
*Percentage of graduates from these subject areas who go on to work and/or further study within six months of graduating (Destinations of Leavers Survey 2014/15).
100%
“My favourite memory of my time here is as a student, when I pitched my submission for the Game Republic Student Showcase in my Final Year. It was my first real pitch to industry and the first time I got proper industry feedback telling me that my game was good. I’ve pitched games multiple times since then but I will always remember how nerve wracking that was.”
100% of our students have the opportunity to undertake a placement year in industry.
For detailed course and employability information, including full entry requirements, please visit hud.ac.uk/courses
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My student journey so far
Dayna Davison Computer Games Design BA(Hons)
“I grew up in Wakefield. I knew I didn’t want to move too far away to study, but I definitely wanted the full student experience. I thought Huddersfield had a bit of everything, it feels like the town is part of the uni, almost like an extension of the town, everything is on your doorstep. “I moved into a private rental with my partner in the first year. I love being independent and having my own space. I really feel like an adult and simple things I didn’t think I would be able to cope with are now so easy. I don’t want to move back home after I graduate, I love my own space too much. “When I was younger I wanted to be a vet as I loved animals, particularly my pet cats as a child! But as I grew up I started playing my older brother’s videos games; my favourites included Crash Bandicoot, Spyro and Tomb Raider! “I became fascinated with how games worked and were put together. I used pen and paper to plan and draw out my own games, but I didn’t know how to actually make them! I didn’t even know you could study games as a subject so I thought I would do IT and art, but then I discovered you could do a course in games development in college and I knew it was perfect for me.
I like that here you get a lot of time with tutors and that they all know your name.
“When I got my offer to study here I was buzzing! I had read all the reviews of Huddersfield, and I knew it was one of the top universities for games. I came to an open day and I knew I wanted to be here. “Building up to my first assignment I was stressed as it’s a complete unknown and I had no idea what the goalposts were. I was much more relaxed after that, as I knew it wasn’t as scary as I thought. “My most memorable event of my time here was pitching for my place on the Enterprise Placement Year. I had never pitched for anything real before, we had done practice pitches on my course, but so much was riding on this and it was real. I felt so proud we got the place, it made me feel like my game idea was validated by the panel made up of academics, a business mentor and placement experts. I was so proud to have won a place in such a competitive process. “In the future I just want to be happy and secure. I want to work in the games industry ultimately, but I do like the freedom of working for myself as you can be more creative without the restrictions of a publisher. “The thing that has surprised me about uni is how relaxed it is. It’s not like school where there’s a massive divide between you and your tutors, here you can knock on their door anytime. Also, it’s surprised me how much independent study there is. You have to use your time outside scheduled classes to go away and independently research, but it never feels like a chore as I love my subject and I’m keen to learn more.”
To hear Dayna talk about her student journey visit hud.ac/profiles
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Student journey
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Our creative courses give students the opportunity to explore visual design and develop a portfolio of work. Here you can see examples of work from students at different stages of their university career. 1. Gregorz Bednarz, Final Year, Computer Games Design BA(Hons)
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2. Shivam Devani, Final Year, Computer Games Design BA(Hons) 3. Work by Nathan BoxhallBurnett, Final Year, Computer Games Programming BSc(Hons) 4. Gabrielle Lasaite, Year 2, Web Design BSc(Hons) 5. Eva Glover, Year 2, Web Technologies BSc(Hons) 6. Alexandra Livingstone, Final Year, Interactive Multimedia BA(Hons)**
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100% *Permanent staff, after probation: some recently appointed colleagues will only obtain recognition in the months after their arrival in Huddersfield, once they have started teaching. **Course now called Web Design BSc(Hons)
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The UK’s only University where all permanent teaching staff are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.*
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We hope you’ve found all the information you need to inspire you to become a student here at Huddersfield. Now all you need to do is apply.
Apply to us UCAS If this is your first (undergraduate) degree and you want to study a full-time course, then you’ll apply via UCAS at ucas.com If you’re at a college or school right now, it’s probably already registered with UCAS. The best thing to do is ask your teacher or careers adviser to help with your application. Once you’ve applied we’ll keep in touch with you throughout the 1 application process, so you’re up to speed with what’s going on. When to apply If you want to start your course in September 2018, you can apply to UCAS any time from 1 September 2017 onwards. Make sure UCAS receives your application by 15 January 2018.
Our course codes You have to enter the code for the course you want to study on your application form. You can find our course codes on each of the course pages in this brochure, or on the UCAS website. By the way, the institution code for Huddersfield is HUDDS H60. Interviews and portfolios For the Computer Games Design course you may be asked to attend an interview and bring along a portfolio /examples of your work. We recognise that not all applicants will have examples of work they have produced as a part of their studies, so we are interested in seeing games and art work you may have produced in your spare time or even something that you create especially for the interview. The interview is to determine your enthusiasm and aptitude for the subject. If we invite you to an interview, we’ll let you know what we expect you to bring.
Open Days Everything starts now
Wednesday 21 June Thursday 22 June Saturday 16 September Saturday 21 October Wednesday 8 November Friday 1 December
Contact us Got a question? Get in touch with us. Tel. +44 (0)1484 473116 Email. compeng@hud.ac.uk @HudCompEng HuddersfieldUniversity ComputingandEngineering
Senior Lecturer Daryl Marples in one of our PC labs
Important Information This brochure is provided for information only and will not form part of your student contract. For full, up to date details on our courses, including when and how that information may change, visit our website at www.hud.ac.uk/courses
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Book a place hud.ac.uk/open-days 15
University of Huddersfield Queensgate Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD1 3DH UK Tel. +44 (0)1484 422288 Email. askhud@hud.ac.uk www.hud.ac.uk
Huddersfield is first in England for professionally qualified teaching staff * *HEFCE, 9 Dec 2016
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