Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Games Design

at Manchester Metropolitan University United Kingdom

The world of digital media is a rapidly changing one that rewards hard work and creativity – if you’re looking to plug yourself in, we’re here to help.

This is a degree made for inquiring and creative minds – and it’s especially geared to those seeking careers in creative digital industries. Study with us and you’ll explore the creation, manipulation and processing of digital content for new communication and media technologies. But you’ll also go further behind the scenes – looking at the social science and theoretical frameworks beneath this content production.

Supported by a team of committed and enthusiastic lecturers and researchers, you’ll be encouraged to find your own creative identity and express yourself through a variety of digital content, media and genres, including documentary, photography and much more. You’ll also acquire a range of business planning and research skills that will boost your employability in today’s multiplatform digital environments.

On this three-year course, you’ll explore topics from the structure of language and how speech sounds are expressed, to anatomy, the psychology behind our development, and the effects of politics on the provision of speech and language therapy in the community.

You won’t simply learn the theories and research behind how we communicate and why people have difficulties in communicating, you’ll also learn the practical skills you’ll need.

You’ll study the techniques, skills and methods used to assess, analyse and manage clients, such as using boards with symbols that children can point to or swallowing tests for adults who have suffered a stroke to determine the treatment they need.

You’ll complete clinical placements in each year of study. Past placements have included working in a hospital with adults who have had strokes, special educational needs (SEN) provision for teenagers in a secondary school, and in community clinics.

The fashion industry is constantly evolving and now more than ever is undergoing extreme transformative change. A new generation of consumers are rallying against the fast-fashion ethos and are instead favouring a more cyclical approach to consumption and production. Cultural shifts are also affecting the industry, with brands having to re-evaluate their cultural purpose, identity and the way in which they communicate to the consumer to ensure greater transparency and authenticity.

This program is aimed at students who want to gain experience of both the strategic and creative aspects of fashion marketing. Whilst studying on MSc International Fashion Marketing, students will produce innovative marketing campaigns for fashion brands through a variety of different communications media, while supporting their strategic and creative process with fundamental theoretical knowledge. They will also learn how to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing global market and forge a successful career in the creative and cultural industries.

With a strong emphasis on employability and social responsibility, this course will equip its students with a mastery of the key skills required to help evolve the fashion system to become more ethically conscious, socially progressive and environmentally sustainable.

Product designers at Manchester Met explore why, examine how, and ask ‘what if?’ We are investigative and critically responsive to human and global needs, developing innovative design-led solutions that connect the consumer experience of products, systems and services. As a product design student, you will be creative with purpose, gaining critical understanding of the emergent issues affecting design across society and culture, learning how to be a designer of products that enhance functionality, interactions and relationships with people and the places we inhabit.

 You will develop essential skills in creative methods, research, design thinking, prototyping and design strategy, applying design intelligence to the creation of new product opportunities and solutions. You will discover how to design products that embrace both traditional and contemporary approaches to production and manufacturing, generating value through the application of materials, processes, and technologies. This course will enable you to produce innovative crafted design solutions and develop the creative and professional skills required to support a sustainable career in product design.

Product Design at Manchester Met builds on the success of our previous programme, BA Three Dimensional Design, which has produced influential and award-winning graduates including designer and architect Thomas Heatherwick, jeweller Ruth Tomlinson and ceramicist Joe Hartley.

BA (Hons) Fine Art is a studio-based program that provides students with the platform to confidently enter the professional world of the artist and arts professional. Students will actively investigate universal approaches and practices in contemporary fine art that will test their knowledge, creativity and understanding. The program is taught by professional artists that are actively engaged in contemporary practice and will therefore will encourage students to explore the broader social, political and community context to define a personal mode of study that will equip them to continue their development post-degree.

The wide range of teaching approaches, facilities and opportunities will support students to acquire skills and varied methodologies that allow them to either specialise or engage with a pluralistic approach to exploring fine art.  The diversity of content creates a distinctive group of students that engage with and question a divergent range of approaches to studio practice and externally engaged projects.

Students also have the opportunity to develop their practice within an international context through the international exchange program, national and international study trips and the acquisition of foreign language skills. There are opportunities to engage in the contemporary art world through study trips, exhibitions, student exchange programs, visiting artists' lectures, specialist masterclasses and gallery talks at The Whitworth.

Music and sound design is a field that mixes the artistic and the technical to produce the vital ingredient for a range of media. On the one hand, it’s a discipline of creative composition and emotional interpretation. On the other, it’s about harnessing the latest technology and studio techniques to produce compelling music and sound content. Our course offers the chance to learn both sides, letting you explore your creative passions while equipping you for a career in the fast-paced digital arts and media sector.

The School of Digital Arts aims to prepare you for a career in the creative sector. It’s home to a dynamic community that spans skills and approaches, creating a space for collaboration and experimentation. And, as well as the human element, this is a space for technical skills, equipped with industry-standard tools and technology.

More than a purpose-built school, we also have the perfect setting. Manchester is a city at the forefront of the creative and digital sector in the UK (second only to London), home to a wide variety of broadcasters, creative agencies and media businesses. More importantly, it’s also one of the world’s musical capitals – much like Detroit and a handful of others. This is a city known around the world for its thriving, distinctive music scene.

Study with us and you’ll have the chance to tap into this vibrant city, making the most of our links with Scruff of the Neck, Louder Than War and other key promoters, labels and venues, not to mention youth music organisations, DJ educators, schools and cultural producers. With the chance to learn from, and connect with, these key figures and organisations, we offer the chance to study in a city that provides an ideal starting point for building your network, developing your experience and starting your career.

Placement options

SODA Placement Year
As part of your studies with SODA, you will have the chance to take a year working on placement within the industry. During your year, you will spend at least 36 weeks working within an organisation in the industry, developing workplace skills, practical understanding and genuine industry experience.

This course combines the study of art history, focusing on developments since the nineteenth century, with the essential practical skills and critical perspectives needed by the contemporary curator. And Manchester School of Art school provides a distinctive, vibrant environment in which to consider art’s historical development and its relationship to society.

The course shares much of its teaching with BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History, and students from the two courses collaborate on projects and exhibition-making. It is taught by a multidisciplinary team of practicing artists, art historians, curators and theorists.

The University's exhibition spaces, cultural programs and collections are used in the course’s teaching, providing opportunities to acquire valuable, professionally relevant experience and skills. The course also enjoys links to the city and region's galleries and arts organizations.

Law underpins our society. A law degree gives you a unique insight into everything, from the economy to the criminal justice system. And it gives you a huge range of skills that will last you throughout your career.

The LLB (Hons) is your passport to a rewarding future – whether you have ambitions to be a solicitor, barrister, academic researcher, or a business person.

Discover your niche
We cover all the subjects you need to know; tort, contract, criminal law and property law – you’ll get a thorough grounding in the essentials.

And, thanks to our teaching team’s wide range of specialisms, from families to sports, we offer exciting optional units beyond the core curriculum. Interested in gender issues? We have one of the leading experts on trans rights, Professor Stephen Whittle OBE.

Practise your skills
Mooting is a key part of any legal education. Our mock courtroom is the perfect place to develop your confidence and fine-tune your performance. You’ll have classes and extra-curricular activities there, and you can even use it for your final year project.

Ready to test yourself in the real world? You can work with a qualified solicitor offering pro bono services to local people. You might join the Business Law Café offering advice to local SMEs, or maybe you’ll help someone with legal advice and support they wouldn’t normally be able to afford.

Study Abroad

Instead of a placement, you’ll have the opportunity to spend up to a year overseas, studying with one of our partner institutions across Europe, or beyond. Go abroad in the third year of your degree, and you’ll not only learn about other cultures, improve your language skills and discover more about yourself – you’ll also boost your career prospects.

Having first-hand knowledge of another country’s cultures and traditions can take you far in a range of careers. And, by going abroad you’ll also demonstrate the kind of independent spirit and adaptability that many employers want.

This program provides an opportunity for you to develop specialist knowledge of fashion buying and merchandising from a managerial perspective and the skills required to thrive successfully within this fast-paced, competitive, global industry. To achieve this, the course takes a vocational approach with a strong academic underpinning, whilst encouraging creativity.

Industry-related briefs, supported by local and international fashion businesses, will expose students to live situations where they will make real-world decisions and learn to communicate effectively at all levels and across language barriers. Fundamental to the program is the development of professional, managerial and personal abilities, such as commercial awareness, financial analysis, negotiation and relationship management, all essential to success in international business.

The balance between academic underpinning and vocational partnerships facilitates the development of research and analytical skills, providing a deep understanding of technology, sustainability, ethics, finance, future markets, profit margins, pricing, sales strategies, and turnover. The MSc Fashion Buying and Merchandising Management will equip graduates with a range of key skills required to help evolve the fashion industry to become more ethically conscious, socially progressive and environmentally sustainable.

Our computer games development degree is designed to turn you into a games programmer and designer – from the word go you’ll be hands-on, designing and programming games as you prepare for an exciting career at the cutting-edge of interactive digital content.

In our state-of-the-art facilities, you’ll develop traditional computer science skills, such as programming and maths for computing, as well as specialist games development and design techniques. You’ll also study all types of games software, from the programming of game components, to high-level development tools such as Unity and Unreal Engine. At the same time you’ll be learning about game logic and architecture, the production of game objects and environments, and the processes used to design and develop games in industry.

We’ve designed the course to ensure direct relevance to the computer games industry and to provide you with opportunities to showcase your work to potential employers. Throughout the course you’ll build up a portfolio of work that you can showcase when you come to apply for games development roles in industry.

With hackathons, gaming events and lots of opportunities for work experience to hone your skills, by the time you leave us you’ll be well on your way to becoming a player in the action-packed world of computer games.