This MA responds to the pressing need for a high quality postgraduate degree serving the computer games and entertainment industries. The emphasis is on games design, art and animation, and will also develop the fundamentals of computer programming, entrepreneurship/business, and your own practice. You'll also be able to work with industry partners.
The computer games and interactive entertainment business is a fast-growing multi-billion dollar worldwide business, with games platforms from handhelds and mobiles including iPhones, iPads and Android phones, through consoles such as the Playstation 4, Xbox One and Nintento Wii U, to PCs and massively-multiplayer online games involving tens of thousands of people.
This MA will produce graduates who are well-positioned to have a career in this exciting worldwide industry, meeting the strong demand for graduate computer games designers and artists in the UK and abroad. The programme is delivered by a mix of professionals from the games and effects industries and from the research world.
Potential employers include EA, Ubisoft, Sony SCEE, Creative Assembly, Microsoft, Cinesite, Framestore, and many others.
The influence of computer games is spreading to other digital industries, with gamification and games-based learning, social machines and interactive visualisation of scientific and financial data all exploiting techniques from computer games, and all fields where graduates from this MA could make their mark.
We work closely with industry leaders to shape the course content and to offer industry placements at studios including:
The skills you will learn throughout the programme will have a focus on games design, art and animation, in addition to gaining the fundamentals of computer programming, entrepreneurship/business and practice.
You will study the following modules:
You will also study:
Industry Seminars Series (shared with the MSc in Computer Games and Entertainment course)
We expect that you will leave this programme with strong creative skills, production experience and management capability, giving you the potential for senior roles in the computer games and entertainment industries.
This MA builds on the success of the MSc in Computer Games and Entertainment, and will develop your skills in game design, art and animation. You'll have the opportunity to work with students from this industry-recognised programme on placements and final projects. Through these creative collaborations with artists, games designers and developers we hope that many exciting and innovative projects will emerge. This mix of students also replicates the typical mix of workers in games development and special effects studios.
It's likely that this will encourage exciting and innovative projects to emerge, through creative collaborations
You'll be well equipped to pursue a career in the computer games industry, covering mainstream computer games for mobile, PC, tablet and console platforms, through to gamification and 'serious games'.
Or you could choose to work in the broader entertainment industries – including advertising, special effects, television and web/design studios.
Graduate employment destinations of our computing programmes include:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
This is a full-time, 180-point Master's programme. You will complete this qualification in three consecutive trimesters over 12 months, delivered at Victoria University's Miramar Creative Centre.
Trimester One
Covers computer graphics techniques that are used as current practice in the film industry through a range of projects ranging from generating special effects to the algorithmic treatment of media.
And one of the following two courses MDDN421 or MDDN422
Learn and practice skills relating to previsualisation, production planning and coordination for creating assets, effects and content for Visual Effects and Motion Graphics.
Covers skills and techniques for creating and working with human, creature and mechanical rigs and controls for digital character animation.
Trimester Two
Engage with toi (Māori creativity) and mātauranga (Māori understanding) in the production of both visual and material cultural design that honours our place and past in Aotearoa New Zealand. Guided by traditional Māori protocols and knowledge, students will learn how to understand and interact with Māori symbols and visual spatial strategies in ways that are culturally sound and appropriate.
Covers advanced investigations into topics relevant to professional practice for design today including branding, marketing, networking, presentation and portfolio.
And one of the following two courses MDDN431 or MDDN432
Learn about traditional applications of lighting such as portraiture, practical studio lighting, and cinematography and engage with digital tools to apply traditional lighting techniques to digital media.
Gain relevant skills for creating compelling and emotive animated sequences of digital characters.
Trimester Three: Research Practicum
This studio consists of a supervised practicum, working on a design studio based research and project, generally as a placement in the visual effects industry.
Graduate with a sought-after combination of technical knowledge and experience appropriate for working in the Visual Effects industry or other creative digital fields.
Compositor
Combine footage and CG assets together to produce visual effects for film and media.
3D Animator
Bring digital characters to life with expressive movement and emotions.
Motion Graphics
Animate typography, graphical elements and imagery to produce compelling animations.
As contemporary societies become more heterogeneous, and as inclusive education reforms gain currency across the world, educational systems are being challenged to address some fundamental questions about teaching and learning related to the accommodation of and respect for difference.
Underpinning the movement for inclusion is a concern for social justice and wellbeing. Meeting the diverse needs of learners within today's schools, colleges and universities, is one of the most challenging and important tasks facing education today.
This thoroughly revised Master's degree is unique not only because of the disciplinary approaches it employs, but also because students study and apply an approach to wellbeing that has been developed by some of the world’s leading thinkers.
This is an approach that is internationally recognised by, for example, the UN, and whose principles are increasingly found in government policy on education and SEN, namely the Capability Approach. We are one of the very few institutions in the UK to offer this practical and ethical approach to assessing issues of SEN, equality and inclusion.
The skills you will develop include critical thinking skills and how best to be an inclusive practitioner. Importantly, this is a professionally based degree which means that you will apply what you have learned to your own professional practice whether you are a classroom assistant, SENCO or university lecturer.
◦As a prestigious Russell Group University, Queen’s is ranked 8th within the UK in relation to research intensity;
◦ Education at Queen’s has been ranked 4th within the UK in relation to research intensity with 87% of the research undertaken within the School assessed as ‘internationally excellent or world leading’ (REF, 2014);
◦We provide a professional development opportunity for: mainstream primary and secondary teachers from the newly qualified phase of professional development onwards; and, individuals whose professional or voluntary roles are strongly associated with life in regular classrooms and schools e.g. School Governors, Learning and Behaviour Mentors and Classroom Assistants;
◦We understand the many demands on students’ time, so the content is delivered in a mixture of face-to-face and online formats and you can study one or more of our modules as a short course;
◦If you don’t want or need to study for the research dissertation, flexible exit qualifications (PG Diploma, PG Certificiate) are available.
The MEd in Inclusion and Special Needs Education is awarded to students who have successfully completed 120 CATS points from taught modules and 60 CATS points from a Master's dissertation.
Exit qualifications are available. Students may exit with a Postgraduate Diploma by successfully completing 120 CATS points from taught modules or an Postgraduate Certificate by successfully completing 60 CATS points from taught modules.
We've made it easy to study for a Masters module as a short course. If you would like to study for one of the modules in the MEd in Inclusion and Special Needs Education as a short course, please contact the Postgraduate Secretary (tel: 028 9097 5923/5032, [email protected]) for advice.
Core Modules (compulsory, all 20 CATS points):
An Introduction to Research Methods: Children, Young People and Education (online)
This module will provide you with an understanding of differing perspectives that underpin quantitative and qualitative methodologies and is required preparation for your research dissertation.
Reimagining Special Needs Education: Inclusive Pedagogy
We will focus on deconstructing Special Needs Education and Inclusion by exploring how some popular approaches and behavioural theoretical models have influenced our understanding of SEN. Much of the ‘knowledge’ of special education is, arguably, misconceived and promotes inequality, rather than addresses it. In examining the consequences of, for example, labeling, we will consider a powerful rationale for inclusion based on theories of social justice.
Special Needs Education and Issues of Equity
We will examine how stereotyping and prejudice contribute to forms of ‘epistemic injustice’ whereby what certain groups of people know is given less credibility and weight simply because of their disability, sex, class or ethnicity. The testimony of members of stigmatized groups is likely to be discounted because of prejudicial beliefs and attitudes, which can magnify the effects of injustice as well as create others. Our judgments, as we will learn, are likely to be affected by implicit biases even when we think we’re making judgments of scientific or argumentative merit. The effects of such epistemic injustice is the marginalisation and exclusion of already vulnerable such as the disabled, the working class, women, and people of colour.
Social Justice in Special Needs Education and Inclusion
We will explore some of the complexities of understanding equality in education and sketch some of the flaws with popular approaches to, and conceptions of disability and SEN. While all systems across the world espouse equal entitlement to education, the precise content of this goal is difficult to determine and agree upon. One approach which has emerged with considerable power and application is the Capabilities Approach (CA). The CA is an evaluative framework that entails two core normative claims: first, the claim that the freedom to achieve well-being is of primary moral importance, and second, that freedom to achieve well-being is to be understood in terms of people’s capabilities, that is, their real opportunities to do and be what they have reason to value.
Two optional modules may be chosen from the Educational Studies (MEd) degree.
There are no written examinations. Modules are assessed through a written assignment of 3000 words that is informed by the student’s own professional practice and experience.
3D visualisation and animation play a role in many areas, and the popularity of these media just keeps growing. Digital animation provides the eye-catching special effects in the 21st century's favourite films and television shows; 3D design is also essential to everyday work in everything from computer games development, online virtual world development and industrial design to marketing, product design and architecture.
GCU's programme in 3D Design for Virtual Environments will help you develop the skills to thrive in a successful career as a visual designer. The programme is practical and career-focused, oriented towards current industry needs, technology and practice. No prior knowledge of 3D design is required.
The curriculum will help you build your creative vision and technical skills as a 3D designer.
At GCU, you'll join a friendly community of smart, talented people who love the work they do. People who love to take on a creative challenge and are just as happy to collaborate as they are to compete. People who look for ways to support the common good and make the world a more beautiful, welcoming place.
Our mission is producing graduates who have the skills to make a positive impact with their work - and the perspective to understand why it matters.
3D design at postgraduate level includes 3D modelling, animation, video and motion graphics. Modules are designed to meet current industrial needs, technology and practice.
The programme offers four specialist pathways; Virtual Environments; Architecture; Computer Games and Visual Effects.
There are six taught modules, each module is taught over a twelve week period. Each week consists offormal lectures, lab work, tutorials and private study. On satisfactory completion of the modules,you proceed to a major project and submit a final dissertation for examination. This is completed overa three month period following the taught modules.
Digital Media Technology and Development
An introduction to digital media hardware and software tools, and methods of production and organisation. The student will learn 3D visualisation and animation techniques using the latest 3D software applications.
Digital Video and Motion Graphics
Develop skills and practical knowledge of digital video/film productiontechniques and the association of digital motion graphics media production.Application of creative technique will cover elective areas such as short filmproduction, documentary production, 3D animation composition, titlesequence generation and abstract motion graphics effects.
Digital Media Publishing and Commercialisation
Progress the work of the Digital Media Technology and Development module of Trimester A. The intention is to provide a full understanding of the subject material relevant to the development of a broadcast level digital media project.
Digital Portfolio and Industrial Production Techniques
This module will provide practical knowledge of digital media publishing techniques suitable for the production of portfolio media. Students will investigateand demonstrate knowledge of a range of digital media tools and techniques for the promotion of skills within a portfoliopresentation. Critical analysis of various types of digital media delivery platforms,copyright issues, and digital marketingstrategies will be covered. This modulewill also provide an overview of how 3Dmodelling and animation fits within the context of the particular industry sectorwhich is relevant to the students areaof specialisation.
Research and Project Methods
This module aims to provide students with the background knowledge and skills that, in combination with the technical skills acquired in other taught modules, will enable them to carry an MSc dissertation through to a successful conclusion. Students will study all aspects of the processes underlying both capstone projects and research projects, and will relate these to available tools, ethical considerations and professional issues.
MSc Project
The Project acts as a vehicle for extendingthe knowledge and understanding of thestudent and the technical community insome specialist technical area. It serves,through its length, complexity andrigour, as a suitable vehicle for extending,in the student, a range of personal,interpersonal and communication skills.In addition, it serves to develop andextend a range of high-level thinkingskills, including analysing and synthesisingskills and affords the opportunity for thestudent to demonstrate initiative andcreativity in a major piece of technologicalwork. The student has the option of awritten dissertation or a dissertationby film.
Modules are assessed by both examination and coursework (sometimes known as continual assessment) depending on the requirements of individual modules.
As a graduate of the 3D Design for Virtual Environments programme, you'll bring a specialised skill set and needed expertise to any design-related role. A background in 3D design is especially important for a design career in advertising, communication, publishing or online marketing. You'll be a competitive candidate for these design roles and more.
Computer animation has revolutionised the world of film, special effects and computer games. This course will help you acquire the skills needed to work in a number of areas where computer animation is applied, including films, animated features, computer games, television production, commercials, illustration, scientific visualisation, flight simulation, virtual environments, architectural visualisations and interactive media.
We aim to give you an exceptional learning experience by creating a professional studio environment where you will learn best practice and the techniques found in industry.
You’ll learn the fundamentals of computer graphics, which will give you an excellent grasp of the subject matter and the transferable skills that you will need in your career. You’ll be provided with your own workstation which is accessible 24/7,and will learn through a combination of mentoring, tutorials and lectures.
Throughout the year industry practitioners deliver a variety of master classes relevant to the subject area. Group projects will give you the opportunity to collaborate with students from other Master’s courses, providing a realistic setting to discover what it’s like working with other creative and technical people.
You'll be taught the best practice and techniques found in the industry and will receive accreditation from the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA).
This MA will develop your skills and creative vision in documentary production. It enhances your understanding of the historical context and contemporary modes of documentary production against a backdrop of the wider issues in media production.
This Masters, a pathway of the MA Filmmaking, will encourage your understanding of the politics, aesthetics and ethics of documentary production, and the nature and diversity of documentary practice in contemporary society.
The programme is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the art teaching spaces including a range of digital cameras, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Film Editing suites, Animation, Digital Special Effects, Pro Tools Audio Postproduction suites.
You will be able to make your own documentaries, learning and refining research, interviewing, self-shooting and editing techniques – but also have the unique opportunity to be part of a programme that includes specialised producers, cinematographers, editors, sound recordists and sound designers, so that you can develop the scope and range of your filmmaking by collaborating with them.
You work on at least two films during the year, culminating in a major production towards the end of the degree. In addition you can attend classes in related disciplines such as Cinematography and Editing and may collaborate with students across other specialisations on film projects. This framework is designed to provide you with a breadth of filmmaking knowledge combined with a high level of expertise in your chosen filmmaking discipline.
The MA encourages you to develop
They've also launched their own film festivals, worked on critically acclaimed films and documentaries, and have had their work screened at the London International Documentary Festival, National Geographic's All Roads Film Festival and Open City, the London Documentary Festival.
How you will learn
You will be taught the skills to be able to self-shoot and edit, but will also have the chance to work with specialised camera-people, editors and producers. You complete several short films and exercises, then make your own 15-25 minute documentary, during which you will fully explore research methods, visual and thematic storytelling, experimental and multi-platform formats and much more.
For two terms you will spend a full day a week in specialised contact with your specific programme convenor, plus a further day in Screen Lab working with colleagues across the programme in a Talent Campus-style project-led learning structure with:
You will also have a variety of research projects to undertake, as well as other module options.
Screen Lab
You will also advance your collaborative skills by working in teams with both fiction and documentary producers and cinematography, sound and edit students, on a variety of projects and at least three scheduled films across the year.
You will leave the programme with a diverse portfolio of work that may span a variety of formats – essay or diary film, web and multi-platform content, activist or campaign film, longer form feature-documentary
Screen School options
As well as your Screen Documentary specialism, you will undertake three short courses to enhance your other skills and critical approaches.
If you are passionate about fashioning an exciting career for yourself as a filmmaker in an environment that promotes innovative filmmaking, this course is for you.
Our alumni are active in the film, media and cultural industries around the world, working and winning awards as documentary producers and directors.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The MA Filmmaking (Directing Fiction) is the premier place to develop your skills as a director, working on a range of projects from personal ‘essay’ films to large-scale shoots with professional actors and feature crew.
This Masters, a pathway of the MA Filmmaking, will enable you to gain a full understanding of how to collaborate on all stages of filmmaking, from scripting and pre-production through shoot, post-production and marketing/exhibition of your work. It will build your skills and confidence in expressing your unique vision and conveying it to your team.
The programme is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the art teaching spaces including film and photography studios equipped with Arri lighting and Greenscreen, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Film Editing, Animation, Digital Special Effects, Pro Tools Audio Postproduction and Foley suites.
We have extensive production facilities and informal rehearsal and meeting spaces where you can discuss and collaborate with scriptwriters, actors, producers and your shoot team.
We also have established relations with casting directors, agents, production designers and other professionals who will both advise you and provide their skills to enhance your productions.
You work on at least one film per term in your specialist role, culminating in a major production towards the end of the degree. In addition to your specialist area, you attend classes in related disciplines such as Film Directing and Editing and collaborate with students across specialisations on film projects. This framework is designed to stimulate collaborative practice by providing you with a breadth of filmmaking knowledge combined with a high level of expertise in your chosen filmmaking discipline.
Experienced tutors enhance the flow of your individual research, experimentation and artistic achievement. The guests have all provided expert guidance at Goldsmiths.
For two terms you will spend a full day a week in specialised contact with your specific programme convenor, plus a further day in Screen Lab working with colleagues across the programme in a Talent Campus-style project-led learning structure with:
You will also have a variety of research projects to undertake, as well as other module options.
The third term will be taken up with your final substantive project, and in writing up a process paper on your work and research over the year.
Screen Lab
You will also advance your collaborative skills by working in teams with fiction and documentary producers and directors and sound and edit students, on a variety of projects and at least three scheduled films across the year.
You will leave the programme with a diverse portfolio of moving-image work that may span a variety of formats – music video, web series drama, documentary, campaign/commercial, experimental art pieces and feature-scale short fiction films.
Screen School options
As well as your Cinematography specialism, you will undertake three short courses to enhance your other skills and critical approaches.
If you are passionate about fashioning an exciting career for yourself as a cinematographer in an environment that promotes innovative filmmaking, this course is for you.
On completing the programme you will be equipped to enter the global job market, armed with an enhanced understanding of your practical, intellectual and creative capacities as a cinematographer.
Possibly the most important skill we furnish you with is the rigorous discipline of working collaboratively under pressure as part of a creative team on challenging projects.
In addition to your practical filmmaking skills, we enable you to develop a variety of transferable intellectual, organisational and communication skills to equip you for a broad range of employment opportunities across the arts and media landscape (film, television, online, the creative arts, advertising and related hybrid forms).
Our graduates
Recent alumni are active in the film, media and cultural industries around the world as:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The MA Filmmaking (Producing) will provide you with a thorough training in all aspects of producing – from the conception of an initial idea through to development, financing, production and release.
This Masters, a pathway of the MA Filmmaking, provides excellent training for a successful career as a producer. As part of the programme you'll have the opportunity to specialise in either development, where you will work with writers and directors to develop new ideas, or line producing, where you will focus more on how to run a production and a crew, and how to also take a production manager or assistant director role.
The programme is housed in a new purpose-built media facility equipped with state-of-the art teaching spaces including film and photography studios equipped with Arri lighting and Greenscreen, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Film Editing, Animation, Digital Special Effects, Pro Tools Audio Postproduction and Foley suites.
Our studio spaces, and extensive production facilities and informal rehearsal and meeting spaces create an environment where you can discuss and collaborate with scriptwriters, actors, directors, other producers and your shoot team. We also have established relations with casting directors, agents, production designers and other professionals who will both advise you and provide their skills to enhance your productions.
You work on at least one film per term in your specialist role, culminating in a major production towards the end of the degree. In addition to your specialist area, you attend classes in related disciplines such as Film Directing and Editing and collaborate with students across specialisations on film projects. This framework is designed to stimulate collaborative practice by providing you with a breadth of filmmaking knowledge combined with a high level of expertise in your chosen filmmaking discipline.
You will have specialist teaching on the larger role of the producer:
Your studies will be guided by experienced tutors and guests from major industry players including Channel Four, British Film Institute, FilmFour, BBC Films, Film London, Shooting People, Future Shorts and a host of production and distribution companies.
For two terms you will spend a full day a week in specialised contact with your specific programme convenor, plus a further day in Screen Lab working with colleagues across the programme in a Talent Campus-style project-led learning structure with:
You will also have a variety of research projects to undertake, as well as other module options.
The third term will be taken up with your final substantive project, and in writing up a process paper on your work and research over the year.
Screen Lab
You will also advance your collaborative skills by working in teams with fiction and documentary producers and directors, cinematography and sound students, on a variety of projects and at least three scheduled films across the year.
You will leave the programme with a diverse portfolio of moving-image work that may span a variety of formats – music video, web series drama, documentary, campaign/commercial, experimental art pieces and short fiction films.
Screen School options
As well as your Editing specialism, you will undertake three short courses to enhance your other skills and critical approaches.
If you are passionate about fashioning an exciting career for yourself as a filmmaker in an environment that promotes innovative filmmaking, this course is for you.
On completing the programme, you will have the confidence, skills and hands-on experience to work in the film, television and online industries in the production field, navigating your way through production management and assistant directing roles.
In addition, you will find yourself in a media world that relies heavily on self-starting projects, you will be able to drive innovative new ideas into both established and new formats, strategise funding and marketing, and bring new and exciting opportunities to your creative team.
Possibly the most important skill we will provide you with is the rigorous discipline of working collaboratively under pressure as part of a creative team.
In addition to your practical filmmaking skills, we enable you to develop a variety of transferable intellectual, organisational and communication skills to equip you for a broad range of employment opportunities across the arts and media landscape (film, television, online, the creative arts, advertising and related hybrid forms).
Our graduates
Our producing alumni have gone on to win awards at major international film festivals (including a nomination for Best Short Film Oscar) and are active in the film, media and cultural industries around the world as fiction and documentary producers and production managers.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
