The Scottish Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education at the University of Abertay Dundee offers a unique postgraduate experience.
Postgraduate funding (tuition fee and living cost loan) may be available from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland for those who meet the eligibility criteria.
Why choose this course?
-Develop core development skills through applied project work, supported by experienced industry practitioners
-Enhance skills in interdisciplinary communication and collaboration through team work with students and practitioners from other areas of games development
-Apply developing technologies and practices to your own projects, and demonstrate your work to leading industry figures
-Nurture relationships with fellow developers, industry professionals and companies through your demonstrable skill in the creation of games, industrial mentorships and published research.
-The Scottish Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education at Abertay University offers a unique postgraduate experience, specifically designed in discussion with game industry partners, and identified by one leading CEO as, ‘The course the Games Industry has been waiting for!’.
As postgraduate students, highly-talented individuals work within games development teams towards the production of innovative computer games solutions. Working closely with a team of full-time staff who are highly-experienced in both the games industry and in academic teaching, and under the guidance and mentorship of computer games industry representatives, you will develop professional skills and knowledge relevant to identified development roles within the industry.
During the course of your studies you will ultimately be expected to demonstrate applied excellence in your specialist area, as well as professionalism, flexibility, the ability to adapt in team working situations, and creativity and innovation towards product development.
Join our Graduate School
Our Graduate School is a dedicated facility providing support, training and professional development opportunities to our vibrant postgraduate community. Specially designed to promote integration and inculcation of interdisciplinary working in our next generation of researchers, postgraduates study and learn together at Abertay - from Environmental Management to Law, Psychology, Bioscience, Economics and Business, Cybersecurity and Computer Games Development.
When you join us as a postgraduate student or researcher, you’ll be joining a community of creative like-minded scholars and will automatically be provided with access to our dedicated study and social spaces – a forum in which you can meet, work and learn with other researchers and postgraduates from across the University. You’ll benefit from training and professional development opportunities as well as support with funding applications, placement opportunities, teaching support, public engagement and outreach activity.
What you study
The goal of the MProf in Games Development is to turn graduates into professional developers by placing them into development teams, with industry-relevant project goals and deliverables. The teams enjoy a high level of independence in how they meet the game design briefs and approach the development process.
Supervision, mentorship and academic support look to emphasise the consequences of their decisions and processes, allowing the students to experience an organic and logical development and evolution of best practices. In addition, students develop their awareness in areas of potential innovation and research, and are encouraged to publish their work.
The remaining core elements of the course seek to separate the myths from the realities of working in the games industry, and expand students’ awareness of design considerations with regards to the comparative importance and impact of narrative and gameplay theories. Uniquely, students select optional modules from across the entire university, allowing further development of their core skills if required, but more specifically allowing for a more individual and tailored learning experience through the additional study of areas of personal interest such as business, marketing, psychology and perception.
Open, flexible working spaces
We have developed a unique concept of learning environment and creative incubator, encompassing ways of teaching that focus on building general skills alongside the subject-specific knowledge to support your career and life objectives. It is designed to give you the edge in the global knowledge economy when you graduate.
This White Space environment is a thriving hub of activity, mixing the talents of undergraduates, postgraduates, lecturers, business people, artists and broadcasters, surrounding our students with the buzz of a real working environment, allowing them to share real-world knowledge and experience.
How you learn and are assessed
Assessment methods throughout the core modules focus on formative (constant) assessment through regular meetings and discussion sessions, rather than exams. This is to allow students to improve in confidence, communication skills and core discipline skills as they progress, allowing them to try new working practices and approaches as and when they may be required. An emphasis is placed on effective participation as a team player, and in correctly identifying and prioritising a project’s key requirements and challenges.
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