BA (Hons) Available in Clearing

Game Design and Digital Art

Equip yourself with industry-standard competencies highly valued by games design employers.

Start date: September 2025
Location: Peterborough
Duration: 3 years
UCAS course code: W293

Start date: September 2025
Location: Peterborough
Duration: 4 years with foundation
UCAS course code: W295

Start date: September 2025
Location: Peterborough
Duration: 4 years with placement
UCAS course code: W294

1st

in the East of England for undergraduates employed as managers, directors or senior officials.

Source: GOS 2025

Step into the dynamic and exciting world of the games industry. This course is crafted to provide you with essential skills in game design and development and equip you with competencies highly valued by employers, such as multidisciplinary teamwork that mirrors real-world industry standards.

By combining foundational game design skills with technical specialisations such as programming, testing, immersive experience development, interactive storytelling and level design, you’ll dive into a learning experience that prepares you for a versatile career in the gaming industry, ready to adapt and thrive in its ever-evolving landscape.

Our curriculum, co-developed with employers, stays abreast of current trends and technologies to ensure you graduate with the skills in high demand within the sector. Beyond the traditional classroom, you’ll benefit from guest speakers, live briefs set by employers and team-based game development projects. These experiences are designed to enhance your specialist knowledge and develop your technical, presentation, and communication skills, giving you a competitive edge in your future career.

Develop your understanding of games design principles and explore a range of games platforms

Why ARU?

Explore games art and specialise in the area that interests you
Work in a real studio environment with industry-standard software
Gain real-world experience through industry-led Live Brief projects

Study at an award-winning university

We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.

Careers

You’ll have a broad foundation in game design principles and can specialise in areas such as character design, environmental art and immersive experience design. We emphasis critical areas including ethical considerations in game design, project management, user experience, and innovation in interactive entertainment, alongside developing a robust portfolio.

Our curriculum, co-developed with regional and national employers, ensures you graduate with the skills in high demand within the sector, and essential professional skills such as teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, and effective communication.

Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your time with us. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters. We’re planning a range of postgraduate degrees at ARU Peterborough, and there is a selection of existing courses in Cambridge and Chelmsford. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Build your connections in the gaming industry

What can you do with a Game Design and Digital Art degree?

How can ARU help with my employability and career development?

Teaching and modules

Portrait-style photo of ARU Peterborough Computing student Eden superimposed over a filtered photo of the University House exterior

Studying Computing at ARU Peterborough has given me the skills I know employers need, and access to fields I never thought of. Engagement with local industry professionals has been invaluable.

Eden, BSc (Hons) Computing student

You’ll cover 3D modelling and animation for characters and environment, user interface design and art production for immersive experiences.

Part of the course will overlap with our Game Design and Development course; enabling learning and development in multidisciplinary teams, mirroring real-world industry standards. You’ll focus on foundational game design principles, enabling you to become a competent game designer, and will learn how to rapidly prototype game concepts to get your ideas off the ground and into reality.

You’ll work on a studio project that simulates a real-world game development environment and engage in a mock recruitment process to get invaluable experience before undertaking this same process in the industry. Collaborate with your peers in specialist teams to develop a game to meet a specified brief. Your classroom will become a live game development studio, offering you hands-on experience in studio management, game publishing, and insights into launching your own indie studio. This project not only sharpens your technical skills but also enhances your professional capabilities.

What will I study?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1

Narrative Game Design
Designing Game Mechanics
Level Design and Rapid Game Prototyping
Game Monetisation, Analytics & Engagement
Specialist Practice In Gaming
Into ARU

Year 2

3D Modelling & Animation
The Art of User Interfaces
Ruskin Module
Environmental Art and Design
Team-Based Game Development

Year 3

Real-Time 3D and the Art of Immersive Experiences
Experimental Practice in Gaming
Game Studio Design and Development

Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1

Contemporary Issues
Literacies in Higher Education
Extended Project
Into ARU

Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Placement year

Professional Portfolio (Gaming)

Module details

What happens on a foundation year?

What happens on a placement year?

How is Game Design and Digital Art assessed?

Who teaches Games Design and Digital Art at ARU?

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

James Larner
Professional Lead for the faculty of Creative and Digital Arts and Sciences
Jamie Myland
Senior Lecturer Practitioner
Nik Mellough
Lecturer
Dan Burciu
Professional Skills Tutor - Gaming

Facilities

As a Computing student at ARU Peterborough, you’ll use a range of specialist labs and equipment.

Our city-centre campus includes:

eXtended Reality Peterborough, an immersive teaching suite
computing suites equipped with all the hardware and software you’ll need throughout your course
reading room, student services and multifaith prayer rooms.

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Entry requirements

UK students

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

Main

5 GCSEs at grade D, or grade 3, or above and evidence of two years post-GCSE study at Level 3.

If you have achieved at least grade E in one A level, or equivalent, you are exempt from the two years post-GCSE study requirement, but you still must meet the GCSE requirements.

Applicants who do not meet the two years post GCSE study at level 3 may be considered based on their satisfactory employment history, which must be a minimum of two years full time employment supported by employer evidence and deemed appropriate by the University for meeting the course of study applied for.

If English is not your first language you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 5.5 (Academic level) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

International students

English language requirements

Contextual offers

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Fees and funding

UK students

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

International students

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

Placement year fee

Living costs

Bursaries, sponsorship and working

Apply for Game Design and Digital Art

UK students

Clearing places available in Peterborough, apply online

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UK students

Call our Clearing line

01245 686868

UK students

Apply through UCAS for 2026

Apply through UCAS

International students

Apply direct

Apply online

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Game Design and Digital Art

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Careers

Teaching and modules

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Facilities

Entry requirements

BA (Hons)

Important additional notes

With foundation year

With placement

Important additional notes

International students

English language requirements

Fees and funding

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Apply for Game Design and Digital Art

UK students

UK students

01245 686868

UK students

International students

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