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Game Art BA (Hons)

Develop the professional skills and knowledge you need to design world-class games content, preparing you for an exciting career in the flourishing game art industry.

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Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

See some of the stunning art DMU Game Art students have created. Get a flythrough of environments built in industry-standard engines like Unreal and appreciate the incredible detail of students' character models.

Combining creativity and knowledge of specialist technology, coupled with strong industry links, you will graduate with the skills required for roles as an environment artist, character artist, lead artist, technical artist or director.

This specialist art degree, accredited by ScreenSkills, will help you to master high-level 3D modelling skills, as well as develop your existing 2D traditional art skills, through modules including Game Production, Digital Art Practice and Traditional Art Practice. Showcase your talent and creativity by producing an industry-ready portfolio, with support from your academic and technical supervisors.

Our excellent facilities include a dedicated games studio with a range of industry-standard software and high-spec PCs and consoles for producing 3D game content, a drawing studio and a suite of Cintiq graphics tablets. We also have VR development facilities to support students who wish to work in visualisation and virtual reality.

Our vibrant studio culture means you will always be at the forefront of the latest industry trends and techniques. You will also have the opportunity to take part in national and international creative events and challenges such as The Rookies and Search for a Star.

Recent graduates are working for companies such as Ubisoft, BMW, NaturalMotion, Playground Games, Codemasters, Dambusters Studios, Lockwood, Rockstar North and Jagex. Have a look at the amazing work of our recent graduates and alumni on: ArtStation - Game Art DMU.

The Game Art team at DMU are extremely happy and proud to share the achievement of one of our recent graduates - Jesse Olchawa. Jesse's environment art project, The Pink Lady Diner, is a finalist in the Epic Games Student Showreel 2023, which features the best work from Unreal Academic Partner programmes worldwide! Watch the Unreal Showreel.


Work by final year Game Art students as showcased in the Creative Design Degree Show 2023

ben-gregson-fantasy-square
kundai-nazare-phoenix-ambroise
aicha-baddaje-school-girl
rovana-mogosanu-venice
barry-chimonides-coffee-shop
sina-esmati-golden-ak47
molly-oakley-gabrielle-micallef-sanctuary
gabriela-stasiak-norville-office

Key features

  • This course is recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based industries, and carries the ScreenSkills Select quality-mark which indicates courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.
  • Our Game Art BA course is an Unreal Academic Partner, a program which recognises exemplary universities that have already integrated Unreal Engine into their classes and labs.
  • For the duration of their studies, Game Art students have a free Pro account with ArtStation, the leading platform for game artists to showcase their portfolios, stay inspired and connect with new opportunities for success. This gives our students access to ArtStation Learning, which hosts courses made by our industry peers and is a great tool for further study. 

  • Exhibit your work at the week-long DMU Degree Show, one of Leicester’s biggest art and design shows, where final-year students have the chance to meet talent scouts and win industry prizes.
  • Access one-to-one support from the  Leicester Media School Drawing Centre to perfect your drawing skills and meet like-minded artists.
  • Benefit from a range of specialist guest lectures, including professional 3D artists, producers, art directors and studio heads.
  • Enhance your practical and professional skills with a range of dedicated work placements. Past students have landed positions with Codemasters, Crytek, Ubisoft and the BBC.
  • Enjoy an international experience with DMU Global. Game Art students have visited San Francisco for the renowned Game Developers Conference, participated in the Berlin Games Festival and taken part in the GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong.
  • Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.

 

See the latest student work on our DMU Game Art Showreel 2023

 

"The BA (Hons) Game Art course offers high levels of industry engagement from both large and small companies within the UK Games industry."

Keith Pullin, ScreenSkills Industry Evaluator

Find out what makes a great portfolio

Game Art portfolio advice

Student success and news 

DMU student Shay is thriving in the EA games environment

Game Art at DMU earns prestigious industry recognition

More courses like this:

Animation BA (Hons)

Games Production BSc (Hons)

Concept and Comic Art BA (Hons)

 

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: W291

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out about additional costs and optional extras.

Accreditations:

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Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: W291

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £16,250

Find out more about available funding for international students.

Find out about additional costs and optional extras.

Accreditations:

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Entry criteria

  • Normally 112 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent, with Art and Design at grade B or above or
  • Art and Design BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM

Plus five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English or equivalent.

Alternative qualifications include:

  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE Art and Design course with at least 15 level 3 credits in Art and Design at Distinction. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course or
  • International Baccalaureate: 26+ points including Art and Design at higher level grade 6 or
  • T Levels Merit or
  • Art and Design Foundation Diploma: Pass 

Portfolio Required: You will also need a good portfolio according to the course guidelines as part of your application. Portfolio guidance for Game Art.

Interview Required: No.

UCAS tariff information

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff.

Contextual offer 

To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find our more about contextual offers.

 

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications

English language

If English is not your first language then an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent) is essential.

English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Professional accreditation

 

 

Year one 

Block 1: Game Art Fundamentals 1 

Block 2: Game Art Fundamentals 2

Block 3: Game Art Essentials 1 

Block 4: Game Art Essentials 2

Year two

Block 1: Intermediate Game Art Principles 1 

Block 2: Intermediate Game Art Principles 2

Block 3: Group Project: Pre-Production

Block 4: Group Project: Production

Year three

Block 1: Professional Practice 1 

Block 2: Professional Practice 2

Block 3: Personal Project: Planning and Pre-Production

Block 4: Personal Project: Production

 

 

The course has a vibrant studio culture that encourages individuals to achieve their full potential. You will benefit from Education 2030  - DMU’s new way of delivering courses. Through block teaching, you will focus on one subject at a time instead of several at once.

Teaching and learning is primarily through practical workshops, seminars and lectures. 

Assessment is through individual exercises, digital artefacts, digital sketchbooks, presentations and blog. You will produce your own portfolio of professional standard work, guided by artists from the game industry and the teaching team.

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This course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based industries, and carries the ScreenSkills quality-mark which indicates courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.

Find out more from ScreenSkills.

 

Facilities and features

Game Art Studios

We have excellent specialist facilities that include a games studio with a range of industry standard software and high spec PCs for producing 3D game content and for studying games on PC, Playstation, Xbox as well as the next generation hardware as it becomes available. We also have VR development facilities to support students who wish to work in visualisation and VR.  The 2D elements of the course benefit from a dedicated drawing studio, and you will have access to a professional-standard suite of Cintiq tablets. We also have fully AV-equipped lecture/ seminar rooms to support other learning and teaching activities.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Graduate Careers

From Grand Theft Auto V to Star Citizen and Assassin’s Creed, our graduates make the games you play. Many have progressed to work as concept artists, character artists, lead artists, technical artists and directors, for leading companies such as Artificial Life, Rockstar North, SEGA, Sony and Ubisoft.

Game Art graduate Patrick Herbison is a vehicle artist at Codemasters, where he builds accurate 3D models of real-world cars for games such as Dirt Rally 2, Grid, F1 and Forza Horizon 4.

He said: “The industry links on the course keep it up-to-date and relevant, as well as providing a forum for feedback from people working in the industry. I believe this helped me to secure a job at Codemasters before I had even finished the course.” 

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DMU Global

 Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons, helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK-based activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as international exchanges.

Game Art students have visited New York’s Intrepid Museum to help inspire and  bring their game designs to life.

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Placements

During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.

Our Game Art students have recently secured placements at companies such as EA Games, Rare Limited and BMW.

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement. 

Take your next steps