TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, is pleased to announce the accreditation of the following games courses at De Montfort University.
- BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming Awarded
- BSc (Hons) Games Production Awarded
- BA (Hons) Game Art Awarded
The TIGA Accreditation Team was impressed by numerous examples of best practice, including:
Computer Games Programming & Games Production
- The courses equip students with both the specific skills that industry needs (e.g. C++ and debugging skills) and more transferable skills such as team working, problem solving and compromising.
- The use of industry tools and pipelines such as Jira and GIT is good. Student access to PlayStation and Switch DEV kits is beneficial to the student experience and industry preparedness.
- Game Jams and Games Development Society.
- The initiative to employ the ‘Front runner’ students to work with staff and on commercial research and knowledge exchange projects is excellent.
- Interview preparation, portfolio review, and the supported development of soft skills is a valuable addition to the core course content.
Games Art
- The course ArtStation page captures and promotes both the student and graduate body.
- Engagement with the games industry through guest lectures and the use of industry written art briefs is good.
- Collaboration between Concept and Asset students is a good initiative.
- Collaborative group working on the course and via game jams is commendable.
- The nurturing of a studio environment is impressive due to the sheer amount of dedicated resource each student has access to.
Graduate outcomes 2019-2024[1]
Note: Missing destination data tends to distort overall employability rates. So TIGA use official “Graduate Outcomes” data from HESA[2] to report overall employment rates as well as use of data provided by universities.
BSc Computer Games Programming:
- Percentage employed after 15 months: 80%
(Graduate Outcomes survey data from 2021-22) - Percentage employed in games: 6%
(University data) - Percentage employed using their game technology skills: 4%
(University data) - Total number of graduates surveyed by the University: 84 of 158
BSc Games Production:
- Percentage employed after 15 months: 80%
(Graduate Outcomes survey data from 2021-22) - Percentage employed in games: 19%
(University data) - Percentage employed using their game technology skills: 28%
(University data) - Total number of graduates surveyed by the University: 21 of 39
BA (Hons) Game Art:
- Percentage employed after 15 months: 80%
(Graduate Outcomes survey data from 2021-22) - Percentage employed in games: 4%
(University data for 2020-24 ignoring unknown students) - Percentage employed using their game technology skills: 3%
(University data for 2020-24 ignoring unknown students) - Total number of graduates surveyed by the University: 194 of 194 students
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said:
“De Montfort University’s games courses provide a good mix of generalist and specialist skills. The University’s BA Games Art course also benefits from significant guest lecturer provision from industry, with approximately 25-30 speakers each year. The games courses also support undergraduates with interview preparation and portfolio review and provide opportunities for team working. Congratulations to De Montfort University on achieving TIGA accreditation.”
Associate Professor Mark Wickham, TIGA Educational Advisor & Director of Computer Arts and Technology, Norwich University of the Arts, said:
“The course teams delivering games at De Montfort University demonstrated incredible enthusiasm and a commitment to the student experience. De Montfort has a strong history in this subject area and students can be proud to graduate from a TIGA accredited course.”
Teodora Kuzmanova, Programme Leader, BA Hons Game Art, De Montfort University, said:
“Game Art BA (Hons) is a specialised course designed to support and enable personal growth in synch with development of professional skills for entry into the creative industries. Industry professionals are invested in our course, its continued success and consistent high quality, we are really lucky to have their continued support, which has always opened a lot of doors for our graduates.
“We are extremely excited to become a TIGA accredited course and are looking forward to working together to ensure that the course continues to offer excellent student experience and graduate exceptional game artists. We hope that together we can continue growing this community of artists that are proud to be part of Game Art DMU.“
Dr Conor Fahy, Deputy Programme Leader BSc Computer Games Programming, BSc Games Production, De Montfort University, said:
“We’re delighted to receive this accreditation. We have a great team who have put a lot of work into designing and implementing these programs which consistently produce fantastic graduates, so it’s wonderful to have all of this validated by an organization like TIGA. The accreditation process was thorough and the TIGA Education Committee suggested several interesting and practical ways to further enrich the programs. The accreditation is great for our programs, great for our graduates, and we’re delighted to be a part of TIGA.”
Ends.
TIGA
TIGA is the trade association for the UK video games industry. TIGA’s vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to develop video games. To this end, TIGA:
- engages with policymakers to create an environment favourable to video games development;
- enhances education and skills through our accreditation programme, the TIGA Games Education Awardsand our education conference;
- promotes best practice through our membership services, including the TIGA STAR Employer Awardand the TIGA Games Industry Awards;
- conducts primary research into the games sector, surveying hundreds of companies each year about the business environment, support policies and the health of the industry.
Get in touch:
Tel: 0845 468 2330
Email: info@tiga.org
Web: www.tiga.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tigamovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga
[1] Data provided by the course team.