What you study In year 1, in conjunction with software skills development, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of how traditional visual art and design practice apply to digital media production. This is the year where attitudes to academic study and personal approaches to artistic research and practices are established. Second year focuses on professional skills development, and technical and procedural practices reach an advanced level. Attitudes to how these skills can be deployed in support of creativity and innovation are established, and communication skills are advanced through group and project work. Third year prepares you for employment by promoting specialisation in development of practice which combines theory with technical proficiency in the production of media content. You will become a confident practitioner and develop a mature visual style by sustained personal effort throughout a range of projects including the opportunity to work within interdisciplinary teams on live projects alongside mentors from computer games and digital media companies. In the fourth (Honours) year you will undertake a significant creative research project, individually, or in a cross discipline group. You will be expected to design, develop and report upon the production of a digital media artefact which demonstrates an understanding of the contextual factors that inform Computer Arts practices, by researching a particular cultural, entertainment or communications context. How you learn and are assessed Learning is structured around the development of creative projects that require detailed research, idea-generation and concept development which lead to the creation of digital art pieces using a variety of static, interactive and dynamic media. Assessment is normally carried out using a combination of coursework, focusing on creative development, and written work, which underpins creative practice by developing an understanding of critical and contextual factors and industry practice. You will work individually and in teams throughout your studies in order to develop communication skills, which are reinforced through participation in critique sessions, progress presentations throughout each semester and an end of year exhibition of creative work - the end of year showcase.

You will graduate with highly-valued artistic, technical and professional expertise that is sought after by an ever-increasing range of businesses and design disciplines. You will acquire a deep knowledge of the subject area combined with problem solving and communications skills that will allow you to work effectively with content developers and clients, and continue to advance your career. Job opportunities exist in the following sectors: computer games development and electronic entertainment; design visualisation; animation; visual effects production; interaction design; interactive audio; content creation for TV, film, advertising and marketing. Typical job titles include computer generated imagery (CGI) artist, animator, modeller, compositor, effects artist, technical director (TD), lead designer, user interface designer, creative director. Our graduates have found employment as 3D modellers, animators and user interface designers within the video-games industry, interactive designers and motion graphics artists in the broadcast industries, and as CGI artists in technical architectural design visualisation.