Full-time: 12 months (15 months with option of three month internship)
Part-time: 24 months
Full-time: £10,000
Part-time: £5,000 per year *
Full-time: £20,000
Part-time: £10,000 per year *
Northampton Square
This MSc is aimed at students with a passion for computer games and a strong interest in programming. It is designed to develop your career in the games industry. The course will help you build on your undergraduate degree (which should be in a numerate subject with substantial computing content) or help you update your skills after a time in industry as a computing professional.
The Computer Games Technology MSc will help you to develop:
This course is accredited by TIGA, a non-profit UK trade association representing the UK's games industry. This course is also accredited by the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, as fulfilling the academic requirement for registration as Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and partially fulfilling the requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Chartered Scientist (CSci).
To apply for this course, you will need to hold a Bachelor's degree with lower second-class honours or above, or overseas equivalent in a numerate subject with substantial computing content.
Previous academic and commercial experience is also considered and normally involves programming.
If you do not qualify for direct entry, you may wish to follow a Graduate Diploma pathway to the programme through one of our partners.
If you do not meet the entry requirements, INTO City, University of London offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help you prepare for study at City, University of London. You will learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre.
These programmes are designed for international students who do not meet the required academic and English language requirements for direct entry. To prepare for this degree course, learn more about the Graduate Diploma in Informatics.
City works in partnership with Kaplan International College (KIC) London to provide preparatory courses for international students. Pre-Masters courses at KIC London offer you comprehensive support to help you complete your postgraduate study at City. Progression to this degree is guaranteed if you complete the KIC London Pre-Masters course at the required level.
If you are an overseas student whose first language is not English, the following qualification is required:
If you do not meet the English language requirements, INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.
If you are not from the European Economic Area / Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study.
The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:
For more information see our main Visa page.
Thank you for having decided to apply to study a postgraduate course at the School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering. Please note that the deadline for applications for the 2020/21 academic year is 31st August 2020, however we may close earlier if all places are filled.
You will be expected to submit the following:
Please note: Academic references are not required when you submit your application. However, the admissions tutor may request them at a later date to help make a decision on your application.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7040 0248
Email: smcsepg@city.ac.uk
Postgraduate Courses Office, A302
School of Mathematics, Computer Science & Engineering
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London
EC1V 0HB
Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
If a student leaves City after commencing but before completing their course, City reserves the right to charge the student the tuition/course fee for the full academic year (or full course for capacity limited post-graduate courses - up to a maximum of 2 years fees) in question. The student may be charged the full fee for that year or course as applicable unless the student is able to present justification that exceptional and unforeseeable reasons for their withdrawal exist.
City has introduced an instalment payment scheme which is available to certain categories of students, including taught postgraduate students. For students following the normal academic year, the annual fee may be paid in two equal instalments: the first on registering, the second on 31st January. If you wish to pay your fees by instalment you must pay the first instalment at or before registration, by cheque or credit/debit card. You must also supply your bank details or credit card details for payment of your second instalment which will be deducted automatically from your bank or credit card account on 31st January.
We offer a range of generous scholarships, bursaries and prizes to applicants for this course, including:
Academic staff and alumni discuss the benefits of the MSc Computer Games Technology at City.
As a postgraduate student on a Computing and Information Systems course, you will have the opportunity to complete up to six months of professional experience as part of your degree.
Our longstanding internship scheme gives you the chance to apply the knowledge and skills gained from your taught modules within a real business environment. An internship also provides you with professional development opportunities that enhance your technical skills and business knowledge.
Internships delivered by City, University of London offer an exceptional opportunity to help you stand out in the competitive IT industry job market. The structure of the course extends the period for dissertation submission to January, allowing you to work full-time for up to six months. You will be supported by our outstanding Professional Liaison Unit (PLU) should you wish to consider undertaking this route.
Benefits of completing an internship at City are:
With over 1,300 workstations, the on-campus computer rooms provide you with a valuable learning resource and give you the opportunity to do coursework and projects. Computers have games development software including:
City has recently invested in a new computer lab equipped with high-specification NVidia GPUs.
Through City's Interaction Lab and the Department of Computing, there is a range of hardware that can be used for student projects, including:
We offer a variety of accommodation options and support services for postgraduate students.
Read more about our postgraduate halls.
Our Accommodation Service can also help you find private accommodation.
We offer a free language course for City, University of London students.
Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.
Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.
We offer an extensive support network during your time here at City, University of London – from Learning Support (including disability support) and counselling to financial and career advice – leaving you free to enjoy every opportunity campus life has to offer.
Find out more about the different types of student support available.
The teaching and learning methods we use mean that your specialist knowledge and autonomy increase as you progress through each module. Active researchers guide your progress in the areas of Games Development, Computer Graphics, Artificial Intelligence and Audio, which culminates with an individual project. This is an original piece of research conducted with academic supervision, but largely independently and, where appropriate, in collaboration with industrial partners.
A 12-month full-time option during which you attend all the taught modules during Terms 1 and 2, and complete a dissertation project within the 12-month period of the degree. Teaching will be on 2-3 days per week, and may include both day-time and evening classes.
A 27-month part-time option during which you attend half the modules in a first 12-month period, followed by the other half the next year. Teaching takes place two days a week and happen in the evening (18:00-21:00) to accommodate those studying alongside paid work.
Students are expected to complete all the modules in this two year period. The teaching periods are structured to deliver core modules in a sequence which permits engagement by part-time students alongside full-time students. The dissertation project is undertaken by part-time students in their second year.
Taught modules are delivered through a series of 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials/laboratory sessions. Lectures are normally used to:
Tutorials help you develop the skills to apply the concepts we have covered in the lectures. We normally achieve this through practical problem-solving contexts.
Laboratory sessions give you the opportunity to apply concepts and techniques using state-of-the-art software, environments and development tools. In addition, City's online learning environment, Moodle, contains resources for each of the modules - from lecture notes and lab materials, to coursework feedback, model answers, and an interactive discussion forum.
We expect you to study independently and complete coursework for each module. This should amount to approximately 120 hours per module if you are studying full time. Modules are assessed through written examination and coursework, where you will need to answer theoretical and practical questions to demonstrate that you can analyse and apply computer games technology methods.
The individual project is a substantial task. It is your opportunity to develop an autonomous research-related topic under the supervision of an academic member of staff. This is the moment when you can apply your learning to solve a real-world problem, designing and implementing a solution and evaluating the result. At the end of the project you submit a substantial MSc project report, which becomes the mode of assessment for this part of the programme.
Our video gallery displays some of our past students' work.
Take a look at our Facebook page to keep up with events, alumni, students and academics.
The course has been designed in conjunction with games industry experts. An Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) provides guidance to the course to ensure students learn the right skills to enable them to work in the games industry. Current IAB members include:
The programme is composed of eight taught modules - seven core modules and one elective module - plus a final project.
If we have insufficient number of students interested in an elective module, this may not be offered. In rare cases, one or two elective modules may not run due to low interest or unanticipated changes in timetabling, including scheduling clashes, room and staff availability. If an elective module will not run, we will advise you at the beginning of every academic term or as soon as possible, and help you choose an alternative module.
The modules provide you with a firm grounding in computer games technology, including mathematics, programming, and game engines and architecture along with specialist topics in computer graphics, physics, AI, and audio.
The project component gives you an opportunity to carry out an extended piece of work under the supervision of one of our specialist academic and research staff, at the cutting edge of games technology, in an industrial or academic context.
There are seven core modules.
You will choose one of the following elective modules.
Please note that the Software Systems Design module is only available to full-time students due to programme scheduling.
The programme specification contains more information on how the course is organised, the requirements for progression for each part and credits required for awards.
You may wish to undertake some preparatory reading.
Note: module leaders may choose to use different or additional texts to those listed above.
This MSc will equip you with advanced knowledge and skills in a range of topics in games technology in preparation for a career in computer games development.
Alumni of the course are working in companies including:
City has a dedicated incubation space, called City Launch Lab that is specially designed for student entrepreneurs from City, University of London who want to get their idea off the ground.
Professional roles include:
Find out more about City and all our postgraduate degree programmes.
