4-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate for Science and Engineering - Transfer to Bachelor of Science (Honours) - Computer Games Development

Program Description

Build a future by studying in the UK, with a pathway course at Kaplan International College (KIC) London. Situated in the world’s top academic city (QS Best Student Cities 2019), the College will prepare students for a university degree, and for a successful career.

Study at one of the most respected international colleges in London, and progress to one of 8 universities, including the University of Westminster.

The commercially well-connected University of Westminster is hugely international. Students can study alongside students from nearly 170 countries.

The games industry is an expanding and challenging sector with continually evolving ideas and cutting-edge technologies. It requires practitioners to exercise more flexibility in software specifications and functionality, through adapting their approaches to design and management while keeping abreast of broad changes to technology.

This course covers all major technical aspects of the games development process, from design to production. It aims to prepare students for a career in software development with a particular emphasis on computer games. The course provides students with a solid understanding of game technologies, including programming, applied maths, computer graphics and game engines. Students will develop a broad range of knowledge and skills including mobile and web application development, 3D modelling and animation, and human-computer interaction. To enhance student employability, the course offers a number of talks from the creative industry and will support participation in prestige game competitions and digital fairs, as well as industrial placements and internships.

The primary language students learn is C++, but students also have the opportunity to engage with other languages and software, such as C#, Python (Machine Learning, Algorithms), JavaScript and Swift for Android and iOS development. For character development we use Adobe Maya, Photoshop, 3DS Max and 3D Coat. The course focuses on using Unreal Engine 4 and Blueprints technology, but students will have the opportunity to engage with any of the commercial engines across the course.

The course will prepare students for work in an increasingly challenging and rewarding field by giving students a clear perspective on the current nature and practice of games development. Students will be equipped with the required technical and creative skills for the new era of game developers. They will gain a thorough knowledge of programming, computer graphics and game project management, together with an appreciation of the industrial environment. The course also includes opportunities to work on group productions, including multidisciplinary game projects that simulate a real game industry environment.

The course offers a short-term, work-based learning experience that will give students the opportunity to work on a real-life problem, which is normally set by an external organisation as a small-scale project. This experience will allow students to put theory into practice by applying knowledge and skills gained from various modules to address a real-life situation, usually within the context of a business-related problem.

In previous years, there have been opportunities to travel and to engage with students from other universities across Europe. Trips have included Distant Horizons in Seville, Spain, as well as our annual Wmin-Graz Hackthon.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry (work placement) after completing Year 2. This will help students gain work experience and enhance employability after they graduate. Students will be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team. Typically, students will be assigned into roles involving tasks related to various aspects of computer games development.