Course summary

This new programme is based at the School of Simulation and Visualisation, with a specialist pathway in Games and Virtual Reality from September 2018. The programme will provide graduates with a highly relevant skill set in practical software and immersive systems (Augmented and Virtual Reality) development, an understanding of how people and technology interact, combined with the creative insight essential to help create the future in immersive systems. This is a technology focused degree with a strong art-school foundation, combining rigorous taught components with studio based learning and critical thinking. Visualisation and Virtual Reality has been an area of excellence for the School of Simulation and Visualisation since its formation (as the Digital Design Studio) almost 20 years ago, and is an area that is now seeing a surge of rapid development and adoption worldwide. With the entertainment market driving costs down, new opportunities are emerging for VR in broadcast and entertainment, medical, engineering and other domains, with major investments from companies as varied as Sky Broadcasting, Sony, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. Through the programme students will gain an understanding of major issues around application development for games and virtual reality alongside practical skills for creating engaging and immersive interactive experiences. The programme will provide students with a foundation in theory and practical understanding of the methods, tools and techniques required to conceive, design and evaluate new interactive and immersive systems for traditional and mobile platforms. This specialist pathway in Games and Virtual Reality is available for study starting 2018/19. Students will specialise in application development for Games and Virtual Reality, while gaining a broader range of technical skills for the emerging VR market. Students will combine knowledge of how software and hardware digital systems function with game design skills. Games and VR developers are highly valued team members on many Immersive Systems projects, due to their strong understanding of technical issues, problems and solutions related to real-time rendering and application development. An understanding of user experience and user evaluation further enriches and augments students abilities in modelling and design for specific activities.