Skip to content

BA (Hons) Games Art and Design

Explore and develop your skills of current game studio pipelines and be part of a collaborative, supportive department.

Study games at Norwich University of the Arts and you will join a university ranked in the world’s top courses by the global games industry veterans behind The Rookies in 2022.

Our BA (Hons) Games Art and Design degree has an international reputation for producing graduates who excel in a constantly evolving industry. The Rookies ranked Norwich University of the Arts (Norwich) in its global top 20 – alongside colleges, studios and universities in San Francisco, Singapore and Paris. Norwich was also given the 2021 Education Award for Innovative Teaching by the UK’s games industry body, TIGA. 

The course is a member of the Sony PlayStation First Academic Partnership Programme and is accredited by ScreenSkills and industry body TIGA. 

Versatile skills

Graduates from our BA (Hons) Games Art and Design course have gone on to work on major titles, from Forza Horizon 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2 to Batman: Arkham Asylum and Sea of Thieves.

You will design and create characters, props, environments and vehicles using 2D and 3D content creation software for a range of platforms, including console, web, mobile, computer, augmented and virtual reality.

Joining the Norwich Games community enables interaction and collaboration with peers on our sister course, BSc (Hons) Games Development, as you pursue your area of specialism in concept art or asset production.

You will follow in the footsteps of:

  • BAFTA-winning games designers
  • The V&A’s first Games Designer in Residence
  • Dare to Be Digital finalists. 

Our graduates have gone on to become employees at Rockstar Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, Foundry 42, Rebellion, Crytek, Frontier Developments, Splash Damage, Ubisoft, and many more. 

Skills for games careers

The starting point will be to develop a strong set of core skills rather than focusing on a single discipline. 

Once you’ve mastered the essentials, you’ll have the option to specialise in one of three areas: 

  • Concept art
  • Asset production
  • Indie development. 

And you’ll develop analytical skills that will help you critique and explain successful games design. 

Games industry relevance 

You will learn how to use computational logic to generate interactivity in the creation of game prototypes. 

You’ll also approach design and content creation with a focus on originality, supported by research into historical, cultural and broader creative influences, helping you become a well-rounded and inventive games designer. 

And there will be opportunities to engage in professional networking, whether through our programme of high-profile visiting speakers from industry, or major events like Develop: Brighton, EGX, Ukie Conference, and Norwich’s annual Games Festival

Accredited by:

TIGA Accredited CourseScreen Skills SelectPlaystastion First

This course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen-based industries and carries the ScreenSkills Select quality-mark which indicates courses best suited to prepare students for a career in the screen industries.

This course is accredited by TIGA (Independent Game Developers’ Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry.

Success in TIGA Graduate of the Year awards

Four graduates from across BA (Hons) Games Art and Design have been awarded the accolade of TIGA Graduate of the Year in the 2022 awards.

TIGA is one of the biggest networks for games developers and digital publishers, representing and championing the games and media industry.

Course information

All courses run as a blend of on-campus and digital teaching and learning, and follow current UK government safety advice. Applicants and students will be notified directly if any changes need to be made.

Typical career paths include:

  • Games designer
  • Concept artist
  • 2D artist
  • 3D artist
  • Animator
  • Lead artist
  • Level editor
  • Project manager
  • Producer
  • Community manager
  • Creative director
  • External producer
  • QA tester
  • Sales manager

You’ll also get specialist creative careers advice from our Business and Employability team to help support you as you plan your career.

Course Information

Institution Code: N39
Course 3 Year UCAS code: WL21
Course 4 Year UCAS code: W280
Course length: 3 or 4 year options
Sandwich courses: Creative Professional Development (1 year, Level 5 diploma), or Creative Computing (1 year, Level 5 diploma), available between years 2 & 3

Caelum: Into the Sky – Adam Kiraly

Typical UK offers

A / AS Levels – GCE
GCE A/AS Levels 3 A-level qualifications at grades BBB. Where candidates are not taking 3 A-levels, Norwich University of the Arts will consider combinations of A-level/AS-level and other Level 3 qualifications.

BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject

BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction*, Distinction* in an art, design or media related subject

T Levels
A T Level in any subject with overall grade Merit or above

UAL Extended Diploma
Merit

UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Merit

UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Merit

Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass

International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 27 points

Norwich welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.

If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.

If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications. Please do contact our Student Recruitment Team if you have any queries.

International applications

We accept qualifications from all over the world. To find our entry requirements from a specific country, please check our dedicated international pages.

Most international students are required to hold an English language qualification. Applicants are required to have a minimum UKVI approved IELTS exam score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each section. Equivalent English language qualifications are acceptable such as, IB English language syllabus A or B/English Literature (Grade 4).

We also accept some alternative English qualifications. Learn more about our English entry requirements.

You can email us on international@norwichuni.ac.uk if you’d like to discuss your application individually.

BA (Hons) Games Art and Design degree portfolio guidance

We are calling the traditional portfolio a ‘development portfolio’. This is to emphasise that what we would like to see is where you are now in your creative journey. You don’t need to spend a long time making the perfect work, as we can assess your potential from your work in progress. Your development is the most important part of your learning.

Your development portfolio should be relevant to this course, but you can include a wide range of work that shows your creativity.

You may wish to include some of the following:

  • Evidence of an ability to work from life i.e. observational and figure drawing
  • Drawings, paintings or illustrations that exhibit an active imagination and aptitude for creative development
  • Experience of asset creation and environment designs
  • Storyboards or sequential art
  • Games design concepts in 2-D/3-D
  • Digital sculpture
  • Work with game engines
  • Reference photography, including environments, objects (assets) and textures.
  • Work developed in Photoshop
  • Animation projects
  • Evidence of an ability to work in diverse styles i.e. a drawing approach that you are not used to.

Further portfolio advice and tips

Get more advice on presentation formats, layouts and when to submit your development portfolio in the application process.

2023/24 University fees for new entrants

Norwich University of the Arts will assess students’ tuition fee status using the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs

Students from the UK or Ireland and EU students with ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status will be charged ‘Home’ fees if they meet the relevant residency requirements.  They will usually be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the UK government, meaning that they won’t have to pay Norwich’s tuition fees upfront.

Students who do not meet the necessary residency requirements will usually be charged ‘Overseas’ fees and will not be eligible for the UK government tuition fee loan. Since 2021/22, this includes new entrants from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status, because the UK has now formally left the EU.

Fee status Course Annual fee
Home Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree) £9,250
Overseas Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree) £18,000

For Home undergraduate students starting in 2023, inflation may be applied to your fees in later years, if the UK government were to increase the fee cap beyond the current limit of £9,250 per year. If such an increase were to apply, we would confirm this in advance to you of each academic year, and we would limit the increase to the maximum allowed by the Office for Students.

For Overseas undergraduate students starting in 2023, inflation will be applied to your fees in later years. We will confirm this in advance to you of each academic year, and we will limit the increase to no more than the Office for Students’ recommended inflationary measure, which is RPI-X. RPI-X is calculated by the Office for Budget Responsibility. In setting fees for the following year, we will use the Office for Budget Responsibility’s RPI-X forecast for quarter 3 of the relevant year.

See our Fees and Funding page for further information which is also available in a downloadable format.

Financial support for UK students in 2023

Tuition fee loans and loans for living costs are usually available to UK and some EU students, as well as non-repayable Norwich University of the Arts bursaries based on family income. Find out more about applying for funding.

Four year degree

Our innovative four year degrees are exactly the same as our three year degrees but include an extra year of study at the beginning – Year 0.

Year 0 is all about developing the skills, foundation and knowledge you need to successfully complete your degree course. Building on your experience from A Level or equivalent courses, the Year 0 curriculum allows extra time to develop the practical, technical and creative skills that are critical to successfully completing an undergraduate degree at Norwich.

Your Year 0 BA (Hons) Games Art and Design studies will start with the Platformer project, where you’ll build a platform game using industry standard software. 

For the second project you’ll work towards aspects of Concept Art, whether through establishing assets, building environments or focusing on character design. You’ll be introduced to relevant software and taught how to utilise it in order to achieve your goals.

You’ll be taught by Games tutors throughout and you’ll have the opportunity to join first, second and third year students for guest lectures.

Typical UK offers and entry requirements for Year 0 entry

GCE A/AS Levels
2 A-level qualifications at grades CC or higher.

BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Merit, Merit, Pass in an art, design or media related subject

BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit in an art, design or media related subject

T Levels
Pass (D or E on the core)

UAL Extended Diploma
An overall Pass

UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
An overall Pass

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design 
Pass

Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass

International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 24 points

Norwich welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.
If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.

Find out more

Lecturers

Chris Crawford (Visiting Lecturer) Game Design Guru
Fraser Brown Character and Concept Development
Helen Throup Studio and Digital Applications
Jake Montanarini
Jay Hurren (Visiting Lecturer) Musician, E-Z Rollers
Jonathan Bayfield Games Research
Merlin Seller
Ronald Spriggs
Siobhan Reddy (Visiting Lecturer) Studio Director, Media Molecule
Steven Huckle
Tarnia Mears
Thom Haley Games Theory
Will Teather

Recent Awards

Top 10 for
Teaching Quality

by the Times and Sunday Times 2022

Top Two UK
Creative Arts
University

by The Complete University Guide 2024

GOLD-rated
University

the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)

News

Our latest Instagram post from no_location

@norwichuniarts

Norwich University of the Arts is excited to reveal our new brand…
View this post

View Latest Insta Posts

Norwich Graduate wins at TIGA Awards

Norwich graduate Szymon Garczynski wins Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Designer at the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2023
View news article

View Latest News
A woman with shoulder length black hair looks sadly over a barren horizon

Poulomi Basu

East Gallery in partnership with Autograph presents the solo exhibition of Indian transmedia artist and activist Poulomi Basu’s powerful series Fireflies
View event

View Latest Events
Photo of a window seat in a restaurant. A small, domed red lamp sits on a wooden table next to a beige pot holding cutlery and napkins.

5 Places to eat in Norwich

Norwich is jam packed with amazing food…
View blog

View Latest Blogs

Work with us

We welcome enquiries about applied and collaborative activities and opportunities. If you are interested in working with us, if you have a question, or, if you would like further information about our research and researchers, please contact:

Email