Professional Games Development

Our flexible part-time course is designed around you and your professional development in the games industry. Whether you’re a games developer, educator, simulation developer or work in a related field, it’s an ideal opportunity to upskill and advance your career.

You’ll get to create a unique work-based research project that builds on your current knowledge and expertise.

The course is delivered through practice-based and online learning, supported by one-to-one tutorials, seminars and guidance from supervisors. You’ll also have the chance to connect with other creatives and benefit from our well-established links with international games studios.

Our multi-award-winning games department is one of the largest in the UK. It means you’ll be supervised by leading experts with extensive experience, covering all core disciplines of games development.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: MSc Professional Games Development

Course content

The qualification will enhance your understanding of the industry and help you shape your career aspirations.

You will negotiate a project with your supervisor and employer, based on your current role. Through active practice-based learning, you will develop a portfolio of work. You will also undertake a body of other learning and assessment.

This will give you the opportunity to showcase your skills and creativity. You’ll also be able to reflect, research and advance your skills in the games development pipeline.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
Game Development Practice	40 credits
Games Research Methods	20 credits
Professional Careers In Games Development	40 credits

Year 2 compulsory modules
Year 2 compulsory modules
Games Development Industry Project	40 credits
Industry Trends And Innovations	40 credits

Entry requirements

You’ll normally need a 2:2 or above undergraduate qualification (or equivalent) or relevant industry experience. Additionally, applicants must submit a games portfolio for review, demonstrating their ability to meet the demands of the course and helping us ensure you are aligned to the most suitable pathway (MA or MSc) based on your skills and career aspirations.

We welcome applications from diverse educational and professional backgrounds please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or need guidance on preparing your portfolio.

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

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Facilities

Games Labs

Our world-class games development studios are fully equipped with the latest industry-standard software and hardware to give you a professional design and programming experience.

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Games and Concept Art Labs

Explore your artistic creativity on the latest games development software in our Games and Concept Art Labs. Our industry quality workstations come complete with Wacom Intuos Pro mediums or 13QHD Cintiq tablets.

Motion Capture Studio

Realistically capture multiple human movements simultaneously for the creation of high-quality games, animation and VFX sequences. Our industry standard facility features a 24-camera rig, Vicon hardware and Cara facial performance capture headset. Read more

The Motion Capture Stage is located in the Cadman Building, working alongside The Smart Zone. This facility hosts sessions that show students how to set up and prepare shoots at a high industry level. The sessions provided give in-depth information that covers each stage, from preparation to exporting data for use within a project.

Our MoCap Studio is used by students from a wide range of subjects, including Film and Media, Games Design, Animation, Drama, Sports Therapy and CGI and Visual Effects.

Find out more about our Motion Capture Stage.

Watch video View virtual tour

Virtual Production Studio

The Virtual Production Studio allows the combination of real-time games graphics with traditional film and video production techniques. Read more

Students are able to utilise the Virtual Production studio which comes complete with a 10m x 2.75m curved LED volume made of DigiLED DigiThin XS 2600 panels, Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12k camera with 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses, Vanishing Point Vector and Viper camera tracking systems, full RGB lighting system including LED Cloud, 1x Celeb 850, 1x Diva-Lite 41, 5x Diva-Lite 31 and 5x Q5 Color all controllable through a ChamSys MagicQ lighting desk, VR Scouting system using a HTC Vive Pro and audio system with speakers around the screen. HP workstations allow the process to be facilitated end-to-end by Unreal Engine to use photorealistic environments.

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Careers

Upon successfully completing this course you will be ideally positioned to advance your career in the dynamic games industry. You'll be equipped with the skills to secure roles with leading game studios, innovative tech companies, and launch independent ventures.

Potential career paths could include:

Game Programmer
Technical Artist
AI Developer
Systems Designer
Game Producer
Concept Designer
Narrative Designer
Animator
Games Academic

Completing this course will also place you in an excellent position for further academic progression, including PhD study, as well as teaching and research opportunities in higher education.

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

We understand that professional learners in the games industry require a flexible and personalised approach. This programme combines distance-based work-integrated learning with tailored supervision to align closely with your career specialism. Throughout your studies, you will:

Engage in one-on-one supervision to guide your project development
Conduct independent research and practical projects tailored to real-world industry scenarios
Reflect critically on your professional practice through structured activities

Learning resources, feedback, and ongoing support are provided through our Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard), ensuring you have comprehensive guidance regardless of your location. Your supervisors will provide continuous, formative feedback and detailed critiques to help you enhance your practical and theoretical work, aligning closely with professional industry standards.

Assessment

Your progress will be continually supported through both informal (formative) and formal (summative) assessments. Formative assessments include regular project updates and reflective practice, where you'll receive ongoing personalised feedback from your supervisor. Formal assessments at the end of each module include industry-relevant coursework such as detailed research projects, professional portfolios, case studies, reflective reports, presentations, and artefact development aligned with industry workflows. All summative assessments directly contribute to your final module marks and provide you with portfolio-ready projects.

Learning support

Your course tutors will provide lots of support. But you can also take advantage of our Academic Skills team, who can help you with:

Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)
Written English (including punctuation, grammar)
Academic writing (including how to reference)
Research skills
Critical thinking
Revision, assessment and exam skills (including time management)

Additional support

If you have additional needs like dyslexia or a sensory impairment, then our Student Inclusion Services are here to help make sure nothing stands in your way.

Staff

Dr Kieran Hicks

Course Director

Dr Kieran Hicks is a game design lecturer, they are the director of the DEMI research centre. Their research explores games from user-based and design-based lenses, using games as a tool to engage diverse groups in beneficial activity.

Kieran's profile

Matthew Syrett

Senior Lecturer 3d Games Art

Matt is a 3D environment and prop artist with experience in both the industry and academia. His work across different platforms has provided him with extensive knowledge of game art production.

Professor Christopher Headleand

Head Of Department - Sugi

Prof. Headleand is a Computing & Video Games academic with over 20 years' experience; internationally recognised as an expert in student engagement. He is head of Games Design & Technology & researches Virtual Reality, Visualisation & Serious Games.

Christopher's profile

Fees

For the course starting on 22 September 2025 the tuition fees are:

Tuition fees for MSc-Part-time, distance learning
Study option	UK / Channel Islands	International
Part-time	£9,135 per course	£9,135 per course

If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.

Alumni discount

If you have previously completed an undergraduate degree with us, you may be entitled to an alumni discount off your course fee for any subsequent postgraduate taught course. For further information please contact feesandbursaries@staffs.ac.uk.

Not included in tuition fees
Not included in the fees:
The estimated cost of text books over the duration of the course. All essential text books are available from the library, but some students chose to purchase their own copies. Travel, subsistence, entrance fees etc. incurred by optional trips and visits away from the University related to the course. The cost of materials for the development of a student’s individual practice and work. Additional costs vary dependent upon student’s own choice of materials and approach to their practice. Optional personal insurance when borrowing equipment such as cameras, lighting equipment etc. for extended period of use off campus [Approx. £50-£100]. It may be possible to add some items to home contents insurance.

Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Sources of financial support

Providing you are studying towards a full Masters qualification you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £11,570 to help with tuition fees, maintenance and other associated costs. Student loans are available for many of our postgraduate degrees and are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The loan can cover a wide range of postgraduate study options; part-time, full-time and distance learning.

For more information and how to apply visit masters loan.

Apply

Location	Award	Study option	Start date	Apply Link
Stoke-on-Trent campus	MSc	Part-time, distance learning	22 September 2025	Apply now

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