TIGA on Staffordshire University

TIGA, the games industry trade association, is pleased to announce the accreditation of the following games courses at Staffordshire University.

TIGA on Staffordshire University

• BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design
• BEng (Hons)/MEng Computer Games Design
• BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design (With Foundation Year)
• BSc (Hons) Computer Gameplay Design and Production
• BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design and Programming
• BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming
• BA (Hons) Games Art
• BA (Hons) Concept Art for Games and Film

The percentage of graduates finding work in the games industry was good, though the statistics in the table below do not include those graduates who found work in related industries. The actual numbers of students starting out on careers using the skills they gained on the course is even higher.

• BSc (Hons)/MEng/ BSc (Hons)/with Foundation Year
• Computer Games Design 35%
• BSc (Hons) Computer Gameplay Design and Production 38%
• BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design and Programming 28%
• BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming 29%
• BA (Hons) Games Art 28%
• BA (Hons) Concept Art for Games and Film 40%

The TIGA Accreditation Team would like to highlight the following examples of good practice in the promotion of a game development culture at Staffordshire University.

• The thriving Game Development Society.
• A student led community on Discord.
• The eSports Society.
• University run game jams.
• Engagement in industry led conferences.
• Taking part in industry led competitions.
• The overseas game development trips organised by staff for students.

Staffordshire University’s commitment to keeping their game development technologies up to date ensures students are ready to pursue cutting edge industry careers on graduation. In particular the new Smart Zone facility with VR and AR equipment, 3D printing and other important technologies. The university has a particularly close relationship with Epic Games.

All the courses are informed by industry and have close ties with game developers. An excellent guest lecture programme makes full use of these ties. The number of courses that have briefs and projects from industry as part of their assessed learning is impressive. All practical projects follow industry practices and pipelines, with group projects giving students vital experiences. Within these group projects students frequently work in multidisciplinary teams gaining an important range of transferable skills.

Covid 19 has proved especially challenging for all universities. Games courses often already have excellent virtual learning environments and online forums (Discord, Facebook, Slack etc.) where students are able to socialise. The blended learning approach discussed for delivering the 2020-2021 curriculum is a good way forward and the accreditation team would like to commend the games course teams and technicians for the work they are doing to enable students to remotely connect to technologies within university computer labs.

Accreditation Team

The Accreditation Team from TIGA who reviewed the courses comprised:

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO TIGA

Dr Mark Eyles, TIGA Educational Advisor

Dr Jacob Habgood, Director of Education Partnerships, Sumo Digital

Chris Kingsley OBE, CTO Rebellion

Dr Mark Eyles, TIGA Educational Advisor said:

“Being able to examine the game development courses offered by Staffordshire University five years after the first round of accreditations has been an opportunity to once again see the high quality teaching on offer. All these courses offer valuable industry-like experiences for their students.”

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, the TIGA CEO, said:

“The University of Staffordshire’s TIGA accredited games courses are characterised by enthusiastic lecturers, good industry links and high rates of student satisfaction. For example, 89% of students are satisfied with the BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming course.[1] Congratulations to the  University of Staffordshire for its excellent work.”

Chris Kingsley OBE, CTO at Rebellion and Chair of the TIGA Education  Committee, said:

“Staffordshire University was one of the first to apply for TIGA University Accreditation back in 2015. It is great to see how the University continues to engage with industry, teach industry-relevant courses and prepare students for work in the video games industry. Congratulations to Staffordshire University on achieving TIGA University accreditation for 8 of its games courses. I look forward to assessing more of the University’s courses in the future.”

Dr Bobbie Fletcher, Associate Professor of Games Education, Head of Department for Games and Visual Effects, Staffordshire University:

“We are thrilled that we were able to reaccredit the courses we accredited in 2015 and extend that accreditation to three more courses. We were very impressed with the rigour by which the TIGA Accreditation Panel analysed every aspect of the courses, the resources and the course teams and we are delighted we passed muster.”