Bournemouth University Games Courses Achieve TIGA Accreditation

LONDON, Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, is pleased to announce the accreditation of the following games courses at Bournemouth University:

• BSc (Hons) Games Software Engineering
  Accreditation – awarded
• BSc (Hons) Games Design              
  Accreditation – awarded

BSc (Hons) Games Software Engineering
The BSc (Hons) Games Software Engineering degree offers a specialist programme of study for technical programming disciplines. It is likely to prepare graduates well for employment in a wide range of game studios including AAA development.

BSc (Hons) Games Design
The BSc (Hons) Games Design degree offers a broad programme of study encompassing art and animation as well as game design. It is likely to prepare graduates well for employment in level design roles, or for further study as artists or animators.

There are currently 276 undergraduates on the BSc Games Design course and 113 undergraduates on the BSc Games Software Engineering course.

Destination data

BSc (Hons) Games Design Destinations

TIGA use official "Graduate Outcomes" data from HESA to report overall employment rates.

• Percentage employed after 15 months: 89%
  (Graduate Outcomes survey data from 2017-18)
• Percentage employed in games: 30% 
  (University data for 2019-2020 ignoring unknown students)
• Percentage employed using their game technology skills: 74%
  (University data for 2019-2020 ignoring unknown students)

BSc (Hons) Games Software Engineering Destinations

TIGA use official "Graduate Outcomes" data from HESA to report overall employment rates.

• Percentage employed after 15 months: 89%
  (Graduate Outcomes survey data from 2017-18)
• Percentage employed in games: 32% 
  (University data for 2019-2020 ignoring unknown students)
• Percentage employed using their game technology skills: 74%
  (University data for 2019-2020 ignoring unknown students)

The TIGA Accreditation Team was impressed by the following examples of best practice:

• The coherence and focus of the Game Software Engineering degree. It demonstrates a well thought out course structure with technical C++ programming skills embedded throughout the programme.
• The provision of both programmes within the same department affords students with excellent opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations as part of module delivery and assessment. The opportunity to work as part of inter-disciplinary teams is highly valued within the game development industry.
• Both courses have maintained high NSS student satisfaction scores (94%) despite the challenges of the last few years. This is a great testament to the commitment of the delivery teams and bucks the overall downward trend in NSS scores across the sector resulting from the COVID situation and other national factors in higher education.
• Both courses experience low rates of student attrition after year 1: 8.8 per cent for BsC (Hons) Games Design; and 7.9 per cent for BSc (Hons) Games Software Engineering.
• The business-oriented modules on the courses also provide students with the knowledge and understanding to be able to pursue their own business opportunities after graduating.  This is a commendable addition to the course structure and one which will positively benefit the regional growth of the games sector in the future.

Overall, the TIGA Accreditation Team was impressed by the commitment of the team to providing a high-quality student experience and their willingness to prioritise content which is valuable over content which is easy.

Accreditation Team
The Accreditation Team from TIGA who reviewed the courses comprised:

Dr Richard Wilson, OBE CEO TIGA
Dr Jacob Habgood, TIGA Educational Advisor & Sumo-Digital Group
Chris Kingsley OBE, CTO Rebellion
Bjorn Toft Madsen, Ed Tech

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said:

"Bournemouth University offers two high quality video games courses that equip students with skills that are are needed in the video games industry. Both courses offer opportunities for cross-disciplinary work, which is vitally important in the sector. The courses exhibit high levels of student satisfaction and low levels of student attrition. The coherent structure and focus of the Games Software Engineering course is a real strength. Well done to the staff and students of Bournemouth University on your successful accreditation."

Dr Jake Habgood, TIGA Educational Advisor & Sumo Digital Group, said:

"The high student satisfaction scores on these courses speak for themselves after the challenges that higher education has faced in recent years. The course teams have delivered  a choherent vision and structure which is paying dividends for the students Many congratulations to the Bournemouth teams."

The Creative Technology Department, Bournemouth University, said:

"We are delighted that our two games programmes, BSc Games Design and BSc Games Software Engineering, have now received accreditation from TIGA, which provides a significant external recognition and validation of our undergraduate programmes in games. This will allow us to continue to strengthen the role that industry plays in supporting us in the design and delivery of our programmes, to refine our students' experience and further help us to prepare our students for their future careers. We look forward to working with TIGA, the membership network and also in offering our contributions to industry."

TIGA

TIGA is the trade association for the UK video games industry.  Our vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to develop video games. Our core purpose is to strengthen the games development and digital publishing sector. To this end, we focus on four strategic objectives:

• influencing Government policy via effective political representation;
• raising the profile of our industry to influence public policy;
• enhancing education and skills through our accreditation programme (https://tiga.org/education/tiga-university-accreditation) and TIGA Games Education Awards (https://tiga.org/education-awards); and
• promoting best practice through our membership services, including the TIGA STAR Employer Award (https://tiga.org/star) and the TIGA Games Industry Awards (https://tiga.org/awards).

For more information contact TIGA:

Tel: 0845 468 2330
Email: info@tiga.org 
Web: www.tiga.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tigamovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga