Game Design Abertay University

This is a potential research degree area, subject to the approval of the University. If you are interested in undertaking a research degree in this area, please make contact with the Dean to discuss your proposal.

The UK video games sector is a highly dynamic and ever evolving global success story.

Abertay University continues to lead the development of games as an academic meta-discipline, incorporating computer science, computer art, digital design, sound and music, human computer interaction, and media studies.

Game Design at Abertay University covers a wide range of applied and theoretical research. As technologies evolve and audiences expand, now is an excellent time to engage with research in games, with applications in:

• Business growth and production studies
• Entertainment and storytelling
• Digital health
• Training and education
• Heritage and the arts

At Abertay, you will be supported to conduct this research by our world-leading expertise in computer games education, our connections with key industry partners such as Microsoft and Sony, and our specialist computer arts and game development facilities.

Our research is inherently cross- and inter-disciplinary, which is of particular importance for research in game design. We lead the InGAME project, one of the nine AHRC-funded Creative Industry Clusters Partnerships, which is a consortium of industrial and academic partners. This project will underpin growth of the regional games and media sector.

Dundee is one of the UK's oldest and most successful games hubs. The city has longstanding relationships with local, national, and international game studios. Undertaking a research degree in game design at Abertay will prepare researchers for careers not only in academia, but also within wider society.

Entry requirements

If you're not from the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or Switzerland, you may need to apply for a visa. You can find out more about applying for a visa and collecting your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) on our Tier 4 visa page. To identify whether or not you need to apply for a visa, please visit the UKBA website.

If your first language is not English or your undergraduate/Master's degree was not taught in English, you are also required to hold a suitable English language certificate.

If you require a Tier 4 visa, you must provide one of the following English language certificates:

• West African at B(4)
• NECO at B(4)
• IELTS 6.5 with no band less than 6.0*

If you do not need a Tier 4 visa or are an EEA national, you are permitted to use one of the following:

• TOEFL 80 with no band less than 18*
• Pearson's PTE 61 with no band less than 56*

*The University can only accept these qualifications if they were completed two years prior to the start of the programme.