The Best Games Education in the UK

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It's official - we've been awarded Best Educational Institution at the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2024 thanks to our expert teaching and sector leading facilities. 

And that's not all. In 2024, we've been recognised by major players in the Games industry for our boundary pushing courses and placement opportunities. At University of Staffordshire, we don't just make games - we turn your possibility into reality. 

Number 1 in the UK for career prospects

We're the top ranked institution by GamesSchools.com for the Highest Video Game Job Placement rates.

Accredited and recognised by TIGA

Winner of the TIGA Education Institution of the Year 2024, and the Industry Engagement Award for our mock interview scheme.

Hyper-real experience for industry ready graduates

Our award-winning 1UP Programme employs 30 students each year to run our in-house games studio where we produce boundary-pushing, market ready games.

Student creations

Our ground-breaking courses and cutting edge facilities aren't the only reason we stand out from the crowd. From day one, we empower our students to express themselves and break boundaries. The result? Award-winning games that are big on personality and full of character.

Take a look at our student showreel from our 2023 graduates to see where you could be in just three short years.

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Check out our students' games

Through our award-winning 1UP scheme, we offer our talented students the chance to develop games for our in-house studio over the summer. And now we're bringing those games to you - from puzzlers to platformers, there's something for every gaming interest amongst our collection of student games.

Play student games

Your career in Games

If you dream of making it big in the games industry, then there's no where quite like University of Staffordshire to turn that dream into reality. 

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Work experience opportunities

Our 1UP placement gives you the opportunity to be paid to build games, and learn more about the professional games industry. The 1UP scheme won the TIGA 2022 award for Best Education Initiative, and in 2023 a student-developed game from the 1UP scheme won the “Best Arcade Game” in the TIGA Games Industry Awards. 

As part of your course you'll have opportunities to work on live briefs and undertake internships, giving you the chance to work collaboratively alongside other professionals. Our award winning our mock interview scheme provides every final year student with the opportunity for a mock interview by a current industry professional.

We also offer all students the opportunity to undertake an industry placement both at home and abroad. In the past, we've had students secure placements at Unity, TT Games, Codemasters, Sports Interactive, Tencent Games, D3T and many more.

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Our graduates

Our graduates have gone on to work at industry leaders such as EA, Double Eleven, and Playground, securing roles such as:

  • Concept artists
  • Gameplay programmers
  • Technical artists
  • Visual effects producers
  • AI programmers
  • Games designers
  • Character riggers
  • Environment artists
  • Animators
  • Motion graphics artists
  • Hard surface artists
  • Narrative designers

Our reputation as a leader in Games Education means your CV will instantly stand out to potential employers. Our practical multidisciplinary education, will give you the skills to thrive in the games industry and a range of other technical sectors.

Student success

Hear from our incredible students about how University of Staffordshire set them on the path to success. First  up is Alvin, who studies BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design and won the Games Animation prize in this year’s Grads in Games 'Search for A Star' competition. Next, Brandon discusses how his unique placement opportunity helped him to line up a graduate job with games studio Rebellion North before graduating. Lastly, Computer Games Design graduate James got 100% for his final year project before becoming a a Junior Designer at Playtonic Games.

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Grads in Games 'Search for A Star' competition winner

Video

Alvin Oblitely won the Games Animation prize in this year’s Grads in Games 'Search for A Star' competition after impressing the judges with a character transformation sequence.

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Games designer levels up

Video

Computer Games Design graduate James won 1st place for Level Design at student exhibition GradEX and was also named a ‘TIGA Graduate of the Year’!

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Before university all I knew was that I wanted to be part of the games industry but I didn’t know what it was I wanted to do. I had experience in programming, art and design but had never applied them to the world of games and had no idea where to start. The course I took allowed me to experience all 3 of these under a game setting, which in turn gave me the chance to find what I loved doing and what I was best at. From there I worked hard to develop my skills in design and in particular level design, where in my final year, I really delved deeper into that field and unlocked a true passion for it. I put in a lot of effort to develop my portfolio and proved that I enjoyed this niche outside of the university confines, which ultimately helped me land my job with Lighthouse Games.

Olivia Cross

Computer Games Design graduate and Junior Level Designer, Lighthouse Games

Get ahead of the game

We offer our Games courses at our Stoke-on-Trent and London campuses - both offering a unique experience in Games Education - which will you choose?

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Courses at our Stoke-on-Trent Campus

From Games Programming to Concept Art, our Games courses are the first step into a career in the biggest entertainment industry for the 21st century.
student at Staffordshire University London using PC in knowledge exchange

Courses at our London Campus

Our London campus is home to cutting-edge courses in gaming - we even share a campus with industry professionals such Electronic Arts and Sports Interactive.
Being at Staffordshire also allowed me to network with industry professionals and gain a highly respectable internship with Airbus Helicopters.
Ryan Buxton

Computer Games Design graduate and Senior Programmer at d3t Ltd

Meet your team

Our teaching team are all specialists in their fields with unique connections to industry. They're here to offer you the support you need to succeed, and open the doors that matter. Meet our team below, and check out the profiles to discover our unique specialisms.

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

Professor Catherine Flick

Professor

Catherine is a technology ethicist with research interests in video games, online safety and child protection, and emerging technologies such as cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and social media.

Catherine's profile

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

David Edwards

Course Director

Dave is an experienced technical artist and academic. He teaches on many of the earlier levels of the Games Art degree, using his expertise in 3D character and environment art, 3D scripting, and level design in the Unreal Engine.

David's profile

Dr Sharon Coleclough

Senior Lecturer

Sharon works across all areas of film and media production, focusing upon specialisms in sound design, editing, acting and performance in film. She is an active researcher with international publications on lighting, sound and representation in film.

Sharon's profile

Emma Fallows

Lecturer

Emma is an artist, researcher, and lecturer in Games Development. Her research explores applying virtual reality to museum displays to enhance the education and overall visitor experience.

Emma's profile

Mike Acosta

Senior Lecturer

I am the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Game Art programme at Staffordshire University. Under my leadership, the course has been ranked 1st in the UK and 7th globally. I have a strong focus on curriculum development and building industry links.

Mike's profile

David James

Course Director

I am a Games Technical Design Lecturer at Staffordshire University, specialising in the design principles and technical implementation of game software.

David's profile

Professor Esther Maccallum-Stewart

Professor

Professor of Game Studies, specialising in player behaviour and analog games, including tabletop roleplaying games.

Esther's profile

Anthony Martin

Senior Lecturer

Anthony is a digital artist, animator and VFX technical director with over 20 years of industry experience. His current area of interest is the creation of realistic environments using a combination of 3D and 2D techniques

Anthony's profile

Latest news

TIGA win

Best educational institution for games - it's official!

University of Staffordshire have rounded off their 20 years of games celebrations with a significant industry win.
Media - League Tables story

University climbs up the League Tables

Staffordshire University has welcomed its improvement in two major League Tables – one of which recognises its commitment to social diversity.
LOD Valorant web

Award winning games series returns

University of Staffordshire’s Level of Detail games vodcast is back with a new series
Mock interviews web

Award success for university’s games employability scheme

University of Staffordshire has scooped an industry award for its innovative approach to boosting graduate employability

Got a question?

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

Top 5 for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2025

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021