About Mdes Games Design And Development in Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh

If you too are interested in a career in games design, our brand new Master of Design (MDes) programme in Games Design and Development allows you to explore your own creativity, develop game ideas, and launch your own games

Design your own games

The School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences is delighted to introduce a new Master of Design (MDes) programme in Games Design and Development, available for 2019 entry. This innovative programme provides students with a unique opportunity to design and develop their own computer game to the highest industry standards while gaining hands-on experience with the product lifecycle, gathering technical and professional skills, and further practical entrepreneurship knowledge. It is the perfect stepping stone to enable students to smoothly transition to design and programming roles in the games industry.

Our new Games Studio

The introduction of this Masters degree coincides with the launch of the new purpose-built Games Studio inside our new £19m innovation and entrepreneurship GRID building.  As there are only a handful of universities worldwide capable of offering such design-led programmes, this studio will provide students with a unique mixture of practical supervised studio learning experience, technical know-how, and an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship approach to Games production.

Programme structure

This Masters degree aims to concentrate on delivering a practical learning experience where students will be able to design game ideas, program prototypes, and fully release/publish their own game concepts at the end of their studies. The structure of this Masters degree concentrates in three aspects of games development: design, programming and entrepreneurship. As so, this programme includes two studio-based courses which are aligned with the industrial games development life cycle. Furthermore, there are two entrepreneurial components to the programme to allow students to fully exploit their creations in industry or by launching their own spin-out bespoke indie studios.

Academic qualification equivalents

• A bachelor degree with related subject

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS :6.5 
• TOEFL IBT: 90
• PTE: 58-64

Heriot-Watt University Highlights

Heriot-Watt University Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

International students applying through UCAS can find their exact tuition expenses by submitting the Fee Status Enquiry form. The cost of living will be determined by the course opted as well as the applicant's nationality. Edinburgh has a comparatively lower cost than other UK cities. Estimate cost of living on and off-campus for UK Campuses is tabulated below: 

Living in a rented flat may vary according to the type of accommodation and facilities being availed. The estimated monthly cost including food and travel is £923.