A Pathway in Art and design is designed to develop strong foundations in design, critical thinking, and research.

In the First Year Pathway students complete the ARU first year of the degree, undertaking the same modules, in the same classes as students entering the University directly. Alongside the ARU modules, students entering through the First Year Pathway will have additional support and tuition from ARU College.

First Year

A First Year pathway is available for students who:

• Don’t meet the entry requirements to enter university level study directly (but hold equivalent to AS/A level studies)
• Feel that additional support at the start of university studies will help them stand a better chance of success
• Have been away from studies for a period of time
• Come from a different academic environment to that of the UK

If you fall into any of the above categories, choosing an undergraduate pathway at ARU College is the right decision. Depending on your academic needs here at ARU College we have two pathway entry points available, foundation and first year pathway.

Progressing from First Year

At ARU College we offer a first year or stage 2 level study. Either students will enter this pathway following completion of the foundation, or for students that have completed equivalent of A level study we also have an entry point at first year of a bachelor’s degree.

Upon completion of the first year, or Stage 2, you will seamlessly progress to the second year of your chosen degree with the University, and no longer be registered with ARU College.

BA (Hons) Computer Games Art

Accredited by TIGA, our Computer Games Art degree will allow you to develop art skills relevant to the fast-moving computer games industry. You’ll gain 3D computer games skills including modelling, texturing and animation, enabling you to create characters, environments and more.

During your studies, you’ll discover how you can use your visual research, creative experimentation and technical development to forge a career as a computer games artist. You’ll learn how to plan your designs by creating concept art before bringing them to life using interactive software such as Unity 3D.

ARU is the place to be for studying Computer Games Art. The East of England has 135 active games companies, with Cambridge home to developers including Jagex, Frontier Developments and Ninja Theory, who are currently building a new base on Newmarket Road complete with a gaming pub.

Our Computer Games Art course scored 92% for ‘The Teaching on my Course’ in the National Student Survey 2019.

By studying Computer Games Art at ARU, you’ll get the chance to improve your prospects with live briefs and guest speakers from tech giants like Sony, Jagex and Frontier.

Our flexible modules allow you to explore different aspects of digital art, helping you specialise and future-proof your career. And with TIGA accreditation, this course gives you a badge of excellence to show future employers too.

We're also partners with the Global Science & Technology Forum, giving you access to cutting-edge research materials.