Bachelor of Screen Arts - Game Design Major

Bachelor of Screen Arts - Game Design Major

Bachelor of Screen Arts

Enrol in the Bachelor of Screen Arts Game Design Major and join a creative team dedicated to crafting rich, immersive experiences. You'll be part of a community that values collaboration and creativity-driven solutions. Develop practical skills in 2D and 3D art, animation, and game production, focusing on interactive storytelling with an audience-centred approach. You'll work on both solo and collaborative projects, gaining a diverse range of skills and experiences to prepare you for a rewarding and creative career in game development and the screen industries.

SIT now offers the Screen Arts programme in a HyFlex ('Hybrid-Flexible') format, combining face-to-face and online learning.

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Key Details
Invercargill / Hyflex
Qualification:
Degree
Level:
7
Credits:
360
Duration:

Three years full-time,

Part time study is available.

Study Modes:
Onsite or Flexible Distance
Dates:

2026 Semester 1: 09 February to 13 November
Fees:

This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.

  • NO tuition fees
  • Direct material costs of just $1,838.00 (Y1), $1,838.00 (Y2) and $2,143.00 (Y3) (GST inclusive)

International Fees can be found here.

The Bachelor of Screen Arts is a three-year programme that allows you to express your creativity using the latest techniques and technology.

You will engage and develop skills from day one in team work and collaboration, building critical creative problem-solving skills vital to working in the screen and gaming industries. You will develop practical skills in both 2D and 3D art and animation production to develop rich immersive experiences for a diverse range of target audiences. You will be able to work on both solo and collaborative projects so you are exposed to a wide variety of skills and experiences which will prepare you for rewarding and creative future.

The Game Design major focuses on developing your creativity and technical skills to develop complex story-based interactive projects. You will be getting experience using techniques from the 2D, 3D game development.

You will learn:

 

  • Character development and Storytelling
  • Level and Game Design
  • 2D, 3D art and animation for Games and Cut Scenes
  • Studio and Digital Drawing
  • Develop skills in communications, project management, leadership, and team building.

 

While technology moves rapidly the skills in critical thinking, research, development, leadership, and storytelling are universally transferable and will give students a foundation which will endure the changing technologies.

Software includes industry standard applications such as: Maya, Zbrush, Houdini, Toom Boom Storyboard Pro, Toom Boom Harmony, Unity, Unreal, Vue, Corel Painter, Substance and Adobe collections and much more. You will be using HPZ series custom build workstations with every machine having a Wacom Cintiq along with a large range of equipment to help you on your journey.

Other majors in the Bachelor of Screen Arts:

 

 

Year 1 Core Papers

BSA503 Cross-Disciplinary Workshops 1

Students will participate in cross-disciplinary workshops to gain an understanding of real-world creative industry practice and communication. Students will be introduced to industry-specific techniques, gaining knowledge and skills required to participate as part of a team. Students will develop research skills to identify and demonstrate historical and theoretical practice. Students will document and analyse the progression of their projects.

BSA542 Studio Digital 1 

Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of design within the current creative industries. Students will complete projects that meet the requirements of a design brief, implementing various software solutions to develop an understanding of how to read and use imagery. Students will also explore and create digital artworks which apply the fundamentals of design principles. Students will investigate and a diversity of historic and contemporary digital design practices.

BSA 528 Game Art and Design 1 

Students will develop the skills to design and produce a 2D game which is user experience driven. Students will gain the skills in the latest technology in 2D game development to design a story and character driven game with responsive gameplay and mechanics. Students will be able to demonstrate their abilities to design experiences which combine elements such as animation, physics, sound design, and coding to create immersion. Students will develop their communications and creative thinking skills to deliver a diverse project in a time driven environment.

BSA 529 Storyboarding

Students will be introduced to the process of drafting and planning story driven short form screen arts projects. Students will learn basic screenwriting skills for short form narratives and how to design for a target audience. Students will gain an understanding of the creative process and apply visual language and film grammar to produce a completed storyboard and animatic project for the creative industries.

BSA 526 Principles of Animation

Students will be introduced to the principles of animation and apply them to a contemporary pipeline. Students will create a visually appealing character with a unique biography and storytelling poses and expressions. Students will use industry standard software to bring their character to life through paperless 2D animation techniques. Students will discuss relevant existing practices, and reflectively document their project progress.

BSA527 2D Animation

Students will combine visual storytelling skills and the principles of animation to produce a short 2D animated project with a proposed purpose, narrative, and target audience. Students will apply a range of 2D animation techniques and implement a 2D animation production pipeline. Students will discuss relevant existing and practices, and reflectively document their project progress.

BSA515 Studio Drawing 1

Students will develop fundamental skills in drawing, both digitally and physically. Students will participate in a variety of different drawing methods such as life drawing, mural design, and prompt illustrations. Students will develop visual storytelling skills through producing a narrative-driven short, illustrated project. Students will discuss relevant existing and emerging practices, and reflectively document their project’s progress.

Year 2 Core Papers

BSA603 Cross-Disciplinary Workshops 2

Students will participate and collaborate across disciplines to engage in a series of innovative and contemporary creative industry driven projects. Students will collaborate developing skills in versatility and adaptability within a visually creative environment. Students will research and develop an analytical understanding of emerging disciplines within the creative industries. Students will research and develop communication skills in leadership, decision-making, and group dynamics.

BSA642 Studio Digital 2

Students will extend their understanding of project-focused research through creative industries practices. Within their fields, students will develop a body of work that reflects an in-depth investigation relevant to their research focus. Students will gain an understanding of the practical and theoretical implications of proposing, developing, and resolving a creative industries project. Students will engage in historical and contemporary research relevant to their research focus. Students will demonstrate experience evaluating a range of practical and digital materials and processes to engage with target audiences. Students will also utilise documentation as a key research method.

BSA626 3D Animation Production

Students will develop and manage a story and character driven 3D project for a short film or a game cut scene. Students will research and develop a workflow management strategy to ensure an effective, quality-driven, production pipeline. Students will develop and apply a range of current best practices from the gaming and animation industries. These will include techniques such as hard and soft surface modelling, look development, rigged and dynamic animation, and traditional and Realtime rendering. Students will develop their creative thinking and analytical problem-solving skills to deliver a complex project in a time-intensive environment.

BSA615 Studio Drawing 2

Students will develop both physical and digital drawing skills. Students will explore their drawing methods by participating in a variety of group and individual exercises such as mural design, life drawing, and prompt illustrations. Students will produce a narrative-driven illustrated project, such as a graphic novel, children’s book, motion comic, manga, or comic, that distinguishes their own creative voice. Students will also examine relevant existing and emerging practises, and document project progress through self-reflective commentaries.

BSA 628 Game Art and Design 2

Students will develop the skills to design and produce a 3D game with a defined user experience. Students will gain skills in the latest technology and techniques used within the 3D game development industry. Students will research best practises in asset optimisation to ensure peak performance on a chosen platform. Student will engage, design, and implement a management system to ensure reflective and iterative practises are developed into quality user experiences.

BSA612 World Building

Students will develop their narrative and conceptual art skills to create an original fictional world. Students will be introduced to tools to articulate and demonstrate their world to an audience.Students will also examine relevant existing and emerging practices, and document project progress through self-reflective commentaries.

Year 3 Core Papers

BSA701 Studio Project 1

Students will build knowledge and skills in communications and management strategies to lead a deadline-driven creative project within a team environment. Students will explore and research relevant existing and emerging practices. Students will develop and produce a project utilising and challenging each member’s current technical and aesthetic talent base. Students will explore pipeline/workflow and time management models, while maintaining best health, wellness and safety practices while observing legal and ethical considerations. Students will explore and critically engage in audience research to ensure all concepts and designs are user centric. Students will critically analyse and execute transmedia approaches to release the final project.

BSA702 Studio Project 2

Students will build knowledge and skills in communications and management strategies to develop or produce a creative project. Students will develop individual or collaborative projects with peers or external partners but must implement individual processes with legal considerations. Students will plan and implement pipelines/workflows that embed researched and evaluated ethics, health, safety, and wellbeing procedures. Students will identify audience to ensure all concepts and designs are user-centric and have clear approaches to brand development and product release. Students will critically analyse and execute transmedia approaches to release their final project.

When you complete the programme you will have the broad range of skills necessary for an industry that increasingly asks for people with a multidisciplinary approach. Depending on the specialisation chosen, you will be able to look for work in numerous roles within the Game Development and Design industries. These roles could include 3D artist, 2D artist, designer, animator, environment artist. The real strength of the programme is that graduates will have had some experience in many of these areas, a quality that will become increasingly important as technologies converge.

School Leavers

University Entrance - NCEA Level 3 - three subjects at Level 3, made up of:

14 credits each, in three NZQA University Entrance approved subjects, and

Literacy – 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of five credits in reading and five credits in writing, and

Numeracy – 10 credits at Level 1 or above, made up of specified achievement standards through a range of subjects, or a package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627 – all three required)

Mature Applicants

Be at least 20 years of age when the programme begins and provide evidence of aptitude or appropriate work or other experience; or completion of an external or overseas qualification which is considered to be the equivalent of any of the above qualifications, as approved by the Head of Faculty.

Special Admission

Notwithstanding the above admissions categories, in exceptional circumstances, an applicant below the age of 20 who can show evidence of ability to succeed in the programme may be considered for admission, provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme which is deemed to prepare graduates for the required academic standard for entry.

An applicant who does not meet academic criteria, may be provisionally admitted to enrol in one or more Year One papers, provided he or she meets the requirements above. Upon successful completion of the papers, the student may apply for special admission or admission by mature entry.

Additional Criteria - Portfolio Requirements

Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their work with their application as follows:

  1. A paragraph introducing yourself and your interests in your chosen field.
  2. A link or digital samples of your creative work, for example:
    a. 5-10 pieces of digital or traditional artwork, or 
    b. a short film, or animation,  or game you have worked on, or
    c. Photographs of a small garment collection or design spec sheets.
  3. You may be asked to do a short interview with the programme manager or appropriate staff member.
     

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English, or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL), or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or

Successful completion of a Bachelors' Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States, or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment:


IELTS test - Academic score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5 
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score 5 TWE) 
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 60 (with a writing score of 18) 
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools or C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 169. No less than 162 in each skill. 
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests 
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (Academic) b) Level 4 (Academic) 
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 50 with no band score lower than 42 
Language Cert - C1 Expert International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS 
Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than distinction in any band

* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current.

In order to be awarded the Bachelor of Screen Arts the student will have been credited with all required papers and electives as specified in the schedule of papers (360 credits).

The overall programme of study for every candidate requires 360 credits for successful completion of the degree.

  • Every candidate is required to pass 120 credits at Year One.
  • Every candidate is required to pass 120 credits at Year Two.
  • Every candidate is required to pass 120 credits at Year Three.

Individual papers may have specific pre-requisites or other knowledge/skill requirements, which must be satisfied by all students.

Screen Arts Block Course – all level 5 students

Monday 12 February – Friday 23 February, 9am – 5pm.

Meet at Te Rau o Te Huia (SIT Creative Centre) – J Block

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