Best Game Design Courses in Ireland: Fees & Eligibility

Courtesy of new and upcoming games such as Minecraft, Roblox, and Genshin, the enthusiasm for pursuing a career in game design has also been on the rise. Over 50+ global gaming companies have set up their European bases in Ireland. The high demand for game design professionals in Ireland is another reason for prospective students to choose an Irish University to pursue game design and development-related programs. Around 7 top Universities in Ireland offer game design courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Overview: Best Design Courses in Ireland for International Students 

Below is  a brief overview of the best design courses in Ireland for international students for your quick and easy perusal. 

Benefits of pursuing Game Design Courses in Ireland

It is no surprise that Ireland is a favorite student destination, especially for international students. In addition to this, almost all Irish universities are included in the top 3% of the world’s top-ranked universities. Below are a few reasons why you should study in Ireland, even more so if you are an international student.

• English Speaking: Irish people have a very distinct language and culture. But as the times are progressing, there has been a massive inclusion of the English language in the day-to-day working of Irish people. This has greatly aided in the establishment of multiple global companies in Ireland.
• Best Universities: The National University of Ireland Galway, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, and the University of Limerick all offer game design courses. Each of these universities has been listed in the Global University Ranking 2022, in addition to being some of the cheapest universities in Ireland for international students.
• Work Visa: A post-study work permit allows foreign students who earn a master’s degree from an Irish university to work there for two years afterward. Thanks to it, anyone looking to start a career abroad will find this curriculum to be the ideal setting.
• Tech-savvy: Courtesy of being the European technological hub, Ireland never fails to fall short of maintaining the tech–savvy tag. This favors the course mentioned above, as gaming is all about keeping up with advanced technology.
• Global Companies: The tech-savvy tag also favors Ireland in representing itself as the European base for major global companies such as Google, Amazon, Electronic Arts, Apple, Lenovo, etc. It helps the situation that the majority of these companies are gradually expanding into the gaming industry with ample collaborations with gaming companies.
• Safety: Ireland is the world’s third-safest nation according to the Global Peace Index Ranking, 2022. So take the writer’s advice and roam freely online and offline!
• The cuisine and culture!: if you’re a gaming enthusiast, you will realize the importance of snacks. Fear not, for Irish brews have been accredited as the best in the field! In addition to that, Irish people are the most welcoming bunch! The food, the music, the lakes, and the landscapes in Ireland are to die for.

Popular Degrees for pursuing Game Design Courses in Ireland

Since game design is an up-and-coming field, there are not a lot of specialization courses offered for the same. The gaming degree is mostly clubbed into the sphere of engineering and computation at times. Hence, we have tried to fish out and categorize some basic degrees provided to international students wishing to study game design in Ireland.

Bachelor’s

A developing field of study, game design is on the rise amongst today’s generation. A lot of students are eager to obtain formal education in the course. Hence, many undergraduate courses are available to students wishing to pursue game design in Ireland. Some of these are

• Introduction to Computer Game Writing
• BA (Hons.) in Game Design
• BSc. in Computer Games Development
• BSc. (Hons.) in Game Design & Development
• BSc. (Hons.) in Game Art & Design
• BSc. (Hons.) in Creative Design & User Experience Design
• BSc. (Hons.) in Immersive Digital Media

Master’s

The game design post-graduate degrees offered to students in Ireland are a bit restricted in number as of today’s time. But with interest in this field on the rise, the number of courses will surely pick up in the upcoming years. Below are some of the various post-graduate courses offered to game design students in Ireland:

• MSc. in Interactive Digital Media
• MSc. in Computer Science – Virtual & Augmented Reality
• Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science – Virtual & Augmented Reality
• MSc. in Game Design & Development
• MSc. in Interactive Media
• Degree in Game Design & Gamification

Top Universities offering Game Design Courses in Ireland for International Students

Admission Requirements for Game Design Courses in Ireland

For Undergraduate Degrees

Below are the admission requirements unnecessary for international students wishing to apply to game design undergraduate courses in Ireland:

• Valid Passport
• Student Visa
• Academic transcripts of senior secondary education
• Senior secondary education in computational science & mathematics.*
• Minimum scores on an English proficiency test: IELTS: at least 6/ TOEFL: at least 88/ PTE: at least 60

*only necessary in some universities where foundation courses are not being provided for the same. 

For Postgraduate Degrees

The admission requirements for international students wishing to pursue a postgraduate degree in game design are mentioned below:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Transcripts of Academic results to date
• Copies of degree certificates
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computational studies, game design, or related fields.
• Minimum scores on an English proficiency test: IELTS: at least 6.5/ TOEFL: at least 88/ PTE: at least 63
• Letters of reference from previous institutes or places of work
• Valid Passport
• Student Visa

Note: Admission and eligibility requirements may vary depending on the university and program chosen.

Cost of studying Game Design Courses in Ireland

Cost of Living in Ireland 

Working part-time and taking out student debts are both practices that are becoming increasingly popular in Ireland.  International students can also work part-time jobs in Ireland that pay well enough to meet living costs. International students’ annual cost of living in Ireland is between 10,000 and 16,000 EUR.

Scholarships Available for International Students

International students can get scholarships from various organizations, such as the Irish government and universities. Only at the option of the specific groups, each of which has specific eligibility conditions, are these distributed. 

*all scholarships are based on academic merit and excellence.

Career Opportunities for Game Design Graduates in Ireland

Since the gaming industry is a growing and extensive field, many opportunities are emerging on the employment front. Moreover, with the increase in the complexities in gaming, the number and specialization of work have been dispersed over a wide array of gaming fields. Some of the possible career options in the gaming industry are as follows:

• Game Artist
• Game Designer 
• Game Programmer 
• Game Researcher
• Game Software Development
• Game Analyst
• Game Producer
• Realtime Visualisation Artist
• Technical Artist
• Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Developer
• Animator
• Game Tester
• Level Designer and many more.

As there are many more aspects that one can undertake in this field, the need for more and more educated people increases simultaneously. Some of the top companies in Ireland that employ graduates from the gaming field are listed below:

• DIGIT
• Dreamfeel
• Romero Games
• VRAI
• Intel
• Arcadem
• Lemonchilli Games
• Black Shamrock
• Larian Studios, and many more.

Conclusion

The growth of game design degrees at Irish universities has been influenced by the gaming industry, which requires graduates with advanced design, analytical, and testing skills. Furthermore, Irish higher education institutions are wholly committed to assisting international students in acclimating to their new environments and acquiring the skills they need for a comfortable stay. This makes obtaining a gaming degree on any level more doable.

Budget, academic requirements, on-campus amenities, and international scores are some of the factors that must be taken into account before making a choice. Our admission consulting services have helped thousands of students get into the schools of their dreams. For more information, please schedule an appointment with our specialists.