Computer Science

High-performance graphics and games engineering sits at the technically demanding frontier of computer science, concerned with making interactive experiences that run at real-time speeds on complex, power-constrained hardware. The global games industry is one of the most technically sophisticated and commercially significant sectors in technology, and the engineers who build it need deep expertise in rendering algorithms, GPU programming, game engine architecture, physics simulation and software optimisation. This is a specialism that pushes computing hardware and software to their limits.

At the University of Leeds, this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a work placement and a year abroad, giving you both the technical depth and the professional experience to enter this competitive field with confidence. The sandwich and placement elements allow you to work in the games or related technology industry before you graduate, developing real-world competence alongside your academic training. The year abroad provides exposure to different research and development cultures in one of the most globally distributed industries in technology.

You will study computer graphics rendering pipelines, GPU architecture and programming, real-time physics and simulation, game engine design, software performance optimisation and the mathematical foundations that underpin all of these, including linear algebra, calculus and numerical methods. The programme also develops your broader software engineering and problem-solving capabilities, since high-performance graphics requires both domain expertise and general computational thinking.

Graduates go on to careers as graphics engineers, engine programmers, rendering specialists, real-time simulation developers and technical artists in the games industry, as well as in related fields including visual effects, virtual reality, scientific visualisation and simulation. Postgraduate study in computer science, graphics or related fields is an option for those pursuing research careers.