Game development MSc offered at Sheffield Hallam

Sheffield Hallam University is to start offering an MSc in Entertainment Software Development - a postgraduate course aimed at graduates who are hoping to break into the videogame development industry.

The course is being supported by Sony Computer Entertainment UK, and elements of the course will be taught using the PlayStation 2 Linux technology - which is also being incorporated into other university courses around the country, Sony claims.

According to the University, the MSc course will feature a mix of academic study and practical experience in software development, as well as modules aimed at increasing students' knowledge of the industry and boosting their job marketability. Participants will be encouraged to work on major joint projects with commercial partners.

The course will be open to recent graduates who have achieved a 2:1 in a computer-related discipline, as well as experienced professionals from an IT background.

"We're delighted to be able to offer this breakthrough course to graduates looking to work in this exciting industry," gushed SCE UK marketing director Ray Maguire. "It is a pleasure to be working with such a forward thinking university as Sheffield Hallam, and we hope that other universities will follow in the near future."

Sheffield Hallam is not the first UK university to offer a course focused on game development, of course - a number of courses of this type exist in universities around the country, with perhaps the best known one being the Computer Games Technology undergraduate course offered by the University of Abertay Dundee.