We’re thrilled to announce that in the Guardian University Guide 2026, our courses have ranked 1st in Wales & 9th in the UK for Animation & Games Design and 1st in Wales & 11th in the UK for Computer Science and Information Systems. 🎉🎊
This achievement reflects our dedication to delivering hands-on, real-world industry relevant learning experiences, with exceptional student support. Our highly qualified, industry-experienced staff work hard to ensure students are prepared for a successful future with the practical knowledge & employability skills they need to excel.
A huge thank you to our students, staff, and supportive community for making this recognition possible. 🙏👍
For information about our courses, please click-here.
What truly inspires me about animation and the broader field of digital arts is the unlimited creative potential it offers. I have a genuine passion for games, animation, VFX, and CGI, particularly the captivating effects seen in Marvel movies. The ability to bring ideas to life through digital mediums and create immersive experiences that can transport viewers into different worlds is incredibly motivating.
Video below: BA Game Design animation by Hamza Qasim
Beyond the creative aspects, I’m inspired by how this field connects to my other interests, especially automotive design. The intersection of technical precision and artistic vision in CGI, particularly in automotive visualisation, represents the perfect blend of my passions. What makes this journey even more inspiring is the supportive environment at UWTSD, where I feel encouraged to explore emerging technologies and push the boundaries of what’s possible in animation and interactive media.
Video below: Portfolio from BA Games Design Yr.3 by Hamza Qasim
Throughout my Masters program, I’ve been developing a diverse range of technical and creative skills. On the technical side, I’ve advanced my proficiency in 3D modelling, animation, texturing, and rendering using various versions of Blender (4.0, 4.2, and 4.4). I’ve also expanded into video editing and composition using Wondershare Filmora 13, along with comprehensive sound design capabilities.
Video below: Cans by Hamza Qasim
Video below: Koi by Hamza Qasim
Recently, I’ve ventured into VR development using Unreal Engine 5.5, where I’ve learned to create custom blueprints for asset switching, material switching, and targeted interactions. One of my proudest achievements has been developing a real-time sun movement system that enhances environmental immersion in VR experiences.
Video below: Material Switching & Sun Movement by Hamza Qasim
Beyond technical skills, I’ve been developing crucial soft skills through modules like Leadership, Management and Ethics. This module, though different from animation, has taught me about various leadership styles, management approaches, and proper research methodologies, skills that are invaluable for any creative professional.
Favourite Technology: My current favourite tool is definitely Blender. While we also learn Maya at University, I’ve found that the modelling and animation skills transfer seamlessly to Blender, and it offers several advantages that make it exceptional for independent learning and creative work. What I love most about Blender is its comprehensive nature, I can model, sculpt, texture, animate, composite, and render all within a single application.
The fact that it’s completely free removes financial barriers to learning, and the extensive community support through YouTube tutorials and forums means that virtually any problem I encounter has likely been solved by someone else. The accessibility and community aspect of Blender have been game-changing for my learning process. While Maya still has some advantages, particularly for UV unwrapping, the plugins available for Blender help bridge most gaps, making it an incredibly versatile tool for independent artists and students.
Video below: Liminal Spaces using Advanced Techniques by Hamza Qasim
After you Graduate? My career aspiration is to work as a CGI Artist at an automotive company, with Mercedes-Benz being my preferred destination. This goal is informed by my previous experience working there before enrolling at UWTSD, which gave me valuable insight into the industry and confirmed my passion for automotive visualisation.
Video below: Car in motion by Hamza Qasim
The automotive industry’s increasing reliance on high-quality CGI for marketing, design visualisation, and virtual showrooms aligns perfectly with my skills in 3D modelling, animation, and rendering. My experience with both traditional animation techniques and emerging technologies like VR positions me well for the evolving demands of automotive CGI, where immersive experiences are becoming increasingly important.
Video below: Cloth Reveal by Hamza Qasim
Advice for students? My most important advice is simple but crucial: do something that you truly enjoy. Don’t choose a course based on others’ expectations or perceived prestige, choose it for yourself and your genuine interests.
I love what I study because it encompasses everything I’m passionate about: games, animation, VFX, CGI, and automotive design. This genuine enthusiasm makes the work feel less like a chore and more like an exciting challenge. When you’re passionate about your subject, you naturally strive for excellence and find yourself more resilient when facing difficulties.
Fig.: Digital Arts image
Another key lesson I’ve learned is about perfectionism and deadlines. As an artist, I’ll always strive for perfection, but I’ve come to understand that sometimes you need to aim for the best work possible within tight deadlines rather than perfect work that never gets completed. It’s better to submit a strong, complete project than to miss deadlines chasing an impossible ideal of perfection. The balance between ambition and pragmatism is essential for success in any creative field.
Experience at UWTSD? My experience at UWTSD has been absolutely transformative and couldn’t have been better. The support system here is extraordinary, from Richard Morgan in the Games Design department, who has been my rock throughout my three-year BA journey, to lecturers like Nabeel Masih, Adam Head, Philip Organ, and James Williams, who have consistently encouraged my growth and exploration of emerging technologies. The university’s holistic approach to student support extends beyond academics. The well-being department has been incredibly supportive during challenging times with my mental health, and the entire campus environment, from reception and canteen staff to lecturers, creates an atmosphere that feels genuinely supportive and nurturing.
I’ve had numerous opportunities for leadership and community involvement, serving as Student Representative for both my BA and MA courses and participating in the UWTSD Esports Committee, where we organised events and created lasting memories. The university even pushed me toward pursuing my Masters degree when I wasn’t initially planning to continue, a decision that has proven invaluable. The collaborative environment has allowed me to form lasting friendships with both staff and students, and I’ve been able to contribute through graphic design work for various university projects. If I could change anything about my university experience, it would be nothing, every aspect has been beneficial and has contributed to my growth as both a person and a professional.
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For further information about Computer Games & Animation courses at UWTSD, please click here.
Additional Occupation: Redevelopment Business Director
Q. The organisation you work for?
The BT and EE group is the UK’s largest residential Internet Service Provider, in addition to being the UK’s largest mobile phone network provider.
cc-fig.: BT EE
Additionally, I am the director of my own company, focusing on the redevelopment of properties and converting them into environmentally conscious, sustainable student lets. (Known officially as HMOs, Houses of Multiple Occupation.)
Fig.: Pre-renovation
Fig.: Post-renovation
Q. Which skills learned at University are helpful to you in your job?
As part of my undergraduate degree, I undertook modules such as ‘Managing People and Change’ and ‘Usability Engineering’. These modules provided me with real-world insight into how to lead and manage teams of individuals in my professional career. Additionally, usability engineering directly aided me in developing contemporary business plans and product/marketing strategies.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most?
Money.. Jokes aside, there is something incredibly satisfying in helping others achieve heights they once thought impossible. Turning low-confidence, underperforming team members into smiling, highly productive employees helps both the individual and the wider business achieve the goals and targets set before them.
The same satisfaction is directly correlated to the real-estate projects, as turning unloved, dilapidated properties into homes for multiple students allows me not only to see a project develop from its infancy until its final stage, but it also provides high-quality, lower-cost accommodation for individuals who are trying to achieve more for themselves.
Q. What opportunities has University opened up and supported you in pursuing?
Upon my graduation, the university kindly offered me the opportunity to pursue further study, such as PHD Doctoral support, and whilst at this stage I have not taken up this offer, the fact that this is available for high-achieving graduates illustrates how UWTSD is willing to invest and support in home-grown talent.
In addition, the network I built during my time at the university has proved invaluable, with friends who have become Mortgage Brokers (aided in real estate) and Openreach Engineers (Helped in my BT teams roll-out of FTTP in South Wales).
cc-fig.: BT Towers in Swansea (Wales) & London (England)
Q. Do you have any advice for students who would like to start a Career?
Do not be afraid to take risks. Through personal travel, I have visited nations where ‘real’ abject poverty is unavoidable. This reality check gave me a major perspective shift on the country we call home.
We are incredibly lucky to live in a country with such a strong safety net, so if you’re ambitious and have a business idea you really want to try, plan it out properly and then give it a go! Worst case scenario, you’re back where you started. Best case? Skies the limit.
Fig.: Myles Anderson – 12,000ft above Sea-level in Taiwan.
Q. A Quote that sums up your time at the University?
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
cc-fig: Yoda (Legendary Jedi Master)
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For more information about Computing courses at UWTSD click-here.
Q. What University course/s did you study? B.Eng Computer Systems Engineering (Electronics)
“A stepping stone to engineering.”
Q. What is your job title and role? Technical Director at ARM. Leader of the ARM Mali GPU SW Architecture Team. I lead a team of architects who work to define the SW architecture of the GPU driver for supporting OpenGLES, Vulkan and OpenCL khronos APIs for mobile, digital television and emerging markets demanding the needs of a GPU.
Q. Could you briefly describe the organisation you work for? ARM develops and licenses a wide range of software and silicon IP for inclusion in SoC designs that are deployed in very wide number of market segments and domains, Arm is unique in that it does not produce SoC devices itself.
Q. Which skills learned at University are helpful to you in your job? Embedded Systems, Digital Systems, Digital Signal Processing, Object Orientated Programming, Control Systems, Electronics
Q. Do you have a typical day and how would you describe it? There is no typical day! Working on GPU’s is a challenging environment and we face new challenges almost daily stemming from new trends in the market place, new technologies in silicon, competitors and the continuous customer quest for differentiation and pushing the boundaries of technology. Beyond that the typical day is spent analysing incoming product requirements and finding solutions within the many constraints, requesting or reviewing GPU HW features, obtaining wider ecosystem support, documenting the SW designs, engaging with customers and as a leader ensuring that people collaborate well together.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most? I really enjoy my job when we can find a solution to a given problem, there is a real buzz when you find it, I have found over time that it does not matter if it is hunting a bug in a system or code module, finding a solution to a architectural problem or fixing some working practice or process within an organisation where it will improve engineering. Working with many bright people and understanding how different people solve problems, it can be challenging to come to some alignment but satisfying when you do. Another aspect is seeing products in the market that I can attribute to my work and show people.
Q. Do you have any advice for students who would like to start a Career? I would advocate using your spare time for hobby projects, its a cliche but there really is much to be gained from practical application. You can learn a lot of essential and transferable skills that you will draw upon throughout your University program and your career. Further, it can help to narrow your interests that you really engage with and enjoy. Having some of the skills on board before you join an organisation can really help you in your early roles.
Q. A Quote that sums up your time at the University? A stepping stone to engineering.
For more information about Applied Computing courses at UWTSD please click-here.
Q. What is your job title and role? As a Senior Software Developer, it is my role to engage in all phases of the software development lifecycle that include the analysis, design, development and support of nationally used clinical systems used within NHS Wales. It is also my role to mentor new staff with less clinical and technical knowledge and expertise.
Q. Could you briefly describe the organisation you work for? I work for the NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS); we supply over seventy software services to users across NHS Wales and to other parts of the United Kingdom. We support doctors, nurses and other clinical professionals, helping them provide specialist care to patients in hospitals, GP practices and across the community.
My team in particular are responsible for updating, maintaining and creating new modules for the Welsh Patient Administration System (WPAS). This system records details of patient’s hospital visits, including waiting list management, medical records, inpatient treatment, outpatient appointments and emergency visits.
Q. Which skills learned at University are helpful to you in your job? The most prevalent skill I gained whilst at University was the ability to write clean code and learn new languages as and when required. Other skills I learned that were helpful include:
• Project Management.
• Software Development Methodologies (Agile etc…)
• Usability Engineering & UX Design.
• Web Design.
• JavaScript, JQuery, JSON, Web Services (REST/SOAP), CSS/LESS.
• SQL.
Q. Do you have a typical day and how would you describe it? My typical day usually starts at 0800 with me planning the day ahead by checking emails and the Team Foundation Server (TFS) to ensure that all work tasks are on schedule and prioritised correctly. We hold daily SCRUM meetings to divide workloads amongst the team and to effectively help those struggling on certain tasks. Throughout the day, the team (Including myself) work on agreed tasks, but sometimes we have to fix bugs identified by users. This usually comes through from the helpdesk, though we do have to call users to gain an insight into the bug before creating a fix. Once a fix is completed and checked into Source Control, tests are conducted against the Systems Requirements Specification (SRS) document as well as a pre-defined Test Plan that the developer creates at the start of each task. The job at times can be unpredictable and requires focus and efficiency.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most? I enjoy problem solving, especially when it takes a long time to solve and it gives me great joy when a piece of work that I have developed is released LIVE with the knowledge that it is being used in hospitals across Wales.
Q. Do you have any advice for students who would like to start a Career? If you wish to start a career straight from University, then I suggest looking for jobs half way through your third year, this will give you scope as to what is out there. Also, look out for Graduate schemes in workplaces, these will give you the experience you need and can help you progress in that organisation. Also to Quote Vincent, van Gogh:
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
Think about this as you start each assignment and think what grade you wish to achieve at the end goal ‘Graduation’. Also, remember to ask questions.
Q. A Quote that sums up your time at the University?
“Teachers/Lecturers open doors, but you must walk through them yourself. “
I loved my time at university; it gave me perspective into my capabilities and motivated me more than I ever was in school. The lecturers were extremely helpful and I urge students to talk to them whenever they can.
For more information about Computing courses and opportunities at UWTSD please click here.
Q. What is your job title and role? My current job title is Product technical lead for the vDoc product of the Vizolution product suite.
Q. What does the role involve? This role involves me being the de-facto technical expert in all aspects of the vDoc product production with the overall goal being to align multiple development teams to delivery and fulfil customer requirements. Daily duties include attending stand-ups, providing estimates for new functionality, ensuring coding standards and providing technical leadership to development teams and steer and provide technical design and architecture for requirements. Also heavily involved in product support and deployments to ensure smooth roll-out and running of the product on a daily basis.
vDoc is an unassisted document sharing solution that allows customers to seamlessly progress their own customer journey through the upload, download or electronic signature of documents via a secure customer portal. http://www.vizolution.co.uk/solutions/vdoc/
Q. Could you briefly describe the organisation you work for? Vizolution is a CX Tech company focused on streamlining difficult customer journeys. The Vizolution suite of digital products streamlines the end-to-end customer journey and supports the omni-channel strategy of our customers across branch, telephony and digital channels. It’s SaaS products are quick and easy to implement. The solutions eliminate breaks in the customer journey to deliver improved compliance, customer service and satisfaction and conversions as well as reduced costs.
Q. Which skills learned at University are helpful to you in your job? Confidence and self-belief, the environment in the university was very open and students were encouraged to interact as much as possible, feedback was always constructive and lecturers often pushed to get the best from me. This really helped with my self-belief and confidence allowing me to step out of my comfort zone and push my self and my abilities. It is this I believe has allowed me to progress to where I am today.
Q. Do you have a typical day and how would you describe it? My days vary quite a lot but usually start with attending stand-ups for the development teams of which there are five that work on the vDoc product. I am then usually attending meetings to either provide high level estimation and technical implementation guidance/design for new functionality. Performing code reviews to ensure code is of a suitable standard and follows our defined coding standards. Assisting other developers with issues or problems and providing technical guidance. Occasionally I have the chance to develop some functionality myself but I am mostly in a hands off type of role now.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most? It would have the be the problem solving, quite often I am faced with complex issues to which I need to provide technical guidance for, whilst this can be challenging and frustrating at times. The sense of achievement when something you’ve planned turns out how you expected it to or sometimes even better it makes it all worth it. My position can be quite stressful but its taking these small wins and seeing the impact our technology is having is what keeps me motivated
Q. Do you have any advice for students who would like to start a Career? Prepare early, there are going to be hundreds of graduates across the UK in your sector all looking for jobs, be proactive and get your foot in the door first. Look for summer placement work, try and reach out to places where you would like to work to see if they have any openings or what opportunities they have for graduates. Most important be persistent and be strong minded, there will be times where you will be turned down at interview, instead of taking that negatively look for the positives and look for areas to improve and come back stronger. You’ve done the hard work in getting into university and taking your degree so you deserve a good career so just remember that.
You’ve done the hard work in getting into university and taking your degree so you deserve a good career so just remember that.
Q. A Quote that sums up your time at the University? One of the most challenging but at the same time rewarding experiences of my life.
Q. What is your job title and role? I am a junior developer and my role is configuring the companies scripts to match all different client needs.
Q. Could you briefly describe the organisation you work for? The organisation I work for CloudIQ is a Tech Start-up company that was created around 2012, we want our clients to make the most of their e-commerce website by re-marketing old ones and marketing new ones.
Q. Which skills learned at University are helpful to you in your job? I feel the main ones would be business awareness – this was important on adapting to a different situations you may be faced with and being aware of how it’s impacting the business and environment you are in. Another skill that I feel is of high value to me is analytical thinking, this has helped me so much when being faced with a problem or when my code isn’t working, it is having to think of different ways and think out of the box to solve it.
Q. Do you have a typical day and how would you describe it? Every day is different, but will have a similar feel to it, mostly I am writing or editing code to meet the clients needs but I could also be investigating the code and working with the team to try and fix the issues we have.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most? I enjoy working with the people I work with, but more so I enjoy learning and overcoming the different situations where I may have struggled for a while. I get a real sense of achievement when something works after trying to figure it out for ages.
Q. Do you have any advice for students who would like to start a Career? Be patient and don’t be afraid of changes, if you are unhappy with your working life change it.
Q. A Quote that sums up your time at the University? Challenging but worth it – I’d do it all again!.
Many thanks to Business Technology Graduate Dan Hawkes (BT), Web Development Graduate Jordan Crocker (Senior Web Developer) and Computer Networks Graduate Simon Downes (PhD student) for visiting the University today to talk with our students about their University and Career journey to date, sharing valuable hints and tips for academic and career success. Inspirational invaluable and greatly appreciated. Thank you all.
Q. What is your job title and role? Risk Management Analyst.
Q. Could you briefly describe the organisation you work for? I work for a company called Arcadis which is the Leading Global Design & Consultancy firm for natural and built assets. Applying deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. We have 28,000 people active in over 70 countries that generate more than €3 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world.
Q. Which skills learned at University are helpful to you in your job? The first role at the company included working with database formulas which I learnt on the course. These skills helped me complete tasks with ease.
Q. Do you have a typical day and how would you describe it? My typical day would consist of coming into work at 7:30, look at my calendar to see what tasks I have for the day such as: Sitting with peers to discuss new potential risks, attending meetings and presenting findings to senior management.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most? Results, it’s nice to actually see some improvement in your work and receive recognition from it.
Q. Do you have any advice for students who would like to start a Career? I think personally having a degree is crucial for really kick-starting your career.
And as cheesy as it sounds the advice I would provide is never give up!
There were times on my course where I didn’t understand information, contemplated is this what I wanted to do? But as long as you have the mentality to never give up and be hopeful that something will come out of it then something will. Then you can apply that mentality not just to the course you’re doing but also to the career you’re seeking.
Q. A Quote that sums up your time at the University? Highs and lows, but worth the Graft.
UWTSD Applied Computing Blog 