VFX AND 3D PRODUCTION | INDEPENDENT GAME PRODUCTION | GAME GRAPHICS PRODUCTION | GAME DEVELOPMENT

howest.be
howest.be
Maikel Vijt | 3D2 | 1st year

Jonas Vandeputte | 3D2 | 1st year

WELCOME
Hello!

So your search for the right study programme has lead you to the Bachelor in Digital Arts and
Entertainment (DAE) at Howest University College… And now you have to find an answer to the all-
important question: ‘is studying DAE the best thing for me, and at this point in my life?’ This is a big
decision indeed, because DAE is not a life choice you should make lightly. If you choose to come study
with us, you will be taken on an intense rollercoaster ride through a world in which your perseverance,
your creativity and your passion will be tried and tested. But above all, DAE is an environment where
you can grow, learn and develop the skills you will need in order to be successful in the challenging and
demanding games, 3D and VFX sector. As we said: not an easy decision!

The DAE curriculum educates you to become an entry-level technical artist for the international games
or VFX industry. It is a three-year full-time Bachelor programme. During these studies, we try to reflect
as closely as possible the working conditions and methods from the industry. Hence our strong focus
on the production pipeline and on being productive as one of many people in a larger team.

At DAE, you can choose from 4 majors, depending on your individual skills and interests:

-- 3D Production and VFX

-- Game Graphics Production
-- Game Development
-- Independent Game Production

Your choice depends on the kind of job and industry you want to end up in. If you want to develop games and program gameplay,
tools and engines, then Game Development is the path to choose. If on the other hand you want to focus on making worlds,
creating objects, levels and characters for games, then Game Graphics Production will be your preferred playground. If you dream
of making complete games by yourself or in small teams, producing the graphics and code as well as taking care of the business
side of your game, then you will do well in Independent Game Production. And if games are not your thing, but you want to create
stunning VFX for movies, TV series, ads or other 3D productions, then the 3D Production and VFX major will be your perfect match.

But whichever major you go for, only choose DAE if you are serious about your ambitions and if you are prepared to put in the time,
effort and ‘grit’ it will take. If you fit into this picture, then we are more than happy to welcome you.

Best regards,

Rik Leenknegt,
Academic Director DAE.

Cover art by: Dovydas Budrys (Wolfenstein fan art) / Tim Moreels (Gallywix Blizzard Entertainment fan art) / Niels Timmerman (Ekho fan art)
ESSENTIALS
WHAT IS DAE?
-- An internationally-focused, English-taught Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Arts and Entertainment
-- Specialisation in Game Development, Game Graphics Production, Independent Game Production or 3D Production & VFX
-- A 3-year full-time programme, 180 ECTS credits
-- At Howest University College in Flanders, Belgium, Europe

WHY DAE?
-- High-quality university in the heart of Western Europe, with comparatively low tuition fees
-- Industry-approved and award-winning curriculum, with alumni in leading companies and studios all over the world
-- Unique: technical artist profile. No matter which major you choose, you will have a good grasp of what your colleagues are
up to, which makes cooperation easier
-- Study in the small, comprehensive, safe and beautiful historic city of Kortrijk, at the banks of the river Leie, where over 1000
years of history meet with modern architecture and design

STUDYING AT DAE
-- in an open, inclusive and international community
-- real-life, team-based and industry-assessed projects and assignments
-- practically-oriented education and training by qualified experts
-- international guest lectures by key industry speakers
-- state-of-the-art equipment and facilities

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS DAE

-- Close proximity to the UK, France, The Netherlands and Germany – discover Europe while you’re here
-- Join our study trips to the UK, USA and Japan
-- Spend a study semester at one of our partner universities in another country
-- Go on international, high-profile internships
-- Start building your international network by meeting students from all over the world

TECHNOLOGIES USED AT DAE

Autodesk 3D Studio Max, Autodesk Maya, Unreal UDK, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Pixologic Zbrush, PS3 Dev Kit, Adobe
After Effects, Adobe CS4, C++, .NET Framework (C#), Eyeon Fusion, Microsoft Visual Studio Professional, DirectX SDK, Unity,
MySql, Lumonix ShaderFX, Nvidia FX Composer, Nvidia PhysX SDK, fmod, Open GL ES, WebGL, Maxscript, HLSL, GLSL, …
Brecht Lecluyse | 3D1 | 1st year
MAJOR 3D PRODUCTION & VFX
In this major, you will be completely submerged in the world of 3D animation and VFX, mastering the workflow from storyboard
to finished product.

Learn to construct visually appealing shots based on 2D and 3D. Artistic feeling, technique and strong conceptualising abilities
go hand in hand in this more graphically-oriented major. The magic and glamour of the film, 3D animation and VFX industry will
gradually reveal its secrets and be replaced by a thorough insight into the production pipeline of image composition, postproduction
techniques and 2D and 3D content creation.

You will also possess the necessary technical baggage and scripting skills to optimise your own production process and enhance
your production speed, whenever necessary. ‘Time is money’ is not an empty phrase for you, and you will back this up with a good
knowledge of the professional software tools used in the sector.

STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Semester 5 is our so-called ‘mobility window’. This means that it can be substituted by a study semester abroad at one of our
international partner universities in Europe or worldwide. These partner universities have all been extensively screened, to
ensure that the quality of your study programme abroad meets the DAE standards, and that the experience has an added value
on all accounts.

INTERNSHIP
In their final semester, just before graduation, DAE students go on an 18-week internship. The internships take place in 3D and
VFX studios all over the world. Finding and securing the best possible internship is an important part of your senior year – a large
number of DAE students get offered a job at the company where they did their internship.

FUTURE JOBS
-- Character modeller
-- Rigging artist for VFX
-- 3D artist
-- Compositor
-- Character animator
-- Rotoscoper
-- Technical artist
-- Render supervisor
-- …

The study programme is continuously under development and could therefore be slightly different from the one printed here. >
For the most current information, check out our website: www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
MAJOR 3D PRODUCTION & VFX: CURRICULUM
SEMESTER 1

VISUAL APPLIED MATH

PROGRAMMING
PREPRODUCTION 1 3D LOW POLY LANGUAGE & PHYSICS
FOR ARTISTS 1
FOR VFX FUNDAMENTALS
SEMESTER 2

PROGRAMMING
PREPRODUCTION 2 3D HIGH POLY VFX PIPELINE VFX PREPARATION
FOR ARTISTS 2

VFX TRACK *
SEMESTER 3

VFX SIMULATION 1 KEYING AND TRACKING 1

CHARACTER ANIMATION TRACK

DIGITAL SCULPTING 3D PRODUCTION COMPOSITING CHARACTER DESIGN & CREATION 1 ANIMATION 1

LOOK DEV TRACK

CHARACTER DESIGN & CREATION 1 STYLIZED DESIGN & CREATION 1

VFX TRACK
SEMESTER 4

VFX SIMULATION 2 KEYING AND TRACKING 2

VFX CHARACTER ANIMATION TRACK

RIGGING SCRIPTING
PROJECTS CHARACTER DESIGN & CREATION 2 ANIMATION 2

LOOK DEV TRACK

CHARACTER DESIGN & CREATION 2 STYLIZED DESIGN & CREATION 2
SEMESTER 5

GROUP PROJECT GRADUATION WORK

SEMESTER 6

INTERNSHIP

* Choose between one of the three tracks

Hannes Sap | Simulations | 2nd year

Steven De Meyer | Animation | 3rd year Pieterjan Dhulster | VFX project | 2nd year
MAJOR GAME GRAPHICS PRODUCTION
This major is aimed specifically at creating worlds and characters for games. Bringing objects to life and making levels playable,
are the major themes in Game Graphics Production.

You are one of the pillars of the content-creation pipeline of AAA games.

Starting from concept art or a design document, you can translate the graphical style set by an art director into AAA-quality game
assets. Like the game developers, you have a thorough technical insight in the production pipeline, and you are able to strike the
right balance between the quality of the work you deliver, and productivity.

You master a broad range of 2D and 3D techniques, so you are able to select the perfect mix of skills and tools for any given
situation. The virtual world you reside in, is rendered real time!

To you, a game engine is not an empty concept. An in-depth knowledge of the workings of a game engine and the implementation
of game assets in a game engine is what sets you apart from other artists.

STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Semester 5 is our so-called ‘mobility window’. This means that it can be substituted by a study semester abroad at one of our
international partner universities in Europe or worldwide. These partner universities have all been extensively screened, to
ensure that the quality of your study programme abroad meets the DAE standards, and that the experience has an added value
on all accounts.

INTERNSHIP
In their final semester, just before graduation, DAE students go on an 18-week internship. The internships take place in a wide
range of companies and organisations all over the world, from AAA game, 3D and VFX studios to young and dynamic indie
companies. Finding and securing the best possible internship is an important part of your senior year – a large number of DAE
students get offered a job at the company where they did their internship.

FUTURE JOBS
-- Level designer
-- Character modeller
-- Game rigging artist
-- Environment modeller
-- Level designer
-- Technical artist
-- Game designer
-- Game animator
-- …

The study programme is continuously under development and could therefore be slightly different from the one printed here. >
For the most current information, check out our website: www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
MAJOR GAME GRAPHICS PRODUCTION: CURRICULUM
SEMESTER 1

VISUAL APPLIED MATH

PROGRAMMING
PREPRODUCTION 1 3D LOW POLY LANGUAGE & PHYSICS
FOR ARTISTS 1
FOR GGP FUNDAMENTALS
SEMESTER 2

PROGRAMMING
PREPRODUCTION 2 3D HIGH POLY PROTOTYPING GAME ART
FOR ARTISTS 2
SEMESTER 3

GAME ASSET LEVEL REALTIME FX ELECTIVE

DIGITAL SCULPTiNG
PIPELINE EDITING 1 & RIGGING MODULE*
SEMESTER 4

LEVEL GAME LEVEL ELECTIVE

SCRIPTING
DECORATION PROJECTS EDITING 2 MODULE*
SEMESTER 5

GROUP PROJECT GRADUATION WORK

SEMESTER 6

INTERNSHIP

* Choose between CHARACTER DESIGN and CREATION or ANIMATION or STYLIZED DESIGN AND CREATION
Nico Cluckers | Game Graphics | 2nd year
Hendrik Coppens | Game Graphics | 2nd year
MAJOR GAME DEVELOPMENT
This major is aimed specifically at games programming. Your role here is to write efficient, optimised code, to provide the best
possible gaming experience for the player.

In Game Development we concentrate on the programming aspects of AAA games – pur sang development with a focus on
graphics and gameplay programming, using C++ and a 3D API. This distinguishes you from a traditional programmer: the end
result is always a real-time application (game, AR, VR, simulation, …). You are responsible for turning all the separate elements
into a coherent product, which means you will be spending a lot of time on and in game engines!

Your thorough knowledge of the 3D pipeline and game engines allows you to efficiently combine various assets within a professional
engine into a finished game project. The focus is not on designing the content yourself, but on creating it and implementing it on
the technical level. 3D translated into code!

STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Semester 5 is our so-called ‘mobility window’. This means that it can be substituted by a study semester abroad at one of our
international partner universities in Europe or worldwide. These partner universities have all been extensively screened, to
ensure that the quality of your study programme abroad meets the DAE standards, and that the experience has an added value
on all accounts.

INTERNSHIP
In their final semester, just before graduation, DAE students go on an 18-week internship.The internships take place in a wide
range of companies and organisations all over the world, from AAA game, 3D and VFX studios to young and dynamic indie
companies. Finding and securing the best possible internship is an important part of your senior year – a large number of DAE
students get offered a job at the company where they did their internship.

FUTURE JOBS
-- 3D programmer
-- Level designer
-- Console programmer
-- Technical artist
-- Gameplay programmer
-- Tool developer
-- Shader developer
-- Asset implementation
-- …

The study programme is continuously under development and could therefore be slightly different from the one printed here. >
For the most current information, check out our website: www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
MAJOR GAME DEVELOPMENT: CURRICULUM
SEMESTER 1

VISUAL
APPLIED MATH
GAME TECH 1 2D FOR GAMES LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING 1
& PHYSICS 1
FOR GD
SEMESTER 2

APPLIED MATH
ALGORITHMS 3D LOW POLY PROTOTYPING PROGRAMMING 2
& PHYSICS 2
SEMESTER 3

LEVEL GRAPHICS
GAME TECH 2 3D FOR GAMES 1 PROGRAMMING 3
EDITING PROGRAMMING 1
SEMESTER 4

GAMEPLAY GAME GRAPHICS

3D FOR GAMES 2 PROGRAMMING 4
PROGRAMMING PROJECTS PROGRAMMING 2
SEMESTER 5

GROUP PROJECT GRADUATION WORK

SEMESTER 6

INTERNSHIP
Antigravitator team | Game Project | 2nd year
Thomas Van Nuffel | Graduation Work | 3rd year

Simon Coenen | Graphics Programming 2 | 2nd year

MAJOR INDEPENDENT GAME PRODUCTION
This major is aimed specifically at developing games by yourself or in smaller teams. Therefore we focus on the necessary
graphical as well as programming skills, ánd on developing concepts and managing a business.

The games industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar market. Once upon a time AAA games were king, and console or pc
were the main game development platform. But times are changing, new platforms are on the rise and new business models are
generating more revenue than ever. As an independent game developer you are an entrepreneur, combining your creative and
technical skills in order to design, develop and market your games. Unlike more traditional game studio employees, you don’t
specialise in one single discipline, but you require a broad knowledge of all areas in the production.

On the one hand, you will have to come up with unique, compelling and innovative game design ideas. Then top this up with strong
2D and 3D skills and an in-depth knowledge of UX and UI, so you can easily create a style, setting and mood for any casual game.
And at the same time, your strong programming skills will enable you to program games for any platform, be it mobile and pc or
newly-emerging platforms like VR or wearables. Gameplay will always be at the forefront of your mind, and wherever needed,
you use middleware to speed up the production process. Marketing, monetisation, retention, target audience, scrum, business
models, project management, communication skills… are topics that will be covered to enable you to make better and more
profitable games. You will also be guided through the different steps of setting up your own company. We even give you the
possibility to kick-start your own company in our incubator during the last semester of your studies.

STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Semester 5 is our so-called ‘mobility window’. This means that it can be substituted by a study semester abroad at one of our
international partner universities in Europe or worldwide. These partner universities have all been extensively screened, to
ensure that the quality of your study programme abroad meets the DAE standards, and that the experience has an added value
on all accounts.

INTERNSHIP
In their final semester, just before graduation, DAE students do an 18-week internship. The internships take place in a wide range
of companies and organisations all over the world, from AAA game, 3D and VFX studios to young and dynamic indie companies.
Or why not start up your own company in our incubator and test your business skills firsthand?

FUTURE JOBS
-- Indie game developer
-- Game designer
-- Applied game developer
-- Mobile game developer
-- Casual game developer
-- 2D/3D designer
-- Producer
-- …
The study programme is continuously under development and could therefore be slightly different from the one printed here. >
For the most current information, check out our website: www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
MAJOR INDEPENDENT GAME PRODUCTION: CURRICULUM
SEMESTER 1

VISUAL
APPLIED MATH PLATFORM
2D FOR GAMES 1 3D LOW POLY LANGUAGE
& PHYSICS DEVELOPMENT 1
FOR IGP
SEMESTER 2

BUSINESS PLATFORM
2D FOR GAMES 2 GAME ART 1 PROTOTYPING
MANAGEMENT 1 DEVELOPMENT 2
SEMESTER 3

GAME BUSINESS PLATFORM

GAME ART 2 DATA HANDLING 1
PROTOTYPING 1 MANAGEMENT 2 DEVELOPMENT 3
SEMESTER 4

GAME BUSINESS PLATFORM

GAME ART 3 DATA HANDLING 2
PROTOTYPING 2 MANAGEMENT 3 DEVELOPMENT 4
SEMESTER 5

GROUP PROJECT GRADUATION WORK

SEMESTER 6

INTERNSHIP
Red Friday team | Game Prototyping | 2nd year
Tiderunner team | Game Prototyping | 2nd year

Llama Llama Dog team | Group Project | 3rd year

WILL DAE PREPARE YOU
FOR THE INDUSTRY?
DAE graduates are top-quality and can easily compete with
students from all over the world, which shows in:

-- the extensive list of high-profile international companies

our alumni are working at;
-- the number of internship offers and job opportunities for
our students and graduates;
-- the publications and online communities where our
students’ and graduates’ work is prominently featured
(Polycount, ZBrush Central, Artstation, Sketchfab, The
Rookies, Exposé, …)
-- the large number of international competitions in which
our students stand out;
-- the enthusiastic feedback we’re getting from our
industry network on our students’ and graduates’ skills.

Studying at DAE will constantly push you to grow and get

better at what you do and how you do it. Through all this hard
work, your skills will increase, sharpen and improve, and
you will be able to achieve stricter deadlines, more complex
projects and challenging new technologies.

All this will prepare you for a job in the industry, in your home
country or abroad, and the internship in your final year will
be a big step towards your future career. Choosing where
you want to do your internship is again an important decision.
Will you go for the games or VFX industry, pick animation,
architectural visualisation, advertising, serious games, hard-
core programming, VR or the many other sectors where 3D
is making a massive difference? All this – and more – is
possible.

Internships can take place all over the world, and many of
our students continue to work in those companies after they
graduate. So far our students and graduates have ventured
out to 20 countries, from Austria, Belgium, Canada, China,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Malta, The Netherlands, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey, to the UK and the USA. But
by the time you read this, you can be certain we will have
covered new ground.
CAMPUS THE LEVEL
Digital Arts and Entertainment has its own campus building, The Level, which clearly reflects our and our students’ ambitions.
When entering The Level, the link to a first-person shooter or action-adventure game is easily made. The raw materials, the level
differences, the ‘peculiar’ staircase, the overview of the space, the mystical light coming through the atrium – it all contributes to
the overall atmosphere. The Level is also a multifunctional building, where everything revolves around (interactive) 3D. So what
exactly goes on here?

EDUCATION: DAE
You can’t miss the 800 students who are occupying the grounds. Besides classes, The Level hosts many student activities and
events, such as weekly industry sessions, workshops, game jams, study and film nights, …

DAE RESEARCH
DAE Research is the research cell of our Digital Arts and Entertainment study programme. Their focus is on applied research on
the use of game technology in non-game sectors, such as healthcare, architecture, cultural heritage and many more.
Besides their own projects and demand-driven cooperation with a wide range of companies and organisations, DAE Research also
supports and coaches companies and other knowledge institutions in starting up a project: from defining the research questions
and drawing up project plans and funding applications, to executing and following up on the project.

INCUBATION CENTRE
At the heart of The Level, an entire floor is reserved for our start-up and incubation centre: a place to encourage and foster start-
ups, or welcome established studios. The incubator provides office space, equipment and a large expertise network, to young
entrepreneurs specialising in 3D-related content or services.

Do you want to have your offices in a stimulating environment like this? Contact [email protected]

KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE CENTRE

The Level has an extensive green key with Mocap and state-of-the-art equipment. Our students learn to work with these materials
and in this environment, so they are familiar with the latest technology in their field. Our knowledge and competence centre also
comprises an audio studio, editing studio and a multi-purpose meeting and conference room.

These facilities are also available to the companies in our incubator, and can be rented by other businesses and organisations.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Jakob Vandenabeele | Character Creation | 2nd year
Tom Delboo | Game Art Pipeline | 2nd year
STUDYING AT HOWEST: MORE THAN JUST CLASSES
DAE is hard work, but we offer a lot of extra opportunities:

GAME JAM and FILM JAM

For the 2nd-year students, classes during the first week of the second semester are cancelled for the game/film jam, in which
teams of 5 create their own game or short film in no more than 3 days!

We also actively encourage and support our students to take part in other game jams and in a wide range of competitions in
Belgium and abroad.

CAREER/INTERNSHIP FAIR
Each year in October, when our senior students are looking for an internship, we organise a big fair on campus, where dozens of
companies from different countries come to The Level to introduce themselves and their internship offer to our students, and get
the opportunity to interview the candidates.

INDUSTRY SESSIONS
Every Tuesday, companies are invited to give presentations to DAE students and staff, to enlighten and inspire us with their
passion and expertise. Subjects can vary from artistic or programming projects to level design workshops, from a post-mortem
of a newly-released game to a movie breakdown or a TEDx presentation.

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT and STUDY NIGHTS

Every Thursday evening, the campus stays open late for students of all years, to study together and help each other out in an
informal setting, with extra focus on the bigger deadlines and assignments that are due around that time.

But also at other times, our dynamic Community Manager organises activities and events for our students. On top of that, interna-
tional students and their buddies find a ‘home away from home’ at The Oasis, our international students’ lounge, where they can
organise their own gatherings, movie nights and events.

STUDY TRIPS to England, the United States or Japan

The DAE study trips are one of the highlights of your study career. They give you a chance to visit world-famous companies, take
a look behind the scenes, get first-hand invaluable advice from industry professionals and maybe even secure an internship or
job offer.

Companies we have visited in the previous years are Valve, Arenanet, Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, Facebook, PopCap, Unity,
Pixar, Electronic Arts, MPC, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Splash Damage, Guerrilla Games Cambridge, The Creative Assembly,
Boss Alien, Studio Gobo, Jagex, Exient, Natural Motion, and many more!
Vilma Pekola | Preproduction 2 | 1st year Jakob Vandenabeele | Preproduction 2 | 1st year
WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS SAYING ABOUT US
“Howest-DAE is a world class university, the four students (so far) that I’ve worked alongside in studio internships have all run
with AAA experienced dev crews within their first weeks, all concluding their internships with showcase features and in-game
artwork in top-quality released games and have gone on to launch themselves as hugely influential and successful talents in
the game-dev industry.”
Jason Green (Studio Art Director - Gobo Brighton)

“Education and know-how is the proper base for a future career. A lot of DAE talent has found a place at Grid – not just because
DAE is an important step towards becoming a professional digital artist, but also because DAE is constantly fine-tuning its
curriculum together with the industry, in order to deliver the best quality. We consider DAE the best Belgian pool of well-edu-
cated talent. We’ve always found the right level of expertise and the mentality we demand, when we welcome the students from
DAE.”
Jan Goossen (Owner – Grid VFX)

“During my 5 years at Boss Alien we’ve employed 4 students from the Howest DAE programme and all of them have had an
amazing impact on our products, in fact, it’s safe to say we’ve never encountered a student from the DAE course that isn’t
industry standard. There’s a running joke in Boss Alien where people think that Howest is actually the name of the factory that
3d prints our Tech Artists.”
Dan Rossati (Art Director – Boss Alien)

“From Guerrilla Cambridge’s side of things, it’s always a pleasure to meet your students – they were, as ever, amongst the very
best we saw.”
Mark Green (Senior Producer - Guerrilla Cambridge | Sony Interactive Entertainment)

“We were lucky to have two very talented DAE students from HOWEST doing their internships at elite3d. They came really well
prepared and it took them very little to adapt to our demanding productions. In fact, both students are now part of our AAA
development staff. We feel very grateful to HOWEST and with no doubt we´ll keep this perfect symbiosis in the future.”
Jose Luis Queral (Art Director - Elite3d)

“We have been working with DAE for several years and are always happy with DAE students. The curriculum matches our re-
quirements very well.”
Maurice Sibrandi (CTO and Co-founder – Codeglue)

“Howest-DAE is a source of future great talent of the video game industry . We welcomed 6 students during the last 4 years.
They were all talented 3d artists and designers. We fully integrated them in our team and they were working on our games
like any other employee of Black Forest Games. The main proof of their talent is that all the work they did has been integrated
and used in our final released games. The 2 students who did their internship this year will probably become employees of our
studio. After their internship I can say that they can work in any AAA studio. This is the result of their talent, but also of the great
mentorship and education they got at Howest University.”
Eric Urocki (Technical Art Director – Black Forest Games)
Frederic Degraeve | Game Art 2 | 2nd year
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT
HOWEST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
DIGITAL ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: a Bachelor’s degree at HOWEST
-- Howest is a modern, creative, innovative and entrepreneurial university college;
-- with campuses in Bruges and Kortrijk, Belgium;
-- over 6000 full-time students;
-- 23 Bachelor degree programmes;
-- renowned for developing unique and successful study programmes in close cooperation
with industry partners: Digital Arts and Entertainment, Devine – Digital Design and
Development, Computer & Cyber Crime Professional, Network Economics,
Entertainment Marketing, Industrial Product Design, Applied Architecture, ….

HOWEST STIP: STUDENT INFORMATION POINT

-- Howest students can address STIP for help and guidance with financing, housing,
study issues, independent living, student jobs, mobility, sports, cultural activities and
much more!
-- More information about what STIP can do for you can be found at: www.howest.be/
stip

MEALS AND STUDENT RESTAURANT

Belgium is proud of its food culture, so it is almost impossible to go hungry here! Every
weekday, a selection of democratically-priced dishes (including vegetarian options and
a salad bar) is available at the student cafeteria on Howest Kortrijk’s main campus, less
than 10 minutes’ walking distance from our DAE campus building The Level. There are
also several student-focused snack bars, restaurants and shops within walking distance,
and DAE students can also choose to eat a packed lunch in The Level’s lounge.

Howest works with cashless campuses. Payments can be done with bank cards or with
your student card, on which you can upload money at several spots on the different
campuses.

MULTIMEDIA CENTRE
Scanners, printers and all other material you need for classes or assignments are
available in each campus building. On top of that, Howest Kortrijk’s main campus has
a modern and dynamic library with specialised books and press, computers, printers,
scanners and places to study individually or work in groups. All students have access to
multiple electronic databases, which, in a few clicks, lead to thousands of newspapers,
magazines, specialist journals and scientific publications
HELPDESK AND SOFTWARE
All DAE students work on their own laptop. It is vital for your studies that this laptop remains in good order, and to help you with
that, we have an on-site helpdesk at Howest Kortrijk’s nearby main campus, where our IT service agents can assist you with all
your problems and questions concerning hardware and software.

Laptops can be purchased via Howest, as part of a group purchase at an external company. There are a few advantages to this
(e.g. a replacement laptop if your own laptop has to be repaired), but it is by no means obligatory – every student is free to bring
their own laptop to class. More information about the laptop project and about the minimum required specifications can be
found at www.howest.be/laptops.

Howest chooses to work with legal software only. We have however negotiated good deals for educational and student licenses,
so our students can download and use all the necessary software for a small amount, included in the study cost (indicative price
for 1-st year students: under 75€., included in the study cost.)

INTERNET, PRINTERS and COPIERS

With your Howest account, you have access to high-speed campus-wide Wi-Fi on all university locations in Kortrijk and Bruges.
All students also have a student card, with which they can use the state-of-the-art scanners, printers and copiers on any
Howest Kortrijk campus.

FESTIVALS and EVENTS

Howest loves arts, culture and design in all its forms. Howest not only sponsors local cultural activities and concerts, but orga-
nises its own annual festival, recently renamed from Howestival to ‘TL;DR festival’, showcasing local and student bands, food
trucks and all kinds of activities. This festival is organised by the students themselves, with the support of STIP, our Student
Information Point.

Every year towards the end of June, Howest organises Bump Festival, where you can get your mind blown by illustrators,
graphic designers, UX experts, creative coders and motion graphics artists.

QUINDO
Quindo is an open-minded and audacious web radio for and by young Kortrijk. Students and other volunteers bring you a range
of musical styles and original radio shows about the city of Kortrijk – or the rest of the world. Particularly noteworthy here are:

-- ‘Happy Trails’, a show focused on travelling and getting to know the world (with Howest’s international students);
-- ‘Level Up’, a show about computer and video games and game culture.

Tom Delboo | Character Creation | 2nd year

 nd year | 2nd year
Jakob De
Emiel Vandenabeele
Paepe | Level
| Character
Editing | 2Creation
Bram Nicaise | Game Asset Pipeline | 2nd year

Jeroen Devriendt | Graduation Work | 3rd year

PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT
BELGIUM, FLANDERS AND KORTRIJK
Digital Arts and Entertainment is a study programme of Howest University College’s
campus in the city of Kortrijk. Kortrijk is located in the beautiful region
of Flanders – the Northern half of Belgium.

WHY COME TO FLANDERS, BELGIUM?

-- The standard of education in Flanders is one of the highest in Europe;
-- Flemish people are known for speaking several foreign languages. As good as everyone you meet will speak English well,
and most people are happy to switch to English and help you out if there would be anything you don’t understand. You will
also find many people who speak or understand French, German, Spanish, Italian and many other languages;
-- Flemish cities have a rich cultural heritage and a diverse and vibrant nightlife;
-- Our gastronomic reputation is well known around the world: Belgian chocolate, beer, fries or waffles – we cater to many
different tastes;
-- Belgium is a small country with good public transportation, so it is easy to visit the nearby cities of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp
and Brussels. Or travel to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Rome, Barcelona or Madrid, which are all in a 3-hour
radius around us by train or plane.

ACCOMMODATION IN KORTRIJK
Students in Kortrijk tend to rent rooms in the private market. Kortrijk has a surplus of student rooms, which means there is a
wide offer, and student rooms tend to be of good quality. There is also a city-wide evaluation system of student room quality and
safety. Via www.kotwest.be students can easily find suitable accommodation.

We advise to look for a room in the vicinity of our ‘The Level’ campus building (address: Botenkopersstraat 2, Kortrijk), because
that’s where most of your friends are likely to be, and it will be most convenient for classes and other activities.

TRANSPORT IN KORTRIJK
Kortrijk is a fairly small city, and our campuses are located at walking distance from the city centre and the train station. For
longer distances and to get to the other side of town, we recommend getting a bicycle or taking the bus.

-- BIKE: the most efficient way to get around in Kortrijk is by bike. The non-profit organisation Mobiel rents out bicycles for
only 5 € per month. For more information: www.mobiel.be/en
-- BUS: Howest students get a free bus pass, linked to their Howest student card. Always take your student card with you
when taking the bus.
JOIN US
APPLICATION DEADLINE
You can find the exact application deadline for each academic
year on our website at www.digitalartsandentertainment.com.
This will generally be in the second half of August, a good month
before our academic year starts at the end of September.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE and TUITION FEES

Check out the ‘Apply Now’ section of our website for up-to-date
information about the admission requirements, application ma-
terials and tuition fees.

www.digitalartsandentertainment.com

VISA
Students from non-European Union countries may need a visa to
enter Belgian territory.

For questions regarding visa and related matters, you should

contact the Belgian embassy or Belgian consulate in your coun-
try or a neighbouring country.

You can find more information on the website of the Belgian Im-
migration Office at dofi.ibz.be.

You cannot enter Belgium on a tourist visa if you intend to stay

longer than 90 days or 3 months.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
For all further questions about applying to DAE, contact:

Kristel Balcaen
Director DAE Global
[email protected]

Gert-Jan Van De Put | Character Creation | 2nd year

CONTACT OR VISIT US

CONTACT DAE
Address: Botenkopersstraat 2, 8500 Kortrijk – BELGIUM
Website: www.digitalartsandentertainment.com
Telephone: +32 (0) 56 23 43 60
Email:
Director DAE Global: Ms. Kristel BALCAEN: [email protected]
Academic Director DAE: Mr. Rik LEENKNEGT: [email protected]
Director DAE Research: Ms. Vicky VERMEULEN: [email protected]
General information: [email protected]

OPEN HOUSE DAYS

Howest University and DAE have regular open days, during which you can visit the campus, talk to staff and students, and get all
the information about DAE you could wish for.
Check out the dates at www.howest.be/infodagen or on the event calendar at www.digitalartsandentertainment.com.

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL DAE

For international students of 16 years and older, who consider applying to DAE in the future, we offer the opportunity to try out
DAE during a 5-day summer school in August.

Are you passionate about creating video games? Have you been making mods, are you drawing, 3D-modelling or learning C# or
C++ in your free time? Then join us for the summer school and experience first-hand if you would be happy at DAE.

More information on the website www.howest.be/daesummerschool.

Alexander Delagrange | Character Creation | 2nd year

 Marie Claeys | Graduation Work | 3rd year

Thijs De Rijcke | Game Preproduction | 2nd year

www.digitalartsandentertainment.com

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