Staffordshire University becomes first in UK to offer an esports degree

Staffordshire University has become the first education establishment in the United Kingdom to offer a degree on Esports.

Those choosing to study the course will graduate with a BA (Hons) in Esports, a course that, according to its outline, “focusses on the business of eSports. You will learn how to host small and large scale events for single player and multiplayer teams, create business plans to develop teams, create online communities and promote your events through digital marketing. You will also get the opportunity to explore the culture of eSports, its audience and fan base and different game genres that make up the most popular in current times.”

The course will start in September 2018. Last year, ALPHR named Staffordshire University the best place in the UK to study games design and development. Whether this is worth three years of study and tuition fees (which in the UK now total £27,000 for a three year course) is up to the student, but with no information on who will be teaching the course and what practice skills they’ll provide to assist those who probably already have a strong interest in the sector remains to be seen.

This could become a much more attractive proposition after the upcoming UK election on June 8th, with a recent Labour Party Manifesto stating that they’ll abolish tuition fees for all students. In this case, the course could become a useful way for people to spend their time learning to love what they do without the £30,000 hangover.

The three year course does seem like it has some crossover with other popular creative courses. In first year students will be introduced to esports cultures and learn about streaming, layouts, the business of competitive gaming, events marketing and finally students will start organising an esports event.

The course is currently awaiting approval, and has the ‘Subject to Validation’ tag on the page, with students encouraged to contact the admissions office after applying to confirm that the course will occur.