BIG RAPIDS, MI – Students can now pursue a degree in professional esports production at Ferris State University, learning the business of esports alongside digital media skills like video and audio production, user interface design, livestreaming and more.
The Ferris State Board of Trustees approved the new degree program in professional esports production during its regular meeting Friday, Feb. 18. The cross-disciplinary program, which will be offered fully online, will meet the growing demand among students looking to pursue a career in esports.
“The esports market is emerging as a fast-growing industry with careers in the many related professions,” said Bobby Fleischman, provost and vice president for academic affairs, in a prepared statement.
“This degree program fits nicely with the construction of the Center for Virtual Learning and provides Ferris with a competitive advantage over our Michigan counterparts, as well as an opportunity to offer this degree online to an expanded cohort of students regionally, nationally and beyond.”
Job prospects in the business of esports have grown 185% from 2018 to present, Fleischman told MLive in an interview this week.
There are over 600 students involved in registered student organizations related to competitive esports at Ferris State, he said.
Similarly to the university’s existing degree programs in professional golf and tennis management, the professional esports production program was designed to appeal to students who enjoy esports and want to make a career out of it after their time competing as an esport athlete, Fleischman said.
“While our esports registered student organizations focus on the athlete, what this program does is it looks at the business of esports and the event production, the video production, audio production, interface designing, user experience designing, production, live streaming, and all the jobs that have arisen in professional esports,” he said.
The university expects to enroll around 20 students in the program during its first year, starting in fall 2022. By year three, the program is expected to have around 60 students enrolled, according to a Ferris State news release.
Because the program is being offered fully online, Ferris State officials expect to draw in students from across the state, Fleischman said.
“The potential to attract students from throughout the state of Michigan becomes even more attractive to students not only in Michigan, but around the country and potentially around the world,” he said.
The new degree program will be housed in Ferris State’s College of Business.
The board of trustees also approved a new bachelor’s degree in economics during Friday’s meeting. Previously, the university only offered a minor in economics, Fleischman said.
The university plans to recruit students into the new program by working with high schools and training high school teachers to be able to offer Advanced Placement economics classes, creating an opportunity for dual enrollment, Fleischman said.
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