Last Updated on January 2, 2024

Esports has become one of the fastest growing and most exciting segments of the sports world. The sports industry is growing and esports are way ahead of the curve with no limit in sight yet as to just how prominent they may become in our culture and economy.

In this guide:

The Business of Esports
Is an Esports Degree Worth It?
What do you Learn in an Esports Degree Program?
What Kind of Value Does an Esports Management Degree Provide?
What do you learn in an Esports Degree Program?
Esports Degrees Lead to Esports Jobs
Esports Master’s Degrees
Esports Bachelor’s Degrees
Esports Certificate Programs

In this guide, we’ll talk about the exciting possibilities of studying esports in graduate school, the challenges and opportunities you’ll encounter as an esports student and professional, and we’ll help you kick off your esports degree search with our list of the best programs in America.

The Business of Esports

The business of Esports has officially arrived. With growing viewership and a legion of dedicated young fans, it is widely accepted that Esports has more growth potential than almost any other part of the sports and entertainment industry. Sports Degrees Online recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Michelle Harrolle, Director of the Sport Management program at USF and author of Business of Esports: The Wild West is on Fire. Dr. Harrolle understands how Esports is fundamentally different than the rest of the sports industry, and how much potential for growth it has,

“Esports is all about community. And I think when people are skeptical about Esports, if you come at it from that, from the lens of ‘it’s a community’, you get it…In 2019 – only 2019 – viewership of Esports worldwide was about 400 million. In five years’ time, it’s already up to almost 600 million. In the US alone, it was a bit over 25 million in terms of viewers in the US. We’re expected to get close to 50 million in 2023.”

Dr. Michelle Harrolle, Director of Sport Management at USF

These Esports viewership numbers stand in stark contrast to those of kind of numbers professional sports leagues like MLB who are losing young viewers at a rapid rate. Kuu Hagan of Medium.com recently wrote that

“Esports is considered the world’s fastest-growing sport. It’s no longer considered a phenomenon occurring in the basements of the unemployed youth. With total viewership expected to grow at 9% CAGR Year on Year (YoY) between 2019 and 2023, Esports is mainstream.”

Dr. Michelle Harrollw, University of South Florida

Is an Esports Degree Worth it?

In a word, yes. In a business with the kind of potential that comes with the growth rates outlined above, the Esports industry needs sport and entertainment experts to help the business function, thrive, and profit.

Since Esports is delivered in a different manner than other sports, Esports leagues and teams have hardly begun to scratch the surface of the revenue-generating potential. Again, Professor Michelle Harrolle,

“Esports is behind [other sports right now, but] they’re an emerging market in the sport and entertainment business. I use that word ‘entertainment’ a lot because at the end of the day, the big umbrella is entertainment. A lot of leagues and teams get a [large portion] of their money from media rights, but because of the way Esports are streamed is different, [advertisers are] catching up. They’re not quite mainstream where they’re visible on EPSN all the time, but they’re getting there. And I think when the younger generation starts to become older, you’ll see Esports really elevated to more mainstream [media]… [But in short], I think it’s only going to continue to grow exponentially.”

Dr. Michelle Harrolle, USF

In order to do this, the industry needs a workforce that understands how the business of sport and entertainment works. In other words, the demand for graduates with a degree in Esports or Esports Management is strong and expected to get stronger in the coming years.

What Kind of Value Does an Esports Management Degree Provide?

In order to make your way in the emerging Esports world, there are crucial concepts, skills, and competencies that must be learned. This is precisely why many of the best, most forward-thinking higher education institutions have begun offering Esports degree programs, or at the very least concentrations and certificates focused on Esports.

Just like with Sport Management, it takes a lot more to be successful in Esports than simply being a fan. In order to succeed, individuals must be passionate about the business of Esports. For young people who are passionate about Esports and the community that surrounds them, a degree in Esports equips you with the tools you need to turn a passion into a lucrative career. The value-add that an understanding of what an Esport fan can bring to Esports Management is immense, as Dr. Harrolle explains below,

“Esports is a form of entertainment, and I think if you understand the business of consumers that are more highly identified with any sport – whether that be sport or Esports – the more you can understand the consumer, the better off you will be. Getting a business degree is probably the most important piece of that, and then tying in an understanding of that specific market segment.

Professor Michelle Harrolle, USF

While earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree in esports, you will be learning from highly qualified faculty who share a lifetime of academic and professional experience with you. If you love Esports enough to devote several years of study and your entire future to it, expect to get out as much as you put into it.

There are really no financial shortcuts or ways to cut the time and effort into building the foundations of business skills that will help you have a successful career. The time and work you put in during your education and early in your career pay off significantly, if not immediately.

In sports and entertainment, relationships and networking provide career opportunities in the near future and well down the road when needed. Top Esports Degree programs teach students how to nurture and develop these relationships with fellow students, professors, and industry professionals. As a student and an intern, it is impossible to overstate the importance of these connections – they are invaluable. Dr. Harrolle believes that relationship building is a core part of an Esports degree program,

“We are continuously building relationships between our students and our partners. We have a mentorship program as well where students are actually paired up with alumni, [and it is really incredible the kinds of opportunities that arise from these relationships].”

Dr. Michelle Harrolle, University of South Florida

Esports are bringing together traditional sports fans as well as a whole segment of the population that have never been a part of the traditional sports market, but who are enthusiastically embracing new platforms and formats of online sporting events. Working in a fulfilling job that you’re passionate about with people who share your interests is the greatest return on investment.

Corporations are investing heavily in sponsorships, streaming platforms, betting, game development, and other facets of Esports while year over year viewership and participation in the market soars across every region of the world.

While many people are passionate about playing, watching, and discussing Esports, success in the business Esports requires business savvy and hard work. If you are serious about making Esports your career, equipping yourself with an advanced degree is among the smartest things you can do. You simply can’t afford to miss out on the networking opportunities, the expert instruction of qualified faculty, and structured scenarios in which to hone your skills.

What do you learn in an Esports Degree Program?

This depends on the type of degree and the context of the courses. We’ll break it down by degree type and talk about some of the courses you’ll be taking. 

Esports Master’s Degree Program Classes

There are some similarities across all disciplines at the Master’s degree level. In general, these programs are for students who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree and are now seriously focusing on a career in esports. Many graduate students will have spent some time working in esports and want to improve their expertise, effectiveness, and opportunities within the esports industry. Others come straight out of a bachelor’s program and seek more skills before they enter the job market.

For this guide, we’ll sort esports Master’s degrees into two distinct categories; first, degrees focused solely on esports, and second, Master’s degrees that allow you to choose esports as a concentration within a broader discipline. Concentrations typically mean that within a master’s program such as sport management or sport business, there are core classes that all students will take, and then classes that only students in a particular concentration take. For example, Northeastern University’s Master’s in Sports Leadership requires that all students take the following:

Sports Law
Sports Media Relations
Leadership Development
Ethical Leadership
Leadership and Organization in Sports. 

Then there are a number of elective classes of which you’ll choose two: 

Ticket Sales and Strategies
The Power of Social Media
Preventing Gender-Based Violence, Integrative Experiential Learning
Interdisciplinary Foundations

If you choose a concentration in esports, you’ll also take:

Event Management
Corporate Sponsorships
Game Design Fundamentals
The Business of Esports, and Virtual and Augmented Reality. 

If you find that you’re excited about being in a group of students with diverse interests and career goals within sports and gaining skills that can be useful in a wide variety of sports organizations, this may be a great program for you to enroll in.

However, if you’re already falling asleep just reading the general requirements, but perk right up at some of the more esports-focused classes, you may want to consider a program that is entirely focused on esports. Miami University of Ohio’s Master’s in Esports Management is an example of an esports degree that is more intensively focused on esports.

At Miami, you’ll take these core classes:

Introduction to Esports
Esports Broadcasting
Esports Event Management
The Business of Esports
Special Topics in Esports
Esports Brand Management
Strategic Management of Sport Organizations
Sport Communities and Public Relations
Sport Economics
Legal Issues in Sport Leadership and Management
Esports Performance Psychology and Coaching
Global Sport Perspectives
Sport Administration.

Both programs are very highly regarded and offer exciting internship and capstone possibilities, but when comparing curricula, the difference becomes clearer. As you research programs that you may want to apply to, take note of whether Esports is the focus of the entire program, or a concentration within a broader program.

If you can imagine yourself working in an established sports-oriented company, leading a new division to expand into the esports industry, the concentration may be better for you. You might want to develop skills that would make you an effective leader within a traditional sports organization, then use your specialized experience to bring new perspectives, a basic understanding of the esports market, and a clear vision of how to position your company within this new industry.

Having a solid foundation in skills that apply across the board in any sports-organization would be critical. However, if you are someone who has never had much interest in traditional sports and esports is the only sport and sport industry that you’ve ever wanted to be involved in, It only makes sense that you would want to take more esports classes and spend less on general sports classes. You might find yourself with fewer realistic job opportunities, but more knowledge and value in those jobs that are deeply and exclusively centered on esports.

Esports Bachelor’s Degree Classes

At the bachelor’s degree level, there is an increasing number of programs to choose from. Again, researching the curriculum is an important step in knowing what to expect and whether the program is right for you.

Look carefully at the esports-focused courses you’ll take, which will often include courses on the hardware and software used in gaming, esports events management, esports regulatory structure, and other ‘deep dive’ courses. You should also expect a mix of general sports and business-related courses, event management, accounting, ethics, and communications courses, along with your university’s core programs, which include subjects such as history, math, composition, ethics, and communication.

These general courses offer a chance to interact with students and faculty from various departments at your school, open possible doors for you to explore other majors, minors, and career paths, and give you critical experience and mastery in core skills such as clearly communicating, time management, and critical thinking. Shenandoah University has one of the most advanced esports departments in the world, with both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Esports.

Esports Certificate Classes

Typically, the classes offered in an esports certificate program are the same classes that are offered in an esports bachelor’s or master’s program. Certificates are often categorized as undergraduate or graduate level. You’ll simply take a number of courses to fulfill the certificate requirements.

Esports Master’s Degrees

It is very exciting that there are now several esports master’s degree programs available! These are as academically rigorous as any master’s programs. It’s not all about gaming. You’ll take courses on business, leadership, technology, ethics, and more, just as in any MS or MA program and the workload can be intense. You’ll be learning the skills that will help you build a solid future in a career you’re passionate about. Your peers will share your love of gaming and your non-conformist, tech-forward, future-oriented outlook. It’s an exciting time to be entering the Esports world, and a master’s program will put you in an elite class of Esports movers and shakers. Read on for a complete list of esports master’s degrees in the United States.

Esports Bachelor’s Degrees

Esports bachelor’s programs are on the rise. Typically you’ll focus about 40 of your 120 bachelor’s degree credits on esports content. You may be a player, coach, future entrepreneur, or all of the above. Taking advantage of your school’s esports facilities and participating in esports events adds a level of excitement and real-world practice to your esports education. Here is our guide of the esports programs available in the United States.

Esports Certificate Programs

Esports certificate programs are an attractive way to add to your skill set and employability in the esports industry. Typically four to six classes, there are esports certificates offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. They are a great way to quickly upskill and test the waters of esports in far less time than it takes to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Here are some esports certificate programs to check out:

Esports Degrees Lead to Esports Jobs

Be sure to check out our Esports Career Guide for more in depth information on planning your career in esports. As with any degree, you’ll want to start by looking ahead to the kinds of jobs you’d enjoy in the esports industry. That will in turn help you to zero in on the kinds of programs that will get you where you want to be. Add to that factors like cost, location, format, and faculty, and a picture will begin to emerge of your ideal program and learning situation.  It’s ok not to know for sure where you want to end up, or for your goals to change along the way, but thoughtful consideration of your goals before you begin your college and career search is essential to your long term success.

Esports companies run like any other business, so the positions they hire for, are similar to jobs at any company. Specializing in esports in your education is likely to make you a more attractive candidate for an esports company. Here are just some of the jobs that you can pursue as an esports management program graduate:

Marketing Director

Brand Manager

Creative Strategist

Team Manager

Partnerships Manager

Financial Manager

Coach

Web Developer

Event Coordinator

HR Manager

Visit our Esports Career Guide