BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — Esports grew to be over a billion dollar industry in 2021 and is predicted to gross up to $2 billion in 2022.
And as the industry continues to grow, a local university prepares to offer a brand new degree program to teach students skills in graphic design, video editing, motion graphics and post-production.
Ferris State University is launching their Professional Esports Productions Bachelor of Science degree program in the fall semester of 2022.
“With Ferris well established in Digital Animation and Game Design instruction, we can lean on that expertise to help our students learn the advanced elements for user interface design, media production and motion graphics. This is what clients want for their advertising, interactive content, and other messages,” Varun Singireddy, Chair of Professional Esports Production said.
“We are purveyors of augmented reality, so the vast nature of the digital world means we can offer components desirable beyond just entertainment media such as simulations in healthcare, the military, architecture and more,” Singireddy added.
The program will also include classes from other degree programs at Ferris State to achieve a cross-disciplinary degree that can be used in a variety of professional industries that surround the esports scene.
“We believe our curriculum will be valuable to students interested in supporting live streamers or becoming professionals in media management,” Singireddy said. “Influencers want and need the overlays, branding and user interfaces that can make their content more accessible, which increases the attention they receive on their respective platforms.”
Esports 100 will be the first class to be offered in the program this fall and more classes will be available moving forward.
The coursework for the program is entirely online and can be completed by students in Michigan or from locations across the country.
“We are proud to be the first in Michigan to offer learning that focuses on production aspects of competitions and the vlogging of influencers,” said Singireddy.
The university has an esports club with more than 450 participants that compete in leagues in Michigan and nationally.
The Professional Esports Production program will be based in the new Center for Virtual Learning, a new building that will include Ferris’ Esports Arena, a component of the new program.
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