Esports (with a foundation year)

Our BA (Hons) Esports degree is unique as it combines the production side – digital media and broadcasting – with practical experience of business, marketing event management and the theory-based community and cultural studies aspects of the industry.

It means you’ll have lots of transferable skills and knowledge, relevant to other careers as well as the esports world. You can choose to specialise in an area you’re interested in as you progress on the course through optional modules and flexible assessments.

You’ll be studying at an award-winning games university and will learn how to host small and large-scale tournaments, events and productions for esports and how to adapt for clients external to our sector.

The course will teach you how to work across different platforms using industry-standard broadcast technology. You will also get to grips with how to market your events, use data analytics and thrive in roles such as community management, league ops, event management, production/broadcast or marketing.

Develop a critical insight into issues facing the multi-million pound global esports industry, including corporate social responsibility, regulation, emerging technologies and the need for innovation to drive growth.

Our students get lots of opportunities to organise events, from varsity tournaments to charity fundraisers. They’ve also worked with the Alpine F1 team on their 'Community Cup' Series culminating in the final week being hosted at Alpine's Enstone factory! Every year, we also stage ‘Campus clash’ a friendly competition between year groups.

Although gaming skills are not taught on the BA, you’ll get to pursue your passion for playing games through extra-curricular activities. Some of our Esports teams have even been crowned champions. Opportunities include:

• Taking part in UK and international varsity leagues like NUEL and NSE

• Joining competitive societies featuring games such as League of Legends, Call of Duty, Valorant, Overwatch and Super Smash Bros

• Visiting esports events in the UK to network and get inspiration for your own events

We’ve worked with industry professionals to ensure the course meets their needs and produces graduates with the exact skills they are looking for in applicants. Alongside completing live industry briefs and running your own projects, you’ll look at how to freelance and market your skills to employers. There’s also an option of a placement year, or study exchange with our partner institute in Finland.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Esports

Foundation Year Core: Business Simulation; Digital Skills and Practice; History of Competitive Gaming; Introduction to Esports Media; Tournament Operations
Year One Core: Contemporary Marketing Applications; Digital Media Platforms; Esports in Context; Live Broadcast Technology; Multidisciplinary Teamwork
Year Two Core: Community Management; Industry Professional Skills and Practice; Live Production Workflows
Year Two Optional: Business Law and Commercial Awareness; Digital Content Creation; Digital Marketing Strategy; Esports Governance; Innovation, Marketing and You; Managing in a Digital World; Media Production Skills 2; Production Cultures
Year Three Core: Analytics for Industry; Corporate Social Responsibility; Emerging Media and Technologies; Final Year Project; Global Esports