Are esports in your plans for college? They can be at UNC Greensboro’s Bryan School of Business and Economics.
Beginning Fall 2022, undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management online or on campus can opt into the Esports Management concentration, which is designed to prepare individuals for careers in esports administration and management with a focus on esports operations.
“Esports is a business,” says Dr. Erick Byrd, Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism. “Therefore, we are approaching esports from the standpoint of how businesses, organizations, and communities develop, promote, manage, and host esports tournaments and related events. In essence, we are looking at this fast-growing segment of the event industry and training our graduates to be able to make this profitable for businesses, organizations, and communities.”
This business degree – 120 credit hours with at least 36 credits at or above the 300-course level – will provide students with a strong foundation in the functional areas of business with additional major coursework that dives into the dynamic business of competitive gaming.
“From the tourism and hospitality aspect, esports is an exciting segment of the event industry that could create multiple opportunities for communities big and small to host these events and generate an overall economic impact from the event,” Byrd adds. “However, all of this depends on sound planning, management, and execution of these events. This is what we will help our students learn.”
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Along with the choice for two electives, major courses for the Esports Management concentration will include:
- STH 103 Introduction to Esports Management
- STH 251 Diversity and Equity in Hospitality and Tourism
- MKT 421 Promotion Management in Esports
- STH 433 Esports, Meeting and Event Tourism
- STH 491 Tourism and Hospitality Strategic Management
STH 103 will be offered in Fall 2022, and students can expect to continue their studies with either STH 433 and/or STH 491 in Spring 2023.
“Students will have the opportunity to take at least one of the major electives each semester,” said Byrd. “This should meet the needs of both new freshman students and any transfer students we may have.”
UNCG is slated to open its new state-of-the-art gaming facility during the Spring 2022 semester. The arena will be on campus, centrally located in Moran Commons. It will feature:
- 36 gaming PCs
- 3,3000 sq. ft.
- 8 spectator panels
- 4 gaming consoles
If you find yourself thinking – why esports? Why now? Put simply: it’s a $1 billion industry.
“We’ve seen the rise of esports as an emerging and now significant segment in the event management industry,” says Byrd. “Cities, towns, resorts, venues and hotels are developing arenas and infrastructure to be able to host esports events and the spectators that these events attract.”
