Stockton to offer an esports degree program starting with the fall semester.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - Beginning in the fall of 2023, Stockton University will become the first public institution in New Jersey and one of a handful of schools in the country to offer an undergraduate degree in esports.
The Bachelor of Science in Esports Management degree through the university's School of Business will offer a distinctive program that includes business fundamentals, professional work experience, a hands-on internship requirement and educational work opportunities for those seeking to enter the esports industry.
As Stockton University has grown, so have its offerings related to hospitality, tourism, event management and business studies, School of Business Dean Warren Kleinsmith said. As a school, we strive to provide programming that is relevant and timely. This is one example of existing talent in our Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management programming seeing synergies between industries and building the necessary networks and curriculum to offer a highly competitive and academically rigorous degree.
The degree will offer esports-specific courses, such as Esports and Events Industry and Esports Event Production to prepare students for a variety of esports-related careers, including event production, digital media and event marketing, and project management. Kleinsmith said students who graduate from this program will have 300-plus hours of experience.
Stockton has already made a name for itself in the esports community thanks to the success of its Rocket League team, which finished second in the Collegiate World Championship last year and will compete again this year on June 2-4.
But at Stockton, we do more than play games, said Noel Criscione-Naylor, the interim esports program chair. Our Bachelor of Science in Esports Management builds the transferable skills necessary to fill the esports ecosystem talent pipeline.
Criscione-Naylor added that the esports team is part of a robust community at Stockton that will support students in the program.
Students enrolled in this program gain hands-on experience within the university's esports student community, local professional esports organizations, and business partners including the Atlantic City Esports Innovation Center located in Stockton's residential complex, she said. We have designed courses where students consistently engage with the esports student community from mixer events, competitions and recruiting activities. We are one community.
Another plus of the new esports degree program is how it's integrated with the university's already strong Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management program.
Esports can revolutionize the local tourism industry and stimulate local economies by attracting businesses, Criscione-Naylor said. Esports has a direct connection to traditional hospitality centers, such as hotel, food and beverage, events and tourism. Although esports exists within the digital space, there is a demonstrated desire from institutions and gamers themselves to root these practices within a physical space.
Criscione-Naylor has also worked to create relationships with esports professional associations, including the Esports Trade Association and the National Esports Association, and develop dual-credit agreements with New Jersey high schools and articulation agreements with community colleges.
We have actively engaged with high school educators, esports leagues and associations, and industry partners to support students' academic interests related to esports and create greater access to resources across the varying stakeholder groups, she said.
For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Esports Management degree go to stockton.edu/business/esports-management.html or contact Criscione-Naylor at [email protected]. Applications are still being accepted for the fall semester.
