Learn to Coach in One Of The Nation’s First Academic Esports Programs!
The Esports Coaching Certificate provides students interested in coaching esports at various levels with the skills associated with esports coaching. This program will teach the foundations of coaching as well as the unique nuances and aspects of esports.
This program prepares you for coaching esports across levels and game titles. Potential careers include esports coach and collegiate administration.
This certificate, which you can earn in a year, provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to coach esports teams and individuals at the high school, collegiate, and professional level.
Esports Programs at Shenandoah
Shenandoah offers the most robust esports program in the country, featuring not only varsity competitive teams and club teams, but also undergraduate majors/minors/certificates in esports, a graduate-level concentration/certificate, and an online Coaching Certificate.
Esports Programs :
Career and Salary Possibilities
The Esports Management Certificate prepares students for careers like esports event mangers, esports administration, and esports marketing. The average starting salary range for esports professional is $40K-60K.
There is an increased need for professionals in the industry along with the growth of the industry. The esports industry has a year-on-year growth of 15.7% from 2019 to 2020.
You can advance your career with this program by being one of the first in the country to graduate with an academic focus in esports management. This program gives you the tools, experiences and connections necessary to advance your esports management career.
The Career Services Office provides a comprehensive range of services and resources to assist Shenandoah students in their career search. Services offered include resume and cover letter building, mock interviews, and professional dining etiquette workshops.
Classes
You will be introduced to esports coaching, as well as general coaching strategies and techniques for teams and individuals. You will have the chance to coach a team in your title of interest during your course of study.
We focus on combining classroom learning with experiential learning through the insights of guest speakers and interactive coaching tools.
Students take courses online to maximize efficiency and allow students to gain this credential from anywhere in the world at any time. Students can continue working in their profession as they obtain this credential.
Course Requirements
- ESPT 110 Introduction to Coaching for Esports (3 credits)
- ESPT 210 Advanced Esports Coaching (3 credits)
- ESPT 497 Esports Coaching Experience (3 credits)
Learning support services are available to all students in every course at Shenandoah. Free peer tutoring with a student who has previously succeeded in the course is available for any course across the university. The Writing Center is available for every stage of the writing process from thesis development to proofreading and bibliography assistance. The Math Enrichment Center is available for math and science assistance. Professors and Academic Advisors across the university also have office hours and open door policies to ensure Shenandoah students succeed academically.
Rampant Growth & Opportunity In Esports
The esports field is perfect for anyone interested in event management, communications, gameplay, coaching, exercise science, or in being part of a field that promises to grow more prominent and engaging with every passing year.
Established sports franchise owners understand the potential of esports, with Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, recently purchasing a majority stake in an esports organization, and the New York Yankees entering into a partnership deal with the investment group Vision Esports, as noted by The Esports Observer.
“I predict that by 2024 esports will actually have an Olympic event!” visionary/economist Bob Froelich is quoted as saying in the Chicago Tribune.
In 2018, a championship event for teams playing the game Overwatch brought near-capacity crowds to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to The Washington Post. The center holds 19,000 people. These kinds of events promise to only grow in size and scope.
But, as noted on CNBC by Peter Guber, a co-owner of the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Dodgers and the professional esports organization Team Liquid, being able to fill a particular place isn’t necessary for esports. “You’ll see that it’s everywhere, and it isn’t bound by geography,” he said. “You don’t use a stick or a bat to play, and you can play alone or with a whole group of people, play against the best.”
Numbers from the World Economic Forum show that “esports viewers spent 17.9 million hours watching their gaming heroes [on Twitch and YouTube’s gaming channel] in the first quarter of 2018.” And Twitch, a live feed service where people can watch others play video games, has five million active daily users.
By 2020, the industry’s anticipated more than $1 billion of worth will match or surpass the 2017 revenues cleared by the NCAA, as well as the social media influencers market.
A new world has arrived, right at your fingertips.
We’re ready to pick up the controller and play. Are you?
Performance Opportunities and Ensembles
Shenandoah’s esports team competes through the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), with over 55+ team members playing seven esports titles against players at colleges and universities across the U.S., including Division I institutions. The team’s on-campus home is in the Esports Arena. Shenandoah has one of the first esports arenas on the East coast and the first collegiate, spectator esports arena in Virginia!
The competitive team and students in the degree program will work hand-in-hand, allowing both groups to have the best esport experience possible, which will help them in college and long after.
Esports Team Roster     SU Esports Twitch Stream
Esports Team at Shenandoah
Many college students grew up playing esports, and now, they can merge their love of esports with their degree. Shenandoah University offers a varsity esports program, and plays teams from around the country as a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports.
I’ve been spending most of my weeknights and at least one day on the weekend on campus working with the Esports teams. I am the captain of the Overwatch team, and we have practices three nights a week, and I would usually be in there an extra night to help whenever I could and hang out with the other people on the teams. Much like the dorms, the Esports program has brought a lot of people together and know we’re a close knit community, and we like hanging out together. So even though I live off campus, I spend a lot of my free time helping and hanging out.
Morgan Keeler ’20 | Criminology & Criminal Justice Major, Esports Minor, and Psychology Minor
Faculty
Imagine participating in interesting conversations led by engaging professors who’ve already done what you dream of doing. You’ll be in a small class with professors who know your name, care about your success and provide advice as you pursue your academic and career goals.
We are working to prepare students to enter this field as highly qualified individuals with a unique bachelor’s degree that will place them ahead of other people wishing to enter the field. Shenandoah has positioned itself at the forefront of the esports industry by offering students an environment to participate in and study esports in a number of different ways.”
Joey Gawrysiak, Ph.D.
Faculty have had a massive impact on my life and education here at SU. Classes are only as good as the professor that teach them, and I’m fortunate enough to have an impressive faculty to support that. Almost all the professors I’ve had during my time here have made the effort to know every student, and what they have going on in their lives. They want to help us succeed, and it shows. Dr. Gawsryiak in particular has had a very large impact during my time here. When I heard about the new Esports team, I knew that the passion he had for gaming would all be channeled into making the teams as good as they possibly could be. I immediately joined and started volunteering for leadership positions and extra work, helping Dr. G however I could, and when I heard about the new academic programs — I wanted in. I have a love for gaming yes, but if it wasn’t for Dr. G’s passion and drive this program would never exist. He’s the reason I’m staying another year at SU to get the Esports minor, as well as working under him to build this unique program and team. I would say that in and of itself is pretty solid evidence of the influence SU faculty has.
Morgan Keeler ’20 | Criminology & Criminal Justice Major, Esports Minor, and Psychology Minor
Application Information
Shenandoah University works on rolling admissions and accepts applications throughout the year. Applications are reviewed individually and holistically.
Submit your application, review required admission materials, and find our admissions standards.
Study Abroad
Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program
The Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program offers Shenandoah students a short-term, faculty-led, study-abroad experience for academic credit. Â These short-term, credit-bearing, faculty-led programs are offered winter break, spring break, and during the summer. If a course is not within your major, it might be used as an elective.
The 11th Esports World Championship were held in Seoul, South Korea, and Shenandoah’s Esports students were there! Similar trips are anticipated in the future.