Welcome To The Home Of One Of The Nation’s First Academic Esports Programs!
The Bachelor of Business Administration Concentration in Esports Management is designed to prepare individuals for careers in esports administration and management with interscholastic, intercollegiate and professional esports organizations’ esports event organizers, entrepreneurial esports ventures and more.
This program prepares you to be a leader in the field of esports management by providing a robust business background with a focus on the business of esports. Potential careers for graduates include esports organizational administration, esports event management, esports finance and accounting, and human resource management.
You will gain one-of-a-kind experiences through international partnerships with universities and esports organizations around the world, including places in England, Finland, France, China, and South Korea, as well as with our state-of-the-art esports arena and mobile gaming setup, which allow you to learn about the business of esports firsthand.
Learn More About The BBA Program
In the Bachelor of Business Administration program you’ll combine core courses in the business disciplines with electives that will customize your own program of study for your chosen concentration.
BBA students select a concentration to specialize in:
- Accounting Concentration
- Digital Marketing Concentration
- Economics & Finance Concentration
- Entrepreneurship Concentration
- Esports Management Concentration
- Health Care Management Concentration
- Information Systems & Technologies Concentration
- Management Concentration
- Marketing Concentration
- Sport Management Concentration
Our program is also accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management and business education. It represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide, and it recognizes that the School of Business offers high-quality business programs. Processes are in place to ensure continuous improvement in the future. Therefore students and alumni can be proud of earning a degree from an institution that has taken its place among other world-wide leaders in business education.
Minor in This Program
The Esports Management Minor prepares students for working in the business of esports. Through international experiences like collaborations with esports employees and players from around the world and trips abroad, internships with major esport and video game companies, and hands-on experiences with industry executives as well as the varsity esports team at Shenandoah, such as event management, esports marketing, and administration.
Declaring A Minor
Shenandoah students work with their Academic Advisor to declare a minor. Academic Advisors will continue to work with students to ensure that they fulfill all of the requirements to complete the minor.
Incoming students should not indicate their intended minor on their Shenandoah application. Applications are for intended majors only.
Internship Possibilities
Bachelor of Business Administration with a Concentration in Esports Management students may pursue internships with major esport and video game companies, and hands-on experiences with industry executives as well as the varsity esports team at Shenandoah, they will be ready for careers like esports event mangers, esports administration, and esports marketing.
The Career & Professional Development staff helps Shenandoah students search and apply for internships related to their major and career goals. Internships differentiate you as an applicant in your future job searches, provide hands on experience in your field, allow you to sample different career paths for your major, and help you find a specific position that fits your passion before graduation.
Career and Salary Possibilities
The Bachelor of Business Administration with a Concentration in Esports Management prepares students for careers like esports event mangers, esports administration, and esports marketing. The average starting salary range for esports professional is $40K-60K.
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.
Career & Professional Development 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 the esports industry and understand how esports operates as a form of commercial entertainment. You will learn how to govern esports, market esports, and manage esports events and organizations.
We focus on combining classroom learning with experiential learning through travel opportunities, partnerships with professional organizations, and our esports arena on the main campus.
Course Requirements
The Bachelor of Business Administration degree requires students to complete 30 credit hours of general education coursework, 42 credit hours of business-specific coursework and 24 non-business elective courses. In addition, Esports Management Concentration students are also required to complete 24 credit hours of Esports-focused business elective course work including:
- ESPT 101 Introduction to Esports (3 credits)
- ESPT 201 Contemporary Issues in Esports (3 credits)
- ESPT 340 Esports Structure and Governance (3 credits)
- ESPT 360 Esports Event Management (3 credits)
- ESPT 420 Esports Consumerism (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.
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.”
Shenandoah’s Esports Competition Team
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.
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.
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
Make studying abroad the highlight of your college experience! Whether you go for a year, a semester, or just a few weeks. You will never forget learning in another culture! The Center for International Programs is here to help you plan your study abroad experience. Start your planning early to ensure the courses you complete abroad count toward your degree and you graduate on time.
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. 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.
Study Abroad
Shenandoah University is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), a global network of 300 universities. This partnership allows students to study for a full semester or year at other member campuses abroad. By working closely with their academic advisors and the study abroad advisor, students can take classes taught in English abroad while receiving Shenandoah credit.
Shenandoah University also maintains direct partnerships with several universities around the world. These relationships allow students from SU to study abroad as exchange students and students from these universities to study at SU. All partner universities offer courses taught in English.
Shenandoah’s esports program also has partnerships with schools in Finland, England, and China.
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 :
Fast-Track to Your MBA
4 + 1 Option
Students enrolled in Shenandoah’s four-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program can take advantage of the new 4 + 1 option to earn an MBA with one additional year of classes.
2 + 2 + 1 Option
Transfer students with two years of college credits can take advantage of the 2 + 2 + 1 option that allows them to transition from an associate of arts degree in business degree to the BBA degree and subsequently to the MBA degree — all in five years.
Learn more about the MBA Program
The Esports Management MBA concentration prepares students for advanced positions in esports management. The concentration consists of three elective courses. The program complements the foundation and core of the MBA program with courses that focus on the unique knowledge, skills and experiences needed to be successful in esports.
Join the Honors Program
The Honors Program is a multidisciplinary Honors Program for students who are curious, creative, self-motivated, and eager to engage in their education and community.
Not only do Honors Program students partake in honors courses that emphasize collaboration, service, and communication, but they will also have the opportunity to develop aspects of the program based on their own interests and goals. By participating in the Honors Program you will acquire the tools, knowledge and experiences necessary to make meaningful contributions to your community – whether it be globally, locally, or specific to your life’s work. You will have access to unique courses, exciting experiences and a community of peers and faculty who never stop asking questions and striving for excellence.
