David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Curriculum
Core coursework provides students with industry-specific competencies in event management and marketing, broadcasting and production, communications, content creation, entrepreneurship, strategic communications and esports experience and design.
- The Business of Esports
- Esports and Event Management
- Topics in Communications for Esports
- Design and World Building for Esports
- Race, Gender, and Diversity in Sport Organizations
- Esports Event Production
Personalize your education tof it your career interest by choosing from three tracks of study:
- Esports Business and Management: Learn promotion, venue management, and finance for emerging enterprises related to esports and entertainment. You’ll learn about sponsorship contracts, business and analytics, and the financial and managerial aspects of working with players, organizations, teams, and companies. You’ll understand the resources required to produce and manage everything from events and products to a successful team.
- Esports Communications: Learn about public relations and social media tactics in the esports world. You’ll learn the ins and outs of content creation and strategy, and how to stream a competition for the public. The program includes event production, directing, shoutcasting, and promotion.
- Esports Media and Design: Learn how to produce a game with enticing visuals and develop skins and other attributes that impact the gamer experience. You’ll have classes in 3D animation, game experience design, and virtual production, and you’ll learn how to create visually dynamic and creative games, influenced by psychology, statistics, broadcasting, and marketing.
Extracurricular Opportunities
Experience the Global Esports Industry
At Syracuse University, you’ll learn in state-of-the-art production and gaming facilities where the esports program will host events for the campus community and with other colleges and organizations. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and learn from industry professionals; intern at prominent companies; and explore the esports industry around the world, including potential experiential learning trips to cities such as London, Seoul, and Amsterdam.
Work With Competitive Esports Teams
Syracuse University competitive esports teams compete at varsity, club and recreational levels. These competitive esports teams give you a place to practice your craft and get involved with event production and management. Whether it’s shoutcasting and player interviews, or event advertising and social media promotion, you’ll learn all aspects of producing an esports broadcast and event. Syracuse's competitive esports teams have staff roles such as managers, statisticians, and casters, which are available to you as an esports student. You can even work with the teams as an esports analyst.
Promote Community Esports Engagement
As part of the student-run Esports Club, you can engage in professional development and community building. You and your fellow club members will organize your own events, engage with professionals in the industry, travel to work professional esports events, and so much more. You'll host local community events on campus, especially working with the Smash Bros. community on campus, and help grow esports offerings across campus and the Syracuse community, such as new efforts in chess, iRacing, or anything else you and the Esports Club want to work on.
Practice in Gaming Facilities on Campus
The Barnes Center at the Arch features a professional grade gaming facility, which includes computers that are four times faster than most gamer computers. Gaming desktops with top graphics cards, ultra-fast refresh rate monitors, blazing fast direct network connections give a competitive edge to Syracuse University students.
In the Newhouse Sports Media Center, you’ll broadcast esports events from the same studios used to produce live broadcasts on the ACC Network. The studio, sets, green screen, and other equipment are industry standard, allowing for live interviews and replays. The center hosts the Esports and Media course, created in partnership with social video service Twitch, which engages real industry partners as case studies, such as ESL, Microsoft, and Super League.
Learn more about this program