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Syracuse University is creating a new esports major, which administrators said could become available as soon as this fall. The major, a joint program between the Falk College of Human Sport and Dynamics and Newhouse School of Public Communications, is the first of its kind at a Research-1 institution like SU.

The major will incorporate studies of multiple areas in the esports field like business management and design, faculty and administrators in Falk and Newhouse said. If the program’s pending approval gets through the New York State Board of Education in time, current students may be able to transfer in the major in the fall 2023 semester, said Jeff Rubin, esports technology advisor to Chancellor Kent Syverud.

Rubin said that even as tech industry layoffs increase, job openings in the gaming industry continue to expand.

“Esports is a significant growing industry, multi billion dollar industry, and I think what we tried to do is put together a curriculum and a commitment of facilities that will really make Syracuse University a first of its kind, meaning the esports major will be the first of its kind at a major university,” Rubin said.

In his 2023 winter message to the SU community, Syverud first referenced the new major, as well as two new construction projects for esports facilities in the Schine Student Center and the Marley Education Center. IN addition to the new facilities, Falk and Newhouse have developed plans for a curriculum that will include three separate tracks within the major to meet the combined interests of students and industry leaders in esports.

The three tracks, Rubin said, include business and management, communications and media and design. Olivia Stomski, a Newhouse professor, and Rubin outlined courses in the esports major that will center around game design and engineering, broadcasting and production, virtual reality and gaming event planning.

Stomski, also the director of the Newhouse Sports Media Center, said she’s seen a growing interest for esports education from the time she joined SU in 2017. During the 2018-19 academic year, Stomski partnered with Christopher Hanson, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ English department, to develop and teach a class called Esports and Media. She said the class garnered attention from alumni and other professionals at gaming companies like Twitch and Blizzard.

Hanson said esports has grown dramatically over the past couple of decades. Based on his experience teaching esports in the classroom, SU students are driving the interest for learning more about the industry.

“This is something which students are really interested in, and it’s something they’re passionate about,” Hanson said. “Interest really helps drive that process, which I think is a really critical and important component as to why I think (the major) will be successful.”

Hanson, who’s also the faculty advisor for the university’s gaming and esports clubs, said it’s awesome seeing the growth of both organizations and how it resonates with SU faculty, staff, and administration.

Stomski emphasized esports as a dynamic industry, pointing to the real-life skill sets it requires and builds.

“As we’re seeing the industry grow and grow, we want to make sure that we’re meeting our students’ demand and their interests, but also the industry’s,” Stomski said. “So, we want to make sure that our Syracuse University students are ready for the workplace and are able to dive into a really dynamic opportunity in working with esports.”

Michael Veley, a professor in Falk, said he tried to emulate the success of Newhouse programs while developing the curriculum. Veley said he and other faculty across SU schools, including Rubin and Stomski, started a working group a little over a year ago to consider what an esports major could look like.

While other esports-related major programs exist at smaller colleges, Stomski emphasized that SU’s will be the first at an R-1 institution with such a large student enrollment.

SU’s student body being predominantly members of Generation Z was a main driving force behind the creation of the major, Rubin said. He said that because a majority of Gen Z is involved with esports on some level, the major will meet student demand as well as prepare students for future careers in the growing esports industry.

“One of the key components of this new degree that both of our colleges support is experiential learning,” Veley said. “Immersing our students into real world scenarios is so, so vital in terms of getting experience, but also making themselves more appealing to potential employers.”

Stomski and Hanson also emphasized the importance of experiential learning through incorporating Newhouse’s areas of study. They said they’re looking to educate students about the broadcasting, production and event planning side of esports tournaments and competitions in courses like Stomski and Hanson’s esports and media class.

“It’s looking at how esports operates within media contexts, and it serves as an overview of esports, as well as allowing students to do deep dives on different areas of esports in which they’re interested,” Hanson said.

Arlo Stone | Design Editor

Veley compared the launch of the esports major to the 2016 launch of Falk’s sports analytics major. He said another factor that drove the program forward was the COVID-19 pandemic — people participated in gaming more as they were staying inside more. Veley pointed to the popularity and growth of esports in Asian countries as a signal for how they’ll evolve in the United States.

“There’s going to be a terrific groundswell of interest from international students, especially since esports is incredibly popular in South Korea and in different parts of Asia,” Veley said.

Discrimination and harassment of women and minority gamers have been widespread in esports, Stomski said. The creation of the major has included conversations about ensuring inclusivity, and the mandatory core class requirements for the major will include ethics of esports; race, gender and diversity in esports; and esports and communications law.

“We intend to make sure that our students are looking for ways to increase diversity to understand ethics within what they are a part of as a whole,” Stomski said.

SU hired a professor who researches race, gender and media to teach the related course, Rubin said, in line with efforts to cultivate the major before its official launch.

Moving forward, SU will prioritize construction of more esports facilities and creating an esports living and learning community, in addition to earning approval from the state Board of Education. He said he wants to create esports spaces that can be used for recreation and learning to reflect the academic and experiential elements of the major.

“We’ve worked really hard to look at all the aspects,” Rubin said. “That includes student life, social life, the competitive nature of esports, (and) definitely the academic rigor that goes to positioning students for a great career in this field.”

If New York state’s Board of Education approves the curriculum, which Stomski said she expects it will, the major could be available for intra-university transfers as soon as this coming fall semester. The guaranteed first incoming class will be in fall 2024, Rubin said.

“I can’t wait for this to become a major, and I can’t wait to see what our students will do, not only while they’re here in this major, but also what they’re able to do once they get in the industry,” Stomski said.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated the two new recreation and competition facilities will be located in the Barnes Center at the Arch. The two will be located at the Schine Student Center and the Marley Education Center, respectively. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on February 9, 2023 at 12:32 am

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu