Program Overview

BA (Honours) Esports Management (1 year top-up)

Course summary

The Esports industry is going from strength to strength with viewership numbers reaching 668 million hours in 2024. This innovative course brings together esports culture, content creation, enterprise, journalism, and event management to develop your knowledge and build a standout portfolio. Blending practical experience with theoretical learning, it equips you with the skills and expertise to succeed in the dynamic esports industry and beyond.

How you learn

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Problem-based activities
• Group and individual work
• Dedicated tutor support
• Independent learning

Modules

Final year

Compulsory modules

• Esports Business Management (40 credits)
  • Aims: This module provides students with a broad understanding of the practices and tools used to balance and maximise business, societal and environmental outcomes of esports activities, to achieve organisational strategies.
  • Indicative content:
    • Principles of Strategic Management including leadership, strategy selection and evaluation.
    • Business Management models, software, and systems.
    • Responsible, ethical and sustainable resource and supply chain management, including human resources.
    • Stakeholder relationship management, contracts, and tendering.
    • Sales strategies, revenue and budget management.
    • Sponsorship, merchandising, upselling, managing seasonality.
    • Branding, PR and marketing – including B2B and B2C strategies and methods, market segmentation and sales.
• Hot Topics In Events, Festivals, And Esports (20 credits)
  • Aims: Drawing on the latest trends within the event, festivals, entertainment and esports industries, current academic research and the contemporary global and national issues, this module will ensure students graduate with a clear, subject specific, knowledge and understanding of what is emerging in their chosen industries and are able to draw on that understanding to make sound, innovative and responsible decisions.
  • Indicative content:
    • Current and future trends, opportunities and challenges in events, festivals, entertainment and esports.
    • Innovations in events, festivals, entertainment and esports including new and emerging technologies.
    • Issues in the global consciousness and how they impact the experience design industries
    • Issues such as equality, diversity, inclusivity and sustainability within the sector.
    • Exploration of the issues from a local and global perspective.
• Live Esports Experience (40 credits)
  • Aims: The module provides the opportunity for students to deliver a successful live esports event experience for external stakeholders, through careful implementation of outcome-driven, creative event design and delivery.
  • Indicative content:
    • Research, design and create a successful marketing campaign for a live esports event that meets client specifications
    • Develop and deliver professional and feasible esports event proposals
    • Project manage a live esports event including human, financial and other resources and processes
    • Negotiate and communicate with stakeholders, venues, suppliers and other bodies such as licensing and local authorities in a professional manner
    • Critically evaluate the success of the esports event, based on achievement of appropriate objectives and outcomes
    • Identify and act upon individual career aspirations and understanding of professional conduct
    • Critically review personal, professional and career development
    • Demonstrate awareness of political, regulatory, legal, cultural and ethical issues
    • Develop digital skills appropriate for the management of live or online projects in the esports industry
• Strategic Experience Design (20 credits)
  • Aim: This module will enable students to appreciate the strategic importance of shaping and delivering well-designed event experiences from the perspectives of client, attendee and other relevant stakeholder groups, and to apply their knowledge and understanding of experience design principles to a range of appropriate event scenarios.
  • Indicative content:
    • To achieve event objectives, students will consider experiences before, during and after the event, and how they can be intentionally designed
    • Concept areas such as destination and venue selection, programming and use of related software will be discussed as elements contributing to an effective event design, which is now seen as a strategic tool for organisational success
    • Inclusivity in experience design
    • Economic, social and political factors that shape the development of the industry will be evaluated, alongside stakeholders' characteristics and expectations
    • Technological, environmental and sustainability issues in experience design
    • Analyse and critique a range of international case studies from a strategic design perspective
    • The module integrates underpinning academic knowledge with students' own experience and practical research

Future careers

Graduates could go into careers in many sectors – including:

• Esports Team Manager/Coach
• Esports Event Manager
• Esports Marketing Specialist
• Esports Content Creator/Streamer
• Esports Analyst/Caster
• Esports Entrepreneur
• Esports Project Manager
• Esports Sales Representative
• Esports Operations Coordinator
• Esports Talent Agent
• Esports Public Relations Specialist
• Esports Educator

Equipment and facilities

On this course you will work in our:

• Esports lab – with state-of-the-art computers, studio, gallery, and editing suite
• TV studio
• Radio studio
• Bespoke newsrooms

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Entry requirements

• Normally one from:
  • A HND or foundation degree in a relevant subject, with an overall merit profile from year two modules.
  • Equivalent qualification in a relevant subject.
• If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 or above, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each skill.

Fees and funding

• Home students: Tuition fees for 2026/27 are not yet confirmed. Our tuition fee for UK students studying full-time in 2025/26 is £9,535 for the course.
• International students: Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2026/27 is £18,000 per year.