University in Ireland offers degree course for ‘influencers’
A university in Ireland will offer a degree in social media influencers.
The Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation and Social Media, at Southeast Technical University in Carlow, will open for applications this November.
It is expected to receive its first batch of students in September 2024.
Topics to be studied in the four-year course include business skills, video and audio editing, critical cultural studies and creative writing.
Dr Eleanor O’Leary, lecturer in media and communication at the university said there was growing interest in the field including among students and employers.
She explained that since 2019, the field has doubled in value and is estimated to be worth 16 billion pounds (RM91 billion) worldwide.
“It is a field that requires certain skills,” she said.
“It uses existing media and public relations and marketing skills but it is also a new area that needs to be explored,” she was quoted as saying by the BBC.
O’Leary added that, while there are people who get into the field by accident, the course aims to educate students on how to maintain an audience and how to work with businesses to make a profit.
“As content creators at home, most of them may not have any understanding of the entire industry including contracts and agencies, as well as the business involved,” she added.
