Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
West Virginia University’s Esports Program integrates academic study, competitive gaming, and student engagement to prepare graduates for careers in the rapidly evolving esports and digital entertainment industries. The program’s flagship major, Esports Business and Entertainment, provides an interdisciplinary curriculum that examines the business, media, event production, and cultural dimensions of competitive gaming and interactive entertainment. The program connects academic learning with applied experiences in competitive esports, digital media production, and industry engagement. Through this integrated model, students develop practical skills and critical understanding of the global esports ecosystem and the broader gaming, sport, and entertainment industries.
Admissions for 2027-2028
First-time students who meet University requirements are directly admitted to the Esports Business and Entertainment major.
Students admitted from other majors within WVU must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
Students transferring from another institution must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
On-Campus Major Code:5549
Online Major Code: 5555
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 75 | |
| Professional and Career Development Sequence * | ||
| Esports Business and Entertainment Major Requirements | 45 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 | 24 | |
| CAHS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| General Electives | 49 | |
| Total Hours | 75 | |
Professional and Career Development Sequence
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence* | ||
| First-Year Seminar | ||
| Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | ||
| Capstone Experience in AHS | ||
Esports Business and Entertainment Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- or higher must be earned in all Esports Business and Entertainment Major Requirements. | ||
| ESPT 101 | Exploration of Esports and Interactive Gaming | 3 |
| ESPT 220 | Event Management and Production in Competitive Gaming | 3 |
| ESPT 310 | Esports Business | 3 |
| ESPT 321 | Esports Governance | 3 |
| ESPT 322 | Esports Marketing | 3 |
| SEP 272 | Introduction to Sport and Performance Psychology (GEF 4) | 3 |
| SEP 420 | Sport and Performance Enhancement | 3 |
| SPSC 421 | Beyond the Odds: The Operations and Ethics of Sports Gambling | 3 |
| CAHS 300 | Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | 3 |
| CAHS 489 | Capstone Experience in AHS | 3 |
| Required Minor | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 45 | |
- *
CAHS 191 is accounted for in the University Requirements, CAHS 300 and CAHS 489 are part of the Major Requirements.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CAHS 191 | 2 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ESPT 220 | 3 |
| ESPT 101 | 3 | GEF 3 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 4 | Elective | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ESPT 310 | 3 | SEP 272 (GEF 4) | 3 |
| GEF 6 | 3 | GEF 7 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ESPT 322 | 3 | ESPT 321 | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course | 3 | CAHS 300 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Professional Minor Course | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SEP 420 | 3 | CAHS 489 | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course | 3 | SPSC 421 | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course | 3 | Professional Minor Course | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Degree Progress
- Students must complete each class in the Esports Core with a grade of C- or higher. If a student does not receive a C- in an Esports Core course, they will need to repeat the course to earn a higher grade. The Esports Core does not include minors or AOEs.
- By the end of a student's first year in the major, they must complete ESPT 101 to continue in the major.
- Prior to enrolling in ESPT 290, learners must have successfully completed (received a C- or higher) ESPT 101 and ESPT 201.
- Students will complete a section of ESPT 491, professional field experience, in the Spring term of their last year.
- Students who do not meet these benchmarks may be removed from the major.
Major Learning Outcomes
Esports Business and Entertainment
The goal of this program is to prepare students with the essential knowledge and skills to successfully pursue careers within esports business and entertainment and related industries of their choice.
- Content Knowledge: Students will integrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions and apply them to professional issues in esports business and entertainment.
- Reflection and Professional Readiness: Students will reflect on their professional readiness and think critically about the continued refinement of the disciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned across the esports business and entertainment curriculum.
- Professionalism and Ethics: Students will model professional and ethical behaviors that are consistent with the industry standards and the related recommendations for best practice learned across the esports business and entertainment curriculum.