Dundee and Angus College say they’re to offer the first degree-level esports course in Scotland – a Foundation Degree of the Arts in Esports and Creative Industries.
Applications are now open for the degree, the first of its kind to be delivered by a Scottish college. The two-year course starts in August 2023, with the opportunity to do an additional year to gain a full degree soon to be an option.
The new course has been created in partnership with the University of West London is the latest milestone in the esports journey for Dundee and Angus, which has been building its offering and profile over the past 12 months. Esports body Esports Scotland partnered with Dundee and Angus College this time last year, for example.
Students in the first college offering an Esports Foundation degree in Scotland will learn a variety of key transferable skills, including how to manage and organise events, understand the culture of Esports, analyse audience engagement and the role of professionalism and ethical conduct.
Learners will also develop digital skills in live event production, broadcasting, commentating, streaming and will look at the importance of coaching, strategy and sports psychology.
The college has also opened its esports offering to school pupils, with a weekly club for young people aged 8-14 running three nights a week. There have also been esports holiday camps with 110 children attending the most recent one in October.
The college’s esports course in Scotland will be based at the Gardyne campus which currently has an esports classroom comprising top-of-the-range gaming PCs, and an esports society hub equipped with Xboxes and PS5s.
New plans are also underway to develop two tournament rooms, two broadcasting studios and a recording studio alongside the esports course in Scotland.
The news comes a week after the University of Sunderland announced it’s launching an Esports Event Management degree and is investing up to £1m in its campus, and a year after the Scottish Government’s £1.3m computing in schools pledge.
‘Interest in esports will help bridge digital divide’ – what they’re saying about the new esports course in Scotland
James Oliver, Head of Curriculum and Quality at Dundee and Angus College, said of the new esports course in Scotland: “Esports is a new and exciting development in our curriculum. This growing industry has a range of skills in diverse areas such as marketing, sports psychology, and cyber security. The widespread interest in esports will help bridge the digital divide and appeal to a diverse range of students.”
Ella, a current computing student has applied for the foundation course at the college starting in August, added: “I took part in a recent Esports tournament at Dundee and Angus College and loved it. The esports industry is booming and with the new esports arena coming to Dundee.
“I think it will be a great opportunity to start a career in esports. I cannot wait to start the course in August as it sounds amazing.”
Ella, student
Dundee and Angus College Principal Simon Hewitt commented: “We are extremely excited to be launching our new, dedicated Esports foundation degree, the first in Scotland. The esports industry within Scotland is growing at a rapid pace and is offering much more than a mainstream route into the gaming sector.
“We are proud to be leading the way on this development and to be providing this choice to the people of this region and beyond. It is another ‘feather in the cap’ of a city and region that has been consistently at the forefront of computer games development for a significant period.”
Applications for Scotland’s first-degree esports course in Scotland are now open and interested individuals can apply at www.dundeeandangus.ac.uk/courses/fdesci23-g-1fa/ or phone Dundee and Angus College at 03001231036 for more information.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
