A college in the southeast of Ireland will be the first in the country to provide a degree in social-media influencing.
The Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation and Social Media program at Southeast Technical University in Carlow will start accepting applications in November.
It will start accepting its first group of students in September 2024.
During the four-year course, you will learn about business skills, editing videos and audio, studying different cultures critically, and writing creatively.
Dr Eleanor O’Leary, who teaches media and communications at the university, said more people are becoming interested in this field. This includes both students who may want to study it and employers who may want to hire people with expertise in this area.
Dr O’Leary stated that after completing the course, students will be prepared to either work independently as an influencer or create content for a company or organization.
According to Dr O’Leary, the sector has grown twice as much since 2019 and is estimated to be worth around €14bn-€16bn (£12bn-£14bn) worldwide.
“She said it’s a field that requires certain abilities. ”
“It uses skills related to media, PR, and marketing that already exist. However, it is also a new field by itself. ”
Dr O’Leary explained that although some people accidentally become influencers, the course will teach students how to keep an audience and collaborate with businesses to make money.
“She mentioned that individuals who create content alone or at home may not be familiar with the contract, agency, and business aspect of the industry. ”