Irish university to offer degree in influencing

A university in Ireland is to offer the country’s first degree in social-media influencing.

The Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation and Social Media, at Southeast Technical University in Carlow, will open for applications in November.

It is due to welcome its first cohort of students in September 2024.

Topics covered on the four-year course are to include business skills, video and audio editing, critical cultural studies and creative writing.

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, Dr Eleanor O'Leary, lecturer in media and communications at the university, said there is a growing interest in the area both from potential students and employers.

Dr O’Leary said graduates of the course will be equipped to either work for themselves as a self-employed influencer or in creating content for a company or organisation.

Since 2019 the sector has doubled in value globally and is estimated to be worth between €14bn and €16bn (£12bn-£14bn) worldwide, Dr O’Leary told RTÉ.

“It’s an area that has a specific set of skills," she said.

“It draws on existing media and PR and marketing skills but it’s a new area in and of itself as well."

Dr O’Leary said that while sometimes people can become influencers almost by accident, the course would aim to educate students on how to maintain an audience and how to work with business to monetise that.

“As someone who 'stars', creating content at home or by themselves, they may not have any understanding of that whole part of the industry where there are contracts and agencies, and business involved,” she said.