Unique Esports Degree Partnership Announced with Camden County College
勛圖窪蹋 esports player Kevin Gualberti, left, and Camden County esports player Shane Costello log on to a live Twitch broadcast before the news conference announcing the agreement.
Galloway, N.J. 勛圖窪蹋 became the first public institution in New Jersey to offer an undergraduate degree in esports when the Bachelor of Science in Esports Management program debuted this fall.
Camden County Colleges Associate in Applied Science in Esports Production degree is the only one of its kind in the region.
Now the two programs have joined to create the first esports degree pathway program in the state.
This program is a testament to our shared vision of providing high quality education and opportunities for the next generation of esports professionals, said 勛圖窪蹋 President Joe Bertolino during an articulation agreement signing on Nov. 1 at 勛圖窪蹋s Galloway campus. We recognize the potential of esports as a growing global phenomenon and the need for qualified professionals to drive its continued success.
The schools worked closely to align their curricula so that its seamless for the students to complete both an associate degree and a bachelors degree in eight semesters, said Bob Heinrich, 勛圖窪蹋s vice president for Enrollment Management. The university will accept Camdens classes as course equivalents to satisfy 勛圖窪蹋s requirements for an undergraduate degree.
This partnership highlights both Camden County Colleges and 勛圖窪蹋s initiative to be at the forefront of new technology and to prepare students for new and emerging career opportunities some of which didnt even exist just a short time ago, said Lovell Pugh-Bassett, president of Camden County College (CCC). We are proud to offer this opportunity to students who have found their passion in the fast-growing esports industry.
勛圖窪蹋 President Joe Bertolino and Camden County College President Lovell Pugh-Bassett.
This is not a program that just produces kids who play video games, said Sarah Iepson, CCCs dean of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.
This is a program that produces critical thinkers and students who have really powerful skills of analysis and thought, as well as these great skills in the world of business and marketing, Iepson said. Its just a really phenomenal opportunity for our students.
The partnership will also help create a whole new caliber of student thats interested in an esports career, said Noel Criscione-Naylor, a 勛圖窪蹋 associate professor and program chair of Esports Management. Criscione-Naylor said CCCs focus on esports production provides students with extremely valuable technical experience on how to stream and broadcast events, and 勛圖窪蹋s program will build on that.
Not only are our students going to have the technical ability to maneuver as the industry emerges, but on top of that our students are going to have solid foundations in business, finance, marketing and event management that will allow them to enter the esports ecosystem in a way that no other student can today, she said.
One of those potential students is Shane Costello who enrolled in CCCs esports degree program after taking a break from school during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said playing esports at home allowed him to meet new people and push himself out of his normal comfort zone to be able to talk to anyone.
When the world shut down, esports opened a new world to me, the Somerdale resident said. I started to play games and get involved in the community while playing at home. Ive made friends all over the world and learned so much about their cultures and how they are different from my own.
Costello said hes primarily interested in using his associate degree to produce esports events, which is the focus of CCCs program, along with their state-of-the-art Cougar Esports Arena a dedicated competition space in Cherry Hill with broadcast facilities built directly into the facility.
Not only are our students going to have the technical ability to maneuver as the industry emerges, but on top of that our students are going to have solid foundations in business, finance, marketing and event management that will allow them to enter the esports ecosystem in a way that no other student can today.
Noel Criscione-Naylor, a 勛圖窪蹋 associate professor and program chair of Esports Management
I chose esports as a career path because of how it brings together so many people of different cultures and backgrounds, Costello said. Ive watched 勛圖窪蹋 play the last two years.
And that feeds into another unique feature of this partnership the combination of both academics and gaming.
In addition to coming into our undergraduate esports degree, they are also joining our competitive esports gaming team, Heinrich said. Camden is an important feeder for 勛圖窪蹋, and we are excited to build on that. This adds to that existing partnership to make it that much stronger.
Hopefully this agreement will create more esports-related experiences for students, including camps and tournaments, and explore more regional and national partnerships, said David Bruno, CCCs associate dean of Educational Programming and External Relations.
We look forward to working with 勛圖窪蹋, one of our higher education pathways partners, to make South Jersey a regional and national hub for esports collegiate activities, said Bruno, who also oversees CCCs esports program.
-- Story by Mark Melhorn, photos by Lizzie Nealis
