University Degrees in Content Creation: Perspectives from Graduates and Creators

Destiny McGowan, who is 21 years old, completed a degree in content creation from Nottingham Trent University in July. According to the BBC UK, the curriculum covered making videos and posts for platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, alongside topics like building audiences, engaging with brands, and monetizing content. McGowan stated that the course provided her with transferable skills and access to industry contacts and equipment. She mentioned that the people she met through university panels were connections that might otherwise take someone five to 10 years to acquire. Nottingham Trent University launched its content creation degree in 2022 and claims it offers "hands-on experience." More than £2 million was spent by the government on influencers since July 2024.

Other institutions offer similar training; the University of Brighton teaches students how to produce "content that cuts through the noise," and Arizona State University's content creation qualification enables students to transform their creativity into content that resonates with audiences. However, these programs involve significant costs. The three-year degrees at Nottingham Trent and Brighton currently cost £9,790 per year for UK students, whereas the standard annual fee at Arizona State is $14,724 (£11,000) for residents of that state. I got paid $5,000 to move to a place I'd never heard of.

Regarding the worth of these degrees, Knightenator, a content creator based in the UK, expressed uncertainty, stating she would not have enrolled in the course. Knightenator, a 31-year-old who has been creating gaming and travel videos on social media since 2015 and has over 65,000 followers on Twitch and more than 100,000 on TikTok, believes companies might not place significant value on a content creator degree. She suggested that the internet offers ample free advice on starting out and that a three-year commitment is unnecessary for those driven to become content creators.

In contrast, Aiesha Beasley, a 36-year-old content creator from Phoenix, Arizona, who posts about food, fashion, and lifestyle, felt a degree would have provided a clearer path to monetizing her content if it had been available when she began blogging on Tumblr in the early 2010s. Beasley emphasized the need for a business mindset to transition a hobby into a source of income and noted that such courses are advanced in recognizing content creation's growing importance in marketing, requiring a digital presence for both business owners and personal brand builders.

The rise of these degrees coincides with the expansion of the content creator economy. A report from last year indicated that YouTube content creators alone contribute £2.2 billion to the UK economy. We had packed lunches every day for 10 years and retired at 40. Furthermore, a 2024 survey suggested that one in three individuals aged 18 to 30 in the US wishes to become an influencer.

Jacky Gurr, who is a course leader and senior lecturer for content creation at Nottingham Trent University, noted that the majority of students enrolled in the course are not aiming to become influencers. Gurr views content creation as a professional skill increasingly needed by organizations, whether individuals are self-employed, working in-house, with an agency, or freelancing. She explained that students learn to plan and produce video content, develop campaigns, understand audiences, analyze performance data, and adjust strategies based on that data. Gurr also mentioned that the business aspect of content creation, including monetization and the commercial side of the industry, is a key component of the degree. However, Gurr cautioned against the idea that a university degree guarantees success as an influencer, stating that much of being a successful influencer relies on luck and personality, which cannot be taught.