University content creation degrees spark debate over value and career prospects

As university courses go it may raise a few eyebrows, but Destiny McGowan has no doubt that hers was very useful.

In July the 21-year-old graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in content creation.

As well as teaching how to best make videos and posts for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, the course also focused on how to build audiences, engage with brands and monetise your content.

"I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, so for me the course was about the transferable skills that I believed I would gain," says Destiny, pointing to both the social media and business aspects she was taught.

It's early on in her career, and Destiny refuses to disclose precisely what she is earning, but says she's already making money.

In addition to posting about fashion on her own accounts, she makes videos for others, and has also been hired as a TikTok live selling host, presenting products for sale on camera.

She says the course gave her access to equipment, technology and industry contacts.

"The incredible people I've met through panels that the university hosted would take someone five to 10 years to get to that place," she explains.

Nottingham Trent says its content creation degree, which it launched in 2022, provides "hands-on experience".

Several universities in the UK now offer such courses. The University of Brighton says it teaches students how to create "content that cuts through the noise".

Meanwhile in the US, Arizona State University say its similar qualification allows students to "turn your creativity into content that connects with audiences".

Yet you'd be paying a lot of money for this. The three-year degrees at Nottingham Trent and Brighton both currently cost £9,790 per year for UK students, while the standard annual fee at Arizona State is $14,724 (£11,000) for a resident of that state.

So are such degrees worth it?

Knightenator, a UK-based, full-time content creator, isn't sure. "I don't think I would have taken the course," she says.

The 31-year-old, who doesn't reveal her real name, has been posting videos about gaming and travel on social media since 2015. She now has 65,000 followers on Twitch, and more than 100,000 on TikTok.

It is her full-time job, and while she won't reveal how much money she makes, she says she gets most of her income from deals with brands that she promotes.

"Honestly, from my experience, I don't think companies would care too much if you had a content creator degree," she says.

She adds that the internet is saturated with free advice on how to get started. "If you have the drive to want to become a content creator, the tips are out there, and you don't need to commit to a three-year degree."

Her advice is to watch other people's content and find your own niche. "I honestly think that you don't need much in this day and age at this moment to be able to do it."

However, Jacky Gurr, course leader and senior lecturer for content creation at Nottingham Trent University, points out that the majority of people on the course are not actually aspiring to become influencers.

For Gurr, content creation is a professional skill that organisations increasingly need, whether someone runs their own business, works in-house, joins an agency or works freelance across multiple clients.

"Those skills absolutely can be taught. Students learn how to plan and produce video content, develop campaigns, understand audiences, analyse performance data and adapt strategies based on that data."

She adds that the business side of content creation "is an important part of the degree", where they discuss monetisation and the commercial side of the industry.

But for anyone who thinks a university degree will lead to overnight success as an influencer, Jacky Gurr has these words of caution: "So much of being a successful influencer is about luck, and we can't teach luck or personality."