Arizona State launches ‘content creation’ major for influencers — within its journalism school

Ask a teen what they want to be when they grow up, and there’s a fair chance being an influencer is on their list.

Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path.

And now they can earn a college degree in that very field.

Arizona State University recently launched a new bachelor’s degree in content creation, offered through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The curriculum overlaps with that of ASU’s mass communication and media studies degree, with the major departure being a slate of specialized electives on podcasting, studio production and on-camera presence.

ASU’s announcement was met with swift criticism from many sides — from people who feel content creation is not a legitimate profession to those who question the value of a college degree in launching a social media career.

But the ASU program is not the first of its kind.

And the university, which declined an interview request about the new program, is not the first to offer content creation courses.

Universities, eager to compete for a shrinking student population , are rolling out new majors intended to prepare students for today’s careers.

Whether they lead to jobs can be up for debate.

College courses in content creation have riled critics Many higher education institutions have started offering classes focused on the burgeoning content creation industry over the past couple years, and several have certificate or minor programs.

Syracuse University, Quinnipiac University and Colorado State University offer minors, and St.

Bonaventure University announced a content creation major last winter.

To Brooke Erin Duffy, a communication professor at Cornell University, these college programs represent an inflection point.