The University of Northern Iowa is launching a new minor and related certificates in esports administration for fall 2026. The new options let students turn a passion for gaming into skills supporting real-world careers, including in the fast-growing multi-billion dollar esports industry as well as other settings including recreation and education. 

UNI expects incoming and current students will find this new area of academic emphasis beneficial, particularly those with interests in communications, marketing, digital media, public relations, event planning, education and coaching. 

An increasing number of children and adults are playing video games on a weekly basis. Esports – competitions among gamers who compete to move through levels of various video games, such as Fortnite or Dota – is growing faster than traditional sports, with double-digit gains year over year. Since the Iowa High School eSports Association was launched in 2019, it’s seen ten-fold growth in clubs across the state. UNI’s active Panther eSports club was launched in 2016. 

“We’re not preparing gamers, but we are connecting an understanding of gaming with best practices when planning or promoting or managing an event or, from a different perspective, coaching a youth esports team,” said Ron Rinehart, department head of Department of Leadership, Learning and Community in the College of Education, who will oversee these interdisciplinary offerings also supported by the Department of Communication and Media. 

The 18-credit-hour minor is a combination of core coursework plus a choice of one of two new nine-credit-hour certificates: esports administration or esports coaching. Students can start with their minor coursework or complete a certificate first and then go on to the minor. They can also gain additional credentials by completing both certificates. Coursework spans the fields of learning technology; educational psychology; recreation, tourism and nonprofit leadership; and communication and media.

“Gamers are serious about play. But not every serious gamer will go on to compete professionally. We are creating options that keep them in the game,” Rinehart said. 

One of the program’s new courses, Playgrounds to Pixels: Meaningful Gaming, is also accepted as part of UNIFI, the general education sequence at UNI, and open to all majors. 

“People don't realize how broad the esports umbrella is,” Rinehart said. “For example, we can have students completing this class apart from the minor or certificates just because it’s a great class and is now part of UNIFI.”

Request more information via the esports minor and esports certificates webpages or reach out to academic advisor Mike Tate, mike.tate@uni.edu.