Undergraduate HND

Esports Business Management

Attendance

Full-time

With placement

Course

Two year

Next enrolment

September 2025

Introduction

In a nutshell

Our innovative HND in Esports Business Management prepares future talent for careers in the rapidly growing esports industry. With over 3.24 billion gamers globally in 2021, esports is a global phenomenon.

In the UK, the sector supports over 1,200 jobs and continues to expand. This course leverages the success of the industry to educate and inspire future professionals.

Key aspects of esports, including collaboration with grassroots communities, tournament organisers, and industry leaders, form the foundation of the programme.

Developed with industry experts, the curriculum builds essential skills, and students will learn in a cutting-edge environment with an Esports Arena, broadcasting equipment, and an Esports Lab.

  • Learn about and explore the eco-systems within the esports industry with a view to gaining an expert perspective of the environment. 
  • Develop awareness of the ethics and integrity that sustain the industry with a view to ensuring sustainable practices for esports communities.
  • Learn how to plan and design an event tournament concept and pitch your ideas to an industry panel.
  • Develop your broadcasting tech skills in a practical and safe environment which will enable you to host your own tournaments in a professional manner.
  • Develop basic to intermediate content creation skills, digital business skills and have the opportunity to demonstrate these in live environments.
  • Network with your peers, industry and academics in a safe and supportive environment using the University's brand new Esports Lab.

“After assisting a passionate team at Salford University on their esports-related workshops, the Esports Business Management academic program is a fantastic opportunity for students, in love with the world of esports/gaming, to learn and develop their skills professionally, across a multitude of sectors, at a high academic standard before transitioning into the industry.” - Kieran Wood – Co-Founder & Operations and Commercial Lead, Horizon Union.

 

Following on from this level 5 HND programme, you will also have the opportunity to complete a BSc top-up degree to gain a full BSc degree, further your knowledge and refine your skills. Find out more about the BSc Top-Up Esports Business Management course.

Become industry ready 

The esports market has boomed in recent years with increasing demand from viewers wanting to watch the most popular gamers in the world. The coverage of esports is only increasing, with demand expected to grow to 640.8 million viewers of esports worldwide by 2025. In turn, this growth is creating thousands of jobs in this industry and fresh demand for graduates with specific skills and knowledge. This is your perfect opportunity to turn your interests into a stable, successful and fulfilling career. 

You’ll also look ahead to the technologies that will affect the work of esports professionals in the future and gain the essential digitals skills that will help you go further in the industry, including: 

  • Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook
  • iDea Bronze Award

Your journey starts here

Ready to take the next step? Discover more by attending an Open Day, or speak to our dedicated course enquiries team for further information. 

"The modules for the University of Salford’s Esports HND have been designed to prepare students for all aspects of the esports industry. Students will be fully integrated into the emerging esports ecosystem, and with collaborations with both industry titans and grassroots organisations, I cannot recommend this course enough to anyone with an interest in esports" - Jake Trotman, Head of the Esports Society

Placement

options available

This is for you if...

1.

You want to learn about the critical business contexts and environments within this emerging and increasingly important industry.

2.

You want to develop skills that will help you to gain a sustainable foothold in the industry through your chosen career pathway.

3.

You want to develop sustainable practical skills that will enable to work within your own independent projects.

4.

You want to stage a real live tournament which will be broadcast with the assistance of industry experts and tutors.

5.

You want to have access to new Esports Labs at Salford Business School and MediaCity to develop your skills and abilities.

6.

You want to gain access to industry experts and academics, developing networks and knowledge with a view to entering the industry upon graduation.

Course details

All about the course

CAREER FOCUSED, HANDS ON LEARNING

This course will help you develop your creative, digital and sustainable skills with the view of entering a business role within the industry or to undertake your own entrepreneurial projects upon graduation.

With access to brand new facilities at the University of Salford's Maxwell Building and MediaCity campus, you will be in a safe inclusive environment designed around the needs of esports students.

With expert tuition available from teaching staff with experience working within the industry, you will have fantastic opportunities to develop your professional networks as you learn, by engaging with our industry guest speakers, industry visits and access to the academics and student societies within the university.

"The University of Salford’s course in Esports Business Management features modules that have been specifically devised to cover every aspect of the Esports Industry, from broadcasting to tournament management. Students will get the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals from all levels, grassroots to Tier One. I highly recommend this qualification to any students interested in esports in any aspect." - Oscar Williams – Product Management and Tournament Organiser for NUEL

Ready to take the next step? Apply Now

Year one

Digital Business Skills (Esports)

This module will introduce you to a range of digital tools for the workplace. Important business skills such as management, collaboration and teamwork are will be taught and practised in this module. Other opportunities such as gaining the inspiring digital enterprise award (iDEA), completing LinkedIn learning assessments for Microsoft software applications, and completing collaborative video creation tasks will increase your digital and business skills as you progress towards the completion of this module.

Esports Game Development Foundations

In this module, you will learn how to produce original gaming content for Esports. Working individually and within a team, you will explore game design principles, processes and technologies utilised for game content creation and level design. You will develop your skills for modding— altering existent game titles to create completely new gaming experiences, as well as understanding industry-standard practices for game prototyping and testing.

Esports Eco Systems Pt 1 - Culture and Community

In this module, you will learn the background of the cultural phenomenon that is Esports and explore the various communities that engage within Esports from gamers to developers, managers and consumers. Historical industry development and future growth will provide the context for today's Esports environment with engagement from professionals who are at the cutting edge of the industry. This will help to develop your understanding of how Esports has grown over recent years, the rapid emergence in popularity in Esports and the future direction of the Esports industry as it takes root into mainstream consciousness. 

Esports Entertainment Technology – Broadcast Technology Pt 1

The module aims to equip you with the key technological and distribution knowledge required by a creative digital practitioner, not only in the game's domain but across the broader digital industries. In the second part of this module, you will build conceptualised interactive prototypes in our maker space, using technologies such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino and rudimentary Processing to realise your ideas and their effective use in a Distributed Esports arena

Esports Eco-Systems Pt 2 – Understanding Current Contexts and Environments.

This module provides you with an introduction to the key functions of the esports ecosystem whilst allowing you to see how they work. You will get an understanding of functions including people management, accounting, marketing and operations and how they underpin business success. You will look at a range of esports businesses including start-ups, esports community groups, large-scale enterprises and multinationals from different esports sectors. This is your first opportunity to see what makes esports businesses tick and will help you think about your future learning and employment journeys

 

Ethics and Integrity in Esports

In this module, you will build an understanding of the legal frameworks to protect players, streamers and live audiences from all forms of illegal activity within a live broadcast event. This module will further cover the key principles of ethics within Esports, risk management, human resources, government health & safety legislation and ‘duty of care’. You will also explore the criticality of fair play, equality and inclusivity within Esports.  Ethics will be explored from the perspectives of financial, conceptual, to physical and emotional harm within Esports. This module will be supported by professional services offered by the University and other institutions who will support and guide you through the module

Year two

Future Innovations and Technologies for Esports

In this module, you will explore the ways in which the latest advances in gaming technologies are shaping the landscape of Esports. In particular, this module will focus on Extended Reality technologies: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality for competitive gaming. Throughout this module, you will familiarise yourself with these technologies and environments, reflecting on their affordances and potential for the development of new competitive experiences, broadcasting, and commercialisation of E-Sports.

Esports Event Tournament; Planning and Pitching

This module will teach you the foundations of planning, designing and theming an Esports event as you work in small groups to develop your event ‘pitch’ to an industry panel of judges (PitchFest). Working collaboratively and with industry experts, you will conceive and design a tournament event for live broadcast in term 2, which considers the critical event elements of live delivery of your event concept. The winning pitch as selected by an industry panel will be delivered for the Salford University Esports Tournament in the final trimester, where the cohort will work collaboratively within various roles, to deliver the tournament event for streaming and broadcast.

Esports Entertainment Broadcast Tech Pt II

Following on from the first-year module,  you will learn the key issues using Broadcast & Streamed Technologies Used in Enabling a broadcast/Streamed Esports Tournament. Enabling the development and capability to organise and host the tournament event delivered in T2. This will include key networking application, synchronisation challenges and understanding Over Networks and the public Internet. Challenges of supporting UHD media And HFR rates necessary for Basic to elite esports environments. The key activities for the module will be directed toward the broadcast and Streaming requirements needed to successfully stage the tournament during the final trimester. Keu Issues need planning and addressing to enable Tournament level ability, Link Processor speed, storage, flexibility, control and orchestration. The understanding of Maximum ability within the constraints of the Network environment are key elements to be learnt in this module.

SBS Esports Tournament – LIVE PROJECT DELIVERY

On this module, you will work together with the rest of the cohort in organizing and delivering a live Esports tournament event on which you will be assessed and which will be streamed and broadcast. The tournament theme and design will be based on the winning event pitch from the Trimester 1 Planning and Delivery module.

Working collaboratively with each other and industry partners, you will implement the winning pitch plan, assign each other critical team roles, develop your content for the tournament and organise the teams required to attend on the event. Additionally, you will be executing the marketing plan targeted toward your chosen demographic, build your event brand as you develop a unique Esports experience for your Esports consumers and planning all the logistical operational activities required for a successful online event. This will bring together all the previous modules into one event and provide the opportunity to develop your pathway skills further towards your chosen role within the industry after graduation

Esports Professional Development and Enterprise

Esports Professional Practice and Enterprise provides you with the opportunity to explore key employability and entrepreneurial skills to effectively engage with career planning and job searches. The module enables you to design strategies for launching your own enterprise and to seek work placements associated with your planned career path with the opportunity to engage with an industry-based production activity (work placement) and/or design and manage live brief production(s) for external organisations (charities, corporate clients, other university depts.). Furthermore, the module enables you to explore and reflect on your current digital presence and design a new professional online presence, which presents you as a new emerging practitioner ready for industry.

Esports Marketing Campaigns in Practice

This interactive module allows you to work in teams, developing campaigns to meet a client's needs. For students on the level 5 HND esports pathway, this will use the Esports Society as the client, providing you with the opportunity to engage with an organisation and provide innovative marketing campaigns.  Students on this pathway will also work on a campaign for the T2 Tournament, drawn from established industry partnerships. The module embeds group working skills and the experiential approach provides the opportunity to gain experience in defining, planning and delivering a marketing project. 

 

Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.

What Will I be Doing?

100%

Employability focused

TEACHING 

Delivery of your programme will be conducted by an experienced team of tutors, with support from Industry partners and guests.

You will attend both lectures and seminars with lectures being delivered in our brand new Lab, allowing you to access and engage with the latest tech and infrastructure as you learn. Seminars will provide a practical application of what you have learned with the objective of improving practical skills. During your years with us, you will also have access to a range of production and broadcast spaces.

Industry guests and partners will be providing strong guidance from Industry perspectives by co-designing content and assessments which are relevant to the industry. Esports Industry visits will also be organised to various businesses within the north-west to generate a practitioners perspective on the key issues and identify potential career pathways upon graduation

SKILLS FOR LEARNING

Don’t bypass the Clifford Whitworth library, it really is a beneficial resource for you. The friendly library team will help you develop the skills you need to be successful in your studies and in your work. 

ASSESSMENT

We use different forms of assessment in different modules and wherever possible these will reflect the types of work you will do in the ‘real world’ for example, portfolios, presentations and business pitches. You will also organise and deliver a tournament which will make up part of your assessments.  

Throughout your studies, the work you produce will help to build your personal portfolio of professional evidence that you will be able to use in job applications and interviews.

Frequently asked questions

What is esports?

Esports is the name given to the professional gaming industry. Typically, esports takes the form of organised competitions that fans can view either in person or via stream.

What is an esports management course?

This innovative programme covers all sectors of the Esports industry. Students will have the chance to study modules on esports marketing, public relations, broadcasting, game development and event management as well as business modules in ethics and digital skills. This course has been developed with the help of industry leaders, meaning every module has been carefully considered and will help build the skills needed by future professionals in the esports industry

Is an esports course worth it?

An esports course is worth pursuing if you are passionate about the gaming industry and want to pursue a career in this rapidly growing field.

A global community

Salford Business School aims to foster the next generation of leaders and create a new vision of innovative and entrepreneurial leadership. We are integrated into the local business community as a hub for knowledge creation and exchange. We are proud that our industry collaborations and partnerships benefit students, businesses and the community.

When you arrive as an esports student, you will have access to a bespoke immersive environment, built in the main to host the digital requirements of the course, this will include an esports tournament arena, broadcasting equipment and an esports lab for teaching, learning, and gaming.

Our goal is to prepare you for a fulfilling life and professional career. Along the way, you’ll learn to be curious, adaptable and confident, ready to meet the digital, ethical and sustainability challenges of the 21st century. 

GMIoT partner

Located across England, Institutes of Technology (IoTs) are a national network of partnerships between local colleges, universities, and leading employers. 

We are a proud partner in the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology. This means as a student on this course you will benefit from being part of the University of Salford community, with access to our facilities and support, and taught by our tutors. You will also be part of the GMIoT network, with access to additional events and activities. 

Business in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester’s dynamic business and digital sectors play host to over 290,000 enterprises, providing you with rich real-world learning opportunities and industry-informed teaching. 

Our diverse business collaborations - from start-ups to leading multinationals - drive local and global productivity and growth, positioning Greater Manchester as an internationally renowned business and digital hub. 

Student Support

Our in-school Student Progression Assistants ensure a smooth journey throughout your course. For non-course matters, our university-wide support service, askUS, is on hand to assist across a range of topics. 

Our Careers and Employability team, along with in-school advisors, support your career journey with one-on-one appointments, drop-ins, industry events, networking opportunities, and more. Interested in starting a business? Our start-up incubator, Launch @Salford, offers expert insight and support. 

At the beating heart of it

Based at our picturesque Peel Park campus, just a five-minute journey from central Manchester, Salford Business School sits at the heart of Greater Manchester's thriving business and digital sectors, with close links and a campus at MediaCity. 

Our student space on the sixth floor of the Maxwell Building offers dedicated areas for collaborative and independent study and break-out spaces like our student kitchen. Additionally, here you can find our in-school progression and careers teams to support your journey. 

Employment and stats

What about after uni?

FURTHER STUDY

After completion of the level 5 HND programme, you will have the choice to continue and refine your learning by completing a BSc top-up year in Esports Business Management

A postgraduate degree is a great option if you want to take your knowledge and skills to the next level. Salford graduates and alumni also receive a significant fee discount. Learn about our postgraduate courses

EMPLOYMENT

This course provides you with the broad business understanding of the esports eco-system with a view of gaining entry into the industry via personal enterprise or applying for a career with an established esports company. 

Following graduation from this programme, you can choose to undertake the top-up degree to gain your full BSc degree qualification or choose to enter the industry as a strategist, organiser or entrepreneur. 

The sector in the UK currently supports over 1,200 jobs and has a gross value added of £111.5 million to the UK economy.  The course will dovetail with the world’s 5th largest consumer market for gamers within the UK. 

Below are some of the employment opportunities available within the esports industry:

  • Professional Player
  • Shoutcaster (caster/host)
  • Esports Data Analysist
  • Esports Team Manager / Owner
  • Tournament Organiser / Event Manager
  • Content Creator / Journalist
  • Community / Social Media Manager
  • Marketing / PR Executive
  • Sales and Partnership Manager
  • Esports Agent
  • Esports production and broadcasting
  • Social Media Video Editor
  • Brand Manager

A taste of what you could become

An Esports data analysist

A Tournament organiser

A professional player

A Shoutcaster

A Marketing / PR executive

And more...

Career Links

During the development of the programme, consultations with key industry leaders and business figures including Tom Dore chairman of the British Esports Federation, Kairos Media and Gravity Media have stated that employers would welcome graduates from this course.

As such the content and materials delivered will be focused on the findings of industry and geared towards the benefit of your career progression and the broader Eco-system. 

This will also enable critical networking opportunities for students with professionals who are working at the cutting edge of the industry and the establishment of long-term relationships as you develop your career pathway.

 

Requirements

What you need to know

APPLICANT PROFILE 

This degree is perfect for those interested in all things Esports. Whether you want to get involved with organising tournaments, have an interest in the tech side of Esports, want to get involved with the business of Esports or even become a professional player, this course will provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to get you there. 

Standard entry requirements

GCSE

Maths and English at grade C or grade 4

UCAS Tariff points

72 UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of two A levels

BTEC National Diploma

MMP (BTEC Extended Diploma)

T level

Pass (D or E in the core subject)

Scottish Highers

Equivalent to 72 UCAS Tariff points

Irish Leaving Certificate

Equivalent to 72 UCAS Tariff points

Alternative entry requirements

Salford Alternative Entry Scheme (SAES)

We welcome applications from students who may not meet the stated entry criteria but who can demonstrate their ability to pursue the course successfully. Once we have received your application we will assess it and recommend it for SAES if you are an eligible candidate.

There are two different routes through the Salford Alternative Entry Scheme and applicants will be directed to the one appropriate for their course. Assessment will either be through a review of prior learning or through a formal test.

How much?

Type of study Year Fees
Full-time home 2025/26 £9,250.00per year
Full-time international 2025/26 £15,720.00per year

Additional costs

You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and other general expenses.

Apply now

All set? Let's apply

Still have some questions? Register for one of our Open Days or contact us:

By email: enquiries@salford.ac.uk
By phone: +44 (0)161 295 4545

Enrolment dates

September 2025

UCAS information

Course ID N298

Institution S03