Social media is a $500 billion industry and Gen Z students are looking to grab their piece of the pie. And now, traditional colleges and universities are hopping on the bandwagon and offering courses and degrees that train and teaches students how to become successful social media influencers.
The programs are slowly spreading across the higher education field with some acceptance and criticism.
Class is in session.
With traditional college studies still in place, courses are swiftly moving toward a time when include earning degrees in the more popular career paths such as business and healthcare. But colleges are now getting onboard to what attracts Gen Z students through content marketing and online influencer program options in their curriculums.
Arizona State University launched its Content Creation Bachelor of Arts degree for the 2026-2027 academic year which is described as “the program [is] preparation for the ‘creator economy.’” The program will combine entrepreneurship courses, business and communications.
The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, an Influencer Relations class teaches students how to evaluate influencer performances and create brand marketing campaigns specifically for social media outlets.
USC journalism professor Robert Kozinets told Good Morning America that "I don't think you can teach someone to have that 'je ne sais quoi' charisma, and that stage presence. I think what you can teach is the mechanics of some persuasion, understanding contracts, understanding the nuts and bolts of the industry, understanding how all those pieces fit together.
“It is a broad and comprehensive course. It takes a look at influencers as a social phenomenon, as well as a business feature of the economy today,”
Other institutions that have majors in digital content creation Duke University, University of Alabama, University of Texas at San Antonio, Arkansas Tech University, and Syracuse University.
Not the stereotypical influencer.
Jessica Maddox, co-director for the Office of Politics, Communications and Media at the University of Alabama, created a Social Media Storytelling class in the school’s Journalism and Creative Media department. The class has drawn students who are interested in building social media careers.
“If people are serious about wanting to do a career in influencing or online content creation, they have to know that there is more to it,” Maddox told The Hill. “Yes, a lot of people have been incredibly successful, kind of figuring it out as they go, working hard, building a channel, paying attention to their analytics, buying the equipment and learning, but I think we, as college professors like myself, we would be remiss if we did not treat this as a skill our students need going out into the world.”
These majors are designed to help build online audience communication, highlight miscommunication, and understand the ins and outs of contracts that come with being media professionals. The average income of a full-time social media influencer ranges between $59,000-$65,000 per year.
Narrow path to success
Larger companies have expressed doubt in the new degrees but with the growing power of social media, influencing has moved well beyond the stereotypical “young girl who is snapping selfies and just reaping in tremendous rewards for seemingly not doing anything,” according to Cornell University communications professor, Brooke Erin Duffy.
Critics of the new course of study say that these programs sell pipes dreams that don’t offer stable careers. “It is a time-consuming, labor-intensive job that often doesn’t pay well — at least in the beginning. But a lot of that gets concealed behind … this assumption that it’s a dream job,” she says.
The Tilt, a newsletter for social media influencers, reports that the average influencer can see a profit after nearly five months of consistent posting and 18 months to create a business on social platforms. The Business Insider reports that 18 months of influencing should allow an influencer to fully support themselves.
