Arizona State University has taken a bold step by introducing a new Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation through its esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. This innovative program offers students a four-year degree focused on becoming professional content creators, digital storytellers, and influencers.
The program, approved by the university senate earlier this year, arrives at a time when the creator economy is rapidly expanding into a multibillion-dollar industry. With over 200 million Americans earning income through platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and podcasts, the global creator economy is valued at over $250 billion, driven by surging ad spend, advanced creator tools, and the ever-evolving artificial intelligence space.
According to Indeed, the average influencer earns $91,991 per year, while more than half of young people (57% of Gen Z) want to become social media influencers, surveys suggest. This trend is not limited to Gen Z, as 41% of adults overall express influencer aspirations.
Students in the program will learn content strategy, personal branding, audience analytics, multimedia production, podcasting, social media marketing, and videography while building their own online presences. They will also gain hands-on experience through internships, brand content projects, and the university’s Los Angeles Content Studio, where they will have the chance to work on professional productions and creator-focused initiatives.
The curriculum culminates in a capstone project where students are expected to grow a real audience. By graduation, students are expected to have an established platform with followers and engagement metrics they can show potential employers or sponsors.
The degree still requires the same academic rigor as other bachelor’s programs, with students needing to complete at least 120 credit hours, including general education courses in math, writing, and humanities alongside their communications and production classes. The program is housed within one of the nation’s best-known journalism schools, reflecting the increasing overlap between journalism, digital media, and creator-driven storytelling.
While influencer may once have sounded like an unconventional profession, schools are increasingly treating content creation as a blend of entrepreneurship, communications, marketing, and media production – skills that extend well beyond internet fame. Whether graduates ultimately become full-time creators or use those skills inside traditional companies, ASU is making one thing clear: Knowing how to build an audience has become valuable enough to earn its own bachelor’s degree.
The new degree reflects how dramatically the labor market has evolved over the past decade. What was once considered a hobby has become a legitimate business for many creators, who generate income through advertising revenue, brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, paid subscriptions, merchandise sales, digital products, and more. With brands shifting billions of dollars in advertising budgets toward influencer marketing and user-generated content, it’s no wonder that average reported annual influencer marketing budgets have grown 171% since last year.
Most brands allocate 10% to 20% of their total overall marketing budget to influencer marketing alone, with some putting more than a quarter of their funds toward influencers, according to Influee, a UGC platform. As the creator economy continues to expand, it’s clear that knowing how to build an audience has become a valuable skill in today’s digital landscape.
With the rise of platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, it’s no wonder that more than half of young people (57% of Gen Z) want to become social media influencers. By offering a degree in content creation, ASU is providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this rapidly evolving industry.
