St. Clair College in Windsor brings all the benefits of a college education – hands-on learning, smaller class sizes, work-integrated learning, affordability – to its growing suite of unique offerings in business and information technology.
Perhaps the most distinctive is the Esports Administration and Entrepreneurship program at the Zekelman School of Business. The two year diploma program is now housed in the new $2.5-million state-of-the-art Nexus Esports facility. It is one of the largest of its kind in the country.
“No one else has a facility like ours. It’s industry-leading and we’re told it is in the top three for North America,” says Jim Marsh, Senior Director of the Zekelman School of Business and the Zekelman School of Information Technology.
“This is a growing field and it’s already a multibillion-dollar business.”
Nexus is part of a recently completed $23-million expansion of the Zekelman Centre of Business and Information Technology building to add 40,000 square feet.
Nexus boasts an esports broadcast lab, an open gaming lab of 48 PCs, training facilities for the St. Clair Saints gaming team, a competition stage, an esports classroom, five breakout rooms for streaming and a console-gaming lounge.
St. Clair College was the first postsecondary institution in Canada to introduce esports as a varsity team and an academic program in 2016. St. Clair’s 31-member esports team competes in global competitions.
On the academic side, esports students learn practical business and entrepreneurial skills while developing a comprehensive knowledge of game competitions. Students get a grounding in business, finance, marketing and accounting through the lens of esports.
Students are extensively trained in content creation and broadcasting through live streaming channels such as Twitch and YouTube and get work integrated learning opportunities with the varsity program and esports industry partners.
Courses include sports management, media production, event management, entrepreneurship, team and league administration, and techno-marketing.
Graduates of the program pursue careers in team and league administration, marketing and promotion, event management, esports live streaming, or as pro players or coaches.
Another program of differentiation is the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Information Communications Technology) at the Zekelman School of Information Technology, a four-year degree program that blends together business and IT.
“Often IT people don’t speak the language of finance or accounting and those in finance and accounting don’t understand the IT world. This is to train managers to bridge both fields,” says Marsh.
The hybrid program combines traditional business and management disciplines with network configuration, data management and cybersecurity.
“It’s a practical, hands-on degree with a 14-week paid internship. College students earn degrees in a cost-effective way.”
Graduates emerge ready to become a business or systems analyst or a project manager in a tech-based company or to lead a startup. They capitalize on booming growth in data analytics, mobile applications and wireless technology, cybersecurity and privacy, cloud computing and autonomous vehicles.
The Zekelman School of Business offers diplomas in Accounting, Marketing, Human Resources, a suite of Office Administration programs, a Sports and Recreation Management diploma and a post-graduate certificate in International Business Management – Logistics Systems.
The Zekelman School of Information Technology provides diplomas in Networking, Mobile Applications Development and Web Development and Internet Applications and a postgraduate certificate in Data Analytics for Business.
All St. Clair College programs reward you with practical skills and knowledge that equip you to enter into a profession upon graduation. If you do want to pursue further education we have many pathways that build upon that solid foundation of St. Clair College knowledge such as a Honours Degree in Business Administration from Wayne State University in three semesters after our four semester Business Diploma or go right into a Masters in Business Admiration at Lawrence Technological University from one of our Advanced Diplomas in Business. It is easy to move on when you have a St. Clair College foundation.
