SAN ANTONIO – Like it or not, social media is here to stay, and digital influencers are a major way to reach audiences in everything from politics to media and business. The University of Texas at San Antonio is offering a new influencer degree program to help more people get into the industry.

This new major for UTSA students will start this fall under the Communications program with a degree in Digital Media Influence.

The program consists of several classes, such as Intro to Digital Communication, production classes, Digital Audiences, and the capstone class of Digital Media Influence.

The courses cover more than just how to point and shoot your camera and what makes the best lighting. They also get into the nitty-gritty of how to attract and keep an audience.

Dr. Charles Mahood, the associate professor of communication who designed the program, said this isn’t one of those majors where students should have a backup major because digital media is in every aspect of our lives and the only way future generations like Gen Z consume media.

“Gen Z wants to get their news via this content,” Mahood said. “They will only get their news via this content. If you’re a reporter for KSAT trying to reach Gen Z, odds are the first time you’ll get them to touchstone with you is during your social media. Get something on TikTok. It’s something on Instagram. Now, once they click on Instagram, as somebody who is well trained in journalism, understanding the proper way to report, I want them to click on that on social media, then go to your website, and then go to your channel to get that full story.”

He said most businesses have jobs or departments dedicated to digital social media.

“I want people to know it is not just for social media influencers,” Mahood said. “That’s going to give you multiple avenues for success in any kind of content production job. In the field of Communication, there are lots and lots of different avenues for you — advertising, public relations, working in social media for a major company, a small company, making yourself into a better brand influencer. There’s lots and lots of career paths, a lot more, I would say, than some of the more traditional degrees that we offer.”

You can still sign up for the program if you are just starting the UTSA semester. Mahood said courses are taught in eight-week increments.

You can sign up for classes for the degree program in October or this spring.