If you’re a high school surfer panicking about what to study in college, or if you’re the parent of one and you’re worried that your young shredder doesn’t have the academic commitment for a university degree, there may be hope for the both of you. As the amount of surfers planet-wide grows and grows (sigh), so too do the complexities of the international business of surf. Remarkably, some universities are now offering fully-fledged bachelor’s degrees in surfing, while a few schools even enroll students in post-graduate programs that focus on surfing. So, high school seniors out there, take note: you don’t have to major in some awful subject, like, God forbid, history. You can actually study surfing. For a degree.
The most well-known degree program is Plymouth University’s Surf Science and Technology BSc. The program was founded at Plymouth’s Cornwall campus in 1999 and has since handed out hundreds of degrees. Surf culture, history, marketing, fitness, and environmental studies all contribute to a diploma that the college hopes will prepare graduates for careers in the surf industry, or in environmentally-conscious non-profit companies. Similar degree programs have since been started in Australia, at Southern Cross University and at Edith Cowan University. The Southern Cross program aims to churn out surf apparel marketers and surf media workers, while Edith Cowan steers toward graduating future surf coaches.
Read more at http://www.surfermag.com/blogs/culture/the-surf-specific-college-degree/#Rlcjl4SpGuUmpFRc.99