Yes, you CAN get a degree in Taylor Swift from Harvard University... here's why

Lester Kiewit speaks to Stephanie Burt, Professor of English at Harvard University, about a Taylor Swift degree offered at the academic institution. 

Taylor Swift’s 'Eras' tour is currently sweeping across Europe and fans have been travelling far and wide to see her performing live, so much so that every city she’s visiting has been seeing a mini-economic boom, hence the term 'Swiftonomics.'

The Bank of England paused on an interest rate announcement because it coincided with a Taylor Swift tour. 

While other countries report that their GDP spikes wherever Swift goes.

The popstar even has a degree dedicated to her at Harvard University.

Art professors and economists agree that Taylor Swift impacts more than culture and music.

Burt, who heads up the Taylor Swift degree at Harvard (yes, she's a Swiftie too) says there are two main reasons for the star's success:

1. Her ability to speak to and retain the interest of her fans by putting clues in lyric sheets, adapting to social media trends, understanding how to use and not to use media and constantly giving us things to talk about.

2. She has business sense and she has been notably good with her money which helps keep her at the top. 

"The foundation is that she's a versatile, prolific and tremendously gifted songwriter. She has shown for almost 20 years now the ability to write tremendously moving and verbally interesting and melodically compelling songs that relate to many people from album to album don't resemble each other."

- Stephanie Burt, English Professor - Harvard University

"She is relatable and aspirational... people want to be like her... and she's also a conventionally attractive white woman from America who does not have aspects that would seem to limit her appeal in the white supremacist world that in America, we still live in - that has helped her success. So it is her songwriting talents but it would be a bad faith action not to acknowledge those other contributions to her success."

- Stephanie Burt, English Professor - Harvard University

Swift's success has ascended her to the same level of The Beatles' 'Beatlemania', Michael Jackson and other greats culturally, musically, economically and socially, adds Burt.

"In English literature, the differences between Lord Byron and Swift is that Lord Byron was a writer of books rather than a songwriter and performer and the second is that Lord Byron was known as a jerk and Taylor Swift is an incredibly nice person."

- Stephanie Burt, English Professor - Harvard University

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.