Social Entrepreneurship Concentration

This concentration promotes advanced scholarship that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. Students combine required coursework in social entrepreneurship, management, public policy, public and international affairs, and leadership with courses aimed at individual student’s areas of specialization and hands on learning activities. Through this powerful blend of academic courses and experiential learning opportunities (i.e., the practical and the theoretical), students will graduate with the knowledge of leading edge concepts and research-based approaches, as well as the field experience necessary to succeed as social innovators.

Students earning an MAIS with a concentration in social entrepreneurship will learn about the roles that technology, public policy, market based approaches, research, leadership, strategy, and communication play in implementing solutions to urgent challenges around the globe. Whether they work in government, industry, or the citizen (non-profit) sector, these future leaders will be exposed to cutting edge knowledge related to sustainability, ethical leadership, strategic management, and working effectively within complex networks made up of divergent groups of stakeholders. Further, students will be equipped with the experience, strategic knowledge, technical support, and the social networks needed to create, operate, develop and accelerate startups, bring ideas to scale, and improve program effectiveness.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 36

Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.

Students pursuing this degree must successfully complete 36 credits of graduate coursework in one of the concentrations which follow. Students must submit a curriculum worksheet that has been approved by their concentration head and the director. All students complete their work in the program with a project or thesis.

Concentration in Social Entrepreneurship (SOCE)

The concentration in social entrepreneurship will equip students with the subject matter expertise, strategic knowledge, technical support, and social networks needed to create, operate, develop, and accelerate startups; bring ideas to scale; and improve an existing program's effectiveness. These future leaders will learn about sustainability, ethical leadership, strategic management, and working effectively within complex networks made up of divergent groups of stakeholders. All students will complete a capstone research project and an experiential learning requirement that deliver practical knowledge and real-world experience. This degree is suitable for students seeking careers in government, business, or the non-profit sector.

Required Course of Proseminar

Core Courses

Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Competencies in Social Entrepreneurship

Students take three courses from the list of competencies below to complement the skills they have already acquired through formal education and professional experience, or other courses to enhance their skills, including oral and written communication, that are chosen in consultation with an advisor.

Environmental and Public Policy

Finance and Accounting

Business and Project Management

Leadership and Well-Being

Subject Matter Expertise

Students must develop expertise in the social problem they seek to address through entrepreneurship. Possible areas of focus include global and/or local poverty, homelessness, human trafficking, conflict resolution, women's rights, racial inequality, educational and health-care access, climate change, environmental sustainability, and human rights, among other possible topics.

Students take:

Experiential Learning Requirement (3 credits)

Students will seek out and/or create an opportunity for experiential learning that aligns with a social mission. Experiential learning opportunities can include internships, service-learning, consulting projects, and field studies or research (including overseas). Because the intention is to develop and apply newly acquired skills, students may not use work done previously or their current employment to fulfill this requirement. All experiential learning projects must be approved by the social entrepreneurship concentration head the semester before registering for the course. Students may register for an individualized section of INTS 595 Experiential Learning or another graduate-level internship or practicum course to fulfill this requirement. Students must complete the experiential learning component before registering for MAIS 798 Interdisciplinary Studies Project or MAIS 799 Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis.

Proposal

Project or Thesis