Social entrepreneurship involves creating new products, services, or programs to address social or environmental needs. The Business Concentration in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship is designed to prepare students from any background or area of study with the knowledge, skills, and experience to launch a new venture or project focused on creating social change through business, partner or work with innovation-driven nonprofit and for-profit social enterprises, work for a business in any industry with an emerging strategic commitment to positive social impact, work in the social finance and impact-investing sectors within the financial services industry, and create and lead intrapreneurial ventures and projects in any business or industry that evidence a commitment to the “stakeholder” model of business.
These five areas fall within the rapidly growing segments of the global economy in which social returns are elevated alongside financial returns in order to create a more equitable and inclusive society. Students will consider ethical and social issues in creating, building, managing, and growing small, medium, and large businesses. The concentration includes a structured community engagement and service requirement, either through participation in international fieldwork (Dialogues, Alternative Spring Break, or other embedded travel programs) and/or local community service programs. Students will have the opportunity to develop specific skill sets in entrepreneurial thinking and critical analysis, creative problem solving, professional communications (writing and presentations), working in diverse and multicultural teams, and interdisciplinary research and data analysis.
