Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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.

Concentration in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
INNO 2301	Innovation!	4
INNO 4506	Integrated Studies in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship	4
Electives
Complete two of the following, one of which may come from the additional elective list:		8
INNO 2206	Global Social Enterprise
INNO 2414	The Social Impact of Business
INNO 3309	Funding and Measuring Social Impact
Additional Electives
ENTR 2303	Marketing Strategies for Startups
ENTR 3217	Global Family Business Leadership
ENTR 3304	Entrepreneurship and Innovation Law
ENTR 3305	Business Model Design and Innovation
ENTR 3330	Design Thinking for Startups
ENTR 4983	Special Topics in Entrepreneurship
INNO 2304	Industry Disruption and Corporate Transformation
INNO 3335	Product Innovation and Portfolio Management
INNO 3520	Impact Investing and Social Finance
INNO 4225	Growth, Acquisitions, and Alliances
INNO 4983	Special Topics in Innovation
MKTG 2301	Marketing and Society
One course from an approved Dialogue may count toward an elective.