Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Major

Today’s most pressing issues demand bold thinkers and compassionate leaders. The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship major empowers students to imagine a better future - and build it. Students learn to create solutions to social, environmental, and other problems that are more effective, efficient, sustainable, or justice-focused than current solutions. The value created accrues primarily to society rather than to private individuals. This is Social Innovation. The Social Entrepreneurship component of the major teaches students the techniques, skills, and mindsets of bold and creative self-starters, leaders, and managers in all sectors (non-profit, government, and responsible business) to create similarly novel models for addressing social problems. Nazareth’s B.S. in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship combines four key components:

• A strong background in Business and Leadership, including courses in general business, economics, finance, accounting, management, and leadership. 
• Coursework in the Liberal Arts and Sciences that studies social innovation and social entrepreneurship examples from around the world, along with examples of how data and other information can be used ethically to understand social problems more deeply. 
• Extensive co-curricular and internship experiences, application of design tools and innovative thinking, culminating in developing a real-world social innovation by the time students graduate.
• A set of elective courses, chosen by the student, to help provide depth of knowledge in the particular area that will guide their social innovations or entrepreneurial goals to be successful. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

1. Identify and critically analyze grand social and ecological challenges. 
2. Demonstrate an understanding of social innovation and social entrepreneurship theory, models, and processes.
3. Understand the way people organize, the organizing principles and organizational structures to advance social impact. 
4. Facilitate and collaborate in inclusive, interdisciplinary teams. 
5. Cultivate the competencies of a reflective practitioner. 
6. Lead with ethical reasoning and cultural humility.
7. Develop, evaluate, and manage social innovation and entrepreneurial projects. 
8. Demonstrate content knowledge in areas outside of the SIE core, applicable to the students’ goals in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.