SOCIAL IMPACT, INNOVATION, AND INVESTMENT SPECIALIZATION

OVERVIEW

The Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment (SI3) specialization provides students with the training to practice across sectors (private, nonprofit and public) as agents of social change. By learning the language and tools of both business and policy, you will be able to innovate products, services, delivery systems, enterprises, and investment approaches necessary to improve lives and solve major domestic and global challenges. You will also be uniquely qualified to assess and measure the social impact that arises from these innovative approaches. Students in the specialization are provided a foundation with required courses traversing ideation, entrepreneurship, and social finance. 

Graduates will be prepared to enter the burgeoning social innovation sector as social entrepreneurs, impact investors, impact measurement specialists, corporate social responsibility managers, and a variety of consultant or for-profit and nonprofit management roles where the combined tools of seeking both financial return and social impact are becoming increasingly important.   

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Below is an overview of the required coursework. For detailed information, view the program checksheet

DEGREE CORE requirements

Students complete the following courses:

specialization REQUIREmentS

Students complete the following courses:

Focus Areas

Focus Areas are optional groupings of courses to help you choose electives. You can go deeper in your specialization and develop more advanced skills by choosing electives within the specialization-related focus areas below. To pursue depth in a focus area we suggest completing 9 credits. To pursue breadth, you may also choose electives across focus areas. 

Social Enterprise

The pursuit of social impact and innovation through entrepreneurship and formation of enterprises.

PADM-GP. 2132 Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation is the foundational course in this area.

Social Finance

Courses that explore the use the tools of finance to address societal changes. These courses focus on sustainability, investing and managing businesses with multiple social goals to achieve financial returns alongside social returns. 

PADM-GP.2311, Impact Investing; PADM-GP.2142, Financial Management II; and PADM-GP.2147, Corporate Finance & Public Policy, are foundational courses in this area.

Social Innovation, Design, and Technology

Courses that explore the process of ideation, and the use of data and technological tools to achieve social innovation.

PADM-GP.2145 Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving and Creating Impact is the foundational course in this area.

School-wide Focus Areas

In addition to the courses in the specialization-related elective focus areas above, to gain a breadth of knowledge and skills you may also wish to choose electives from across course offerings, including from the school-wide focus areas or a different specialization. Relevant school-wide focus areas for you to consider as a SI3 student include, Communication Skills; Environment and Climate Change; Philanthropy and Fundraising; Social Justice and Democracy; and more. 

CAPSTONE

The Capstone Program, a year-long consulting or research project, puts you out in the world resolving a problem or conducting an analysis for a client organization. Social Innovation students may instead choose a capstone where they work on a pre-approved, team-generated project developing a business case or prototype to create social impact or launch a social enterprise.

Students must complete the following courses:

CAP-GP.3301 & 3302 Capstone: Advanced Lab in Social Innovation I &II

Authoritative curriculum information can be found exclusively in the University Bulletin. All other content, including this web-page, is for informational purposes only. You can find the curriculum for this program on this page of the Bulletin.