Social Entrepreneurship Certificate

Social Entrepreneurship is about creating and leading organizations and companies that strive to advance social change through innovative solutions. Entrepreneurship is a high-risk endeavor in which 8 out of 10 new ventures are expected to fail.  Yet, against these odds, social entrepreneurs are trying to accomplish some very long-term and ambitious goals: end inner-city poverty, improve public education, reduce global warming, and improve healthcare around the world, to name a few.  How do successful social entrepreneurs achieve long-term, sustainable change and impact?  And how do social investors pick the best of them to invest in and nurture?

The Augsburg Graduate Certificate Program in Social Entrepreneurship is designed for students interested in obtaining the skills and competencies necessary for the entrepreneurial pursuit of social impact; recognizing the unique challenges, opportunities, and qualities associated with trying to create social value. The Social Entrepreneurship Certificate will expose students to the skills, knowledge, and perspectives necessary to pursue social impact entrepreneurially, effectively, and pragmatically. The program has been designed to serve those students who aspire at some point in their lives to be social entrepreneurs, executives in social-purpose organizations, philanthropists, board members, or leading volunteers in their communities and the social sector. The certificate program will also appeal to students interested in incorporating strategies for social impact into their business and entrepreneurial careers.  Simply put, if you want to change the world and need to obtain the skills and network to do it, this program will equip you with frameworks and tools you need to understand and create real change.

Program Goals

• Develop students’ understanding of what social entrepreneurship is and how it may practically operate.
• Supply students with the business and leadership skills necessary to become successful social entrepreneurs.
• Position students to make a positive impact on some of the world’s most pressing economic issues.

Students wishing to earn a Graduate Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship will complete five graduate level courses. Courses include some that focus on the use of business/entrepreneurial skills for social impact in different contexts; others that focus on skills and knowledge from the MBA, Masters in Social Work or Master of Arts in Leadership that are particularly relevant for the effective pursuit of social impact; others that focus on field or industry-specific knowledge; and others that provide opportunities for students to gain practical experience in the social sector.

Two Social Entrepreneurship Courses (required): 

• MBA 583 – Social Entrepreneurship I: Entrepreneurial Execution, Planning and Strategy for Social Innovation-based Ventures
• MBA 538 – Non-Profit Finance, Funding and Enterprise   

Two Electives from the following courses:

MBA Focus:

MBA 592 – Leadership:Ethics, Service and Transformation

MBA 545 – Organizational Development and Behavior

MBA 550 – Marketing

MBA 595 – Strategic Management

(or other director approved electives)

MA in Leadership Focus:

ML 535 Organization Theory and Leadership

ML 536 Facilitating Organizational Change

ML 545 Decision Making and Leadership

ML 531 The Dynamics of Change

ML 538 Communication Skills for Leadership

ML 557 Language of Leadership

ML 570 Negotiations

ML 577 Universal Responsibility and Leadership: A Nicaraguan Experience

(or other director approved electives)

Consulting Project:  (final required course in the SE Certificate) 

• MBA 584 – Social Entrepreneurship II: Advanced Topics and Practicum

To complete a MA in Leadership, students take a minimum of six additional courses.  To complete MBA, students take a minimum of 7.5 courses.  Please consult with the MBA or MA in Leadership admissions.