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About the Program
USC’s Master of Science in Social Entrepreneurship (MSSE) is the only graduate degree of its kind offered at a U.S. business school. The program curriculum includes an exploration of the field of social enterprise and practice in feasibility analysis, impact investing, cause-related marketing, environmental sustainability, and global social impact.
The MSSE gives students the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to launch a social enterprise or play a key leadership role in an existing one. These enterprises may be stand-alone ventures or embedded in existing organizations.
Program Format and Schedule
The MSSE degree can be completed in one year through courses held in the evenings and on weekends. Depending on the individual needs of the students, part-time completion of the degree is possible in one and one-half to four years. The program requires 30 units, consisting of nine required courses and two elective courses. In each required course, faculty members teach their area of expertise through a social impact lens.
In readings, cases, guest lectures, exercises, and assignments, students study contemporary causes and attributes of local and global social, environmental, and health challenges. The degree culminates in a for-credit practical capstone project in which students either develop a detailed business plan for a new or improved social enterprise or work with an existing organization in an advisory role for the semester.
