Social Entrepreneurship, B.A.

Our social entrepreneurship program prepares students to launch new socially minded companies, enter the free market, build sustainable solutions to social problems and contribute to job creation.

The major focuses on the importance of positively impacting society as a whole. It stresses entrepreneurship as a way to not only achieve personal success, but to give back to others by creating innovative solutions to society's most pressing social problems. The major strives to inspire you to use your ambition and passion to develop new ideas to evoke wide-scale change for major social issues.

Comprehensive courses focus on developing skills and broadening understanding of social entrepreneurship, including non-profit public relations, entrepreneurship for social change, social problems and community studies. The coursework is designed to reinforce skill sets in marketing, accounting, sales, leadership and perhaps most importantly, creativity and social awareness.

Learning Outside the Classroom

The social entrepreneurship major requires completion of an internship allowing you to gain firsthand experience working alongside seasoned professionals in a business environment.

Each year, Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Global Entrepreneurship Week, an annual, international initiative aimed to inspire and recognize entrepreneurs. It is the largest celebration recognizing those who invent products and create new companies and start-up businesses, as well as those who use their business to create a social change.

The event features speakers, workshops, roundtable discussions and presentations all focusing on the impact of commercial, social and industrial aspects of entrepreneurship. Faculty members from multiple disciplines, international partners, local and regional entrepreneurs, as well as LR business students participate in the event.

Career Opportunities

It is our goal to help you become not just successful social entrepreneurs who can establish sustainable initiatives and organizations that impact our economy and create jobs, but to also be successful people in a dynamic and ever-changing world.

Career options for students include not only building and running their own commercial or non-profit organization, but also being a valuable member of an existing company.

Our students learn the critical thinking and leadership skills that the world's top employers are seeking. Whether it is envisioning and building your own new ventures or helping to build value in an existing company, you are prepared with the self-confidence and abilities to enter the marketplace and to be successful in building a better world.

Students with a strong commitment to service will be especially drawn to the career opportunities available to the social entrepreneurship major.