Social Entrepreneurship, B.I.S.

Return to: 2130 Department of Public Management and Policy

The B.I.S in Social Entrepreneurship prepares students to become agents and leaders of social change through innovative startups and existing social enterprises. This joint program between the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and the Robinson College of Business gives students the opportunity to draw on coursework spanning both the entrepreneurship/business and nonprofit worlds. In addition, students choose from a host of courses across the university that relate to different social issues.

Our B.I.S in Social Entrepreneurship was created not only to tackle the most complex problems, but to help students become better employees, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Students will be the decision makers, leaders, problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and inspiration to others. The program prepares students to recognize and practice their role as “change makers,” and to develop their own solutions to social challenges as successful business leaders.

Students in the program are involved in co-curricular activities and internships that will give them experience of working in and the opportunity to interact with current social enterprises, gaining practical knowledge of the field and exposure to the diverse employment opportunities. Students will leave this program with the business formation knowledge needed to launch a social enterprise at any point in their career.

The B.I.S in Social Entrepreneurship, combined with participation in co-curricular experiences, will prepare students to:

Describe social, economic, and environmental issues, and their interconnectedness.
Assess and employ leadership strategies with the intent to benefit others.
Explain how to incorporate entrepreneurship and management practices into nonprofits, social enterprises, government, and for-profit organizations.
Explain how to invent and implement novel solutions to social needs and problems and to collaborate across disciplines.
Apply the process of design, start, manage, and lead enterprises that benefit people and the planet in a financially stable way.
Design innovative and effective public relations and marketing campaigns for organizations and use appropriate research.
Create and implement evaluation plans that measure effective organizations along with desired outcomes.
Apply the process of problem solving within startups, nonprofits, government, and business.

Program Admission

There are no admission requirements above the requirements for admission to the University for enrollment in the B.I.S. program in Social Entrepreneurship.

Program Financial Information

There are no additional fees other than the tuition and fees charged by the University for enrollment in this program.

Degree Requirements

Complete descriptions of requirements for the Core IMPACTS of the Undergraduate Curriculum can be found in the “1400 University Degree Requirements and Graduation ” chapter of this catalog. The number of semester credit hours required for each section is shown in parentheses.

In the Institutional Policy section of the Core IMPACTS, it is recommended that students take PERS 2002 : Scientific Perspectives-Social Innovation & Enterprise for Global Problems.

Core IMPACTS (42 Credit Hours)

See 1410 Core Curriculum Requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Institutional Priority (4 Credit Hours)
Mathematics & Quantitative Skills (3-4 Credit Hours)
Political Science and U.S. History (6 Credit Hours)
Arts, Humanities & Ethics (6 Credit Hours)
Communicating in Writing (6 Credit Hours)
Technology, Mathematics, & Sciences (11 Credit Hours)
Social Sciences (6 Credit Hours)

Field of Study - BIS SOE (18 Credit Hours)

Students should enter the Social Entrepreneurship major having taken course prerequisites needed for entrance into their planned program of study. Below is a list of prerequisites for upper-level courses in the major or courses relevant to the major. If SOCI 1160 - Introduction to Social Problems is taken in the Social Science section of the Core IMPACTS, any 1000/2000 level course may be substituted.

Required Courses (9 Credit Hours)

LGLS 2020 - Introduction to Law and Risk: Using Law to Manage Risks 3 Credit Hours
PMAP 2000 - Citizenship in the Local Community 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 1160 - Introduction to Social Problems 3 Credit Hours

Electives (9 Credit Hours)

Select 9 additional hours of elective courses from 1000-2000 level to complete 18.0 hours for the Field of Study.

Major Requirements (33 Credit Hours)

Georgia State University undergraduate students must achieve an overall institutional grade-point average (GPA) of 2.0 and a major GPA of 2.0 to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University. Grades of C- can be used to satisfy graduation requirements in Major and Concentration requirements sections. However, some courses have prerequisites that require a grade of C or higher (see 1460 GPA Requirement for additional information).

*To register for ENI courses, students must:

Be in good academic standing
Have 45 credit hours
Earn C or higher in BUSA 3090 and ENI 3101 to gain approval for additional upper-level ENI courses

** Internships are required for all undergraduate students lacking significant prior administrative experience in a public or nonprofit agency or a related organization. Internship experiences provide students the opportunity to apply concepts and skills associated with their curriculum. This opportunity for professional growth and development requires enrollment in three hours of PMAP 4941 . The department’s internship coordinators assist in the search for an appropriate internship opportunity. Students are expected to take the lead in this search. Internship credit requires the completion of 200 hours of work. Students are free to work full-time or part-time, according to their needs and those of their internship sponsor. Many students find paid internships, but there are some unpaid internships available that are very desirable. Students should consider the value of the experience that an internship provides, in addition to the pay. Internship information and applications are available from the Department of Public Management and Policy, or the PMAP internship homepage on the web at pmap.gsu.edu/student-resources/. Students with substantial prior administrative experience may petition to waive the internship requirement. Petition forms are available online through the Office of Academic Assistance at aysps.wufoo.com/forms/undergraduate-petition/.

PMAP 3100 - Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship 3 Credit Hours
ENI 3101 - Entrepreneurial Thinking 3 Credit Hours *
ENI 3102 - Product-Service Design for New Ventures 3 Credit Hours *
ENI 3103 - Business Model Validation 3 Credit Hours *
ENI 4100 - From Startup to Growth Company 3 Credit Hours or PMAP 4100 - From Startup to Growth Company 3 Credit Hours *
PMAP 3031 - Policy Leadership 3 Credit Hours
PMAP 3210 - Introduction to Nonprofits 3 Credit Hours
PMAP 3213 - Nonprofit Financial Resources 3 Credit Hours
PMAP 3231 - Nonprofit Leadership and Management 3 Credit Hours
PMAP 3311 - Critical Policy Issues-CTW 3 Credit Hours
PMAP 4941 - Internship 3 Credit Hours **

Concentration Requirements (18 Credit Hours)

Georgia State University undergraduate students must achieve an overall institutional grade-point average (GPA) of 2.0 and a major GPA of 2.0 to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University. Grades of C- can be used to satisfy graduation requirements in Concentration Requirements sections. However, some courses have prerequisites that require a grade of C or higher (see 1460 GPA Requirement for additional information).

Choose six classes from any one concentration

Students may not take more than 12 credits in any one prefix. Students may petition the program director to add classes appropriate to the concentration if not listed.

Electives (9 Credit Hours)

Students may select 9 semester hours (three classes) of electives from lower division 1000/2000 or upper division 3000/4000 level classes appropriate to the major.

Social Entrepreneurship, B.I.S.

Program Admission

Program Financial Information

Degree Requirements

Core IMPACTS (42 Credit Hours)

Field of Study - BIS SOE (18 Credit Hours)

Required Courses (9 Credit Hours)

Electives (9 Credit Hours)

Major Requirements (33 Credit Hours)

Concentration Requirements (18 Credit Hours)

Choose six classes from any one concentration

Electives (9 Credit Hours)

Total Semester Hours for Degree: 120 Credit Hours