The Social Entrepreneurship graduate certificate from Empire State College is employs innovative initiatives designed to address social problems that have not been adequately addressed. While the goal of social entrepreneurship is to create a better society, it is not necessarily inconsistent with making a profit. In fact, there is a growing recognition that societal problems require partnerships involving business, government and the nonprofit sector. Therefore, social entrepreneurship requires innovative, even revolutionary, business approaches that achieve sufficient scope and scale to be effective. 

At completion of the program, students will be able to: understand social entrepreneurship as a vital activity and an opportunity for personal growth; describe and explore examples and models of social entrepreneurship; explore the different approaches legal structures (for-profit, nonprofit, benefit organizations), partnerships, alliances that support social entrepreneurship; and consider and the skills and knowledge areas required for social entrepreneurship