This article originally ran on the website of the Kroc School at the University of San Diego.
Once you see the world with a social innovator’s lens and a moral imagination, you can’t help but look at problems — of all shapes and sizes — as opportunities that can and should be solved. Even more than that, you start seeing yourself as the person to solve them.
At the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies (Kroc School) at the University of San Diego (USD), we equip and empower innovative Changemakers with the knowledge, skills, experiences, and connections to shape more peaceful and just societies. Preparing individuals with a social innovator’s mindset is not only our bread and butter, it’s what the world demands of us.
That’s why we created the Master of Arts in Social Innovation (MASI) — a full-time, 9-month program (with part-time options available) for individuals with the passion and courage to lead real social impact through new ways of thinking, problem solving, organizing, and creating sustainable value. Through field-based learning and expert instruction from leading Professors of Practice, students have the opportunity to apply and test their classroom skills and knowledge with real-life expereince. The result: MASI graduates are prepared to lead as social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in CSR departments, foundations, B-Corps, government, scale-up organizations, and nonprofits.
USD also offers the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge (Fowler GSIC) — a social venture development experience where students start by understanding a problem, ideate for possible solutions, and get mentoring and funding to test their idea in the world. The Fowler GSIC has awarded over $400,000 in funding to student social ventures from dozens of countries. Participants report increased confidence in public speaking, writing, networking, leading a team and building a plan for financial sustainability, and managing complex projects through uncertainty.
Together, this powerful combination of learning and practice has been described as “an MBA for social impact” and a catapult for young social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. Not surprisingly, the MASI program has helped alumni propel their careers forward and enabled them to make an even bigger positive impact on the world.
Get the Master’s in Social Innovation Course Guide Now
Here are just a handful of individuals who have used the Kroc School’s Master’s in Social Innovation as a pathway to career advancement:
These individuals represent just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the vast number of careers available for social innovators, and as the world becomes increasingly complex and intertwined, new social challenges surface every day.
Grow your toolkit, grow your network, and grow your career potential. The circle of social innovators making responsible change in their own corners and contexts is waiting to add your name, and the Kroc School’s Master’s in Social Innovation can help you take a big step forward on your journey.
This is a sponsored post on PCDN