MSc Social Innovation and lse.ac.uk/sie A cutting-edge Master s programme for social entrepreneurs within startups, NGOs and corporations.
Programme overview The MSc Social Innovation and is a cutting-edge degree designed for students to develop the knowledge, professional experience and skills to launch innovative entrepreneurial solutions for the world's most pressing social and environmental challenges. The one-year degree imparts insights from research in the rapidlydeveloping field of social innovation and entrepreneurship. Students will benefit from practical learning from our worldwide network of social enterprises, including NGOs, startups and corporate divisions, to help launch or scale up successful entrepreneurial ventures. Change the way you think about Social Innovation We take a unique approach to social innovation and entrepreneurship teaching, with a core belief that understanding the root cause of a social problem is fundamental to creating an effective solution. You will learn critical techniques to analyse the root cause of social challenges in diverse global contexts, and use this deeper understanding to design more effective and innovative solutions. Develop your intellectual and practical skills Social innovation is a very young field, so there are lots of new fashions and fads. The programme focuses on what really works and doesn t work in the field, based on rigorous research. A key feature of the programme is to have the students go to a developing country early in the programme, so that they can design truly viable and innovative solutions that meet real needs on the ground. Based on LSE s tradition for academic excellence, ranked #2 in the world for social science and management*, you will gain the latest academic insights from management, psychology, sociology, economics, development and anthropology. With this you will develop a strong foundation of knowledge, looking past current trends and fashions in social innovation for long-lasting success. You will also gain essential practical skills to apply this knowledge. Students will have the opportunity to obtain field based experience in a developing country, building a deeper understanding of the context of social challenges, the locus of the current opportunities for innovation, and the real-world challenges they will face in implementing entrepreneurial ventures with social goals. Start your own social enterprise We provide you with the opportunity to develop your own social enterprise during your year at LSE. You will have the chance to put your classroom knowledge, plus real-world immersion experience from your field trip, into action by completing a practical social enterprise design project. The expert guidance of LSE faculty and external partners will support you to generate impactful ideas, build social business models, and launch or scale your own venture. This programme offers the opportunity to design economically viable ventures that also have the potential to raise the quality of life for billions of people. The LSE is the perfect place to guide you through this process as you will interact with faculty members who have worked with companies, social enterprises and NGOs; helping them to design, set up and scale their ventures. Dr Nadia Millington, MSc Social Innovation and Deputy Programme Director Students will design a new social enterprise during the degree, based first and foremost on an understanding of the root cause of the social problem. *QS World University Ranking 2017 02 MSc Social Innovation and MSc Social Innovation and 03
Class Profile Being a part of a diverse group was the best thing about LSE experience. Learning from each other s experience and sharing different perspectives and approach, pushed the boundaries of imagination. 40 students Pallavi Gupta, Alum, Founder and Managing Director, FifthEstate We are looking for the next generation of leaders or change makers that are bound together by the goal of engaging in entrepreneurship as a force for social transformation. Your classmates therefore are not only your colleagues but a valuable source of learning and a sounding board against which you can test and share ideas or experimental business models. Nadia Millington, Deputy Programme Director, MSc Social Innovation and 04 MSc Social Innovation and Backgrounds: Marketing, Economics, Management, Engineering, Industrial design, Public policy Learn from your classmates The LSE Department of Management attracts top students from across the world each year. Your classmates will typically have experience in emerging economies, working in areas that deliver social impact in their home communities. The programme offers opportunities to learn from your classmates in debates and presentations, team projects, social events, blogs and online communities. This will not only develop your cross-cultural management skills, but also bring fresh insights to your understanding of social problems and possible solutions. MSc Social Innovation and 05
Your Career It was a very special experience for me to be part of a group of students who are all so bright and motivated to make a real difference in the world. Following the progress of my former classmates always puts a smile on my face. Sofia Zab, Alum, Marketing Director at Branch.co & Co-founder of Sokotext Grow your network Bill Gates, Former Chief Executive of Microsoft The MSc Social Innovation and programme will give you access to the LSE Department of Management s network of social innovation researchers, NGOs and companies worldwide. We are home to the Social Innovation Co-Creation Lab research unit, and insights from our cutting edge research impacts on social problems across the world. As an LSE student, you will also become a part of our prestigious wider network of over 100,000 students and alumni across the world, including business leaders, heads of state and Nobel Prize winners. This network will give you a platform for career success, and links to like-minded, socially-focused professionals worldwide. Prominent LSE speakers Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook Take the next step in your career The programme will prepare you to take the next step in your career in social innovation in emerging economies. Whether you want to grow an existing social venture, develop a social innovation project within a corporate or development organisation, or launch your own new enterprise, you can develop the knowledge, skills and international experience you need to succeed during your year at LSE. We have an online community of students who were involved in stand alone social innovation design courses for over the past 8 years. This is a highly interesting expanding social universe of many people working in the relevant space in emerging economies that students will have access to. It was fascinating to learn about innovations originating in other developing and third world counties, to see how scarcity can produce some of the best innovative solutions, and how such frugal innovations can be used in different circumstances in not only developing but even developed countries. Dalai Lama Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Pallavi Gupta, Alum, Founder and Managing Director of FifthEstate 06 MSc Social Innovation and MSc Social Innovation and 07
Curriculum Past consulting projects include: IBM Big data in Brazil IBM Tech support for entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka Honey Care Africa Business in a Beehive in Kenya Reconstructed Living Labs Scaling social enterprise in Africa Rickshaw Bank Business model renewal in India Riders for Health Healthcare transport in Africa Seeds for Development Economically sustainable farming in Uganda Gyan Shala Education for slum children in India Rutuba Agricultural microfranchising in Kenya EDOM Solving micro-nutrient malnutrition in Kenya Core courses The MSc Social Innovation and programme is built around two core elements. The first fundamental element of the programme will focus on social innovation design, including understanding social problems with field trips to emerging markets, innovating social business models, funding social ventures, and measuring and scaling social impact and a design project. The second core element focuses on essential management skills for innovative social entrepreneurs: marketing, managerial economics, entrepreneurial finance, leadership and team management skills and qualitative and quantitative methodologies for analysing data. Our teaching is largely research based, so you will get the best knowledge currently available for social enterprises and social businesses, including from our Innovation Lab with research programmes all over Africa and South Asia With the combination of these two elements, you will develop a well-rounded skills set with the knowledge and capabilities to manage your own social enterprise from design and launch to implementation and growth. Dissertation You will also complete an individual dissertation project at the end of the degree. Your dissertation can take the form of a consulting project, research project or an individual enterprise design project, so that you can graduate with a fully-designed social venture. Elective courses You can customise the programme according to your own interests and career goals with a choice of optional elective courses. Specialist optional elective courses are available from the Department of Management in Open Innovation, Negotiation Analysis, International Marketing, Entrepreneurial Finance, Digital Media Futures, and Organisational Behaviour for Social Innovation and. You can also select from a broader range of elective courses from leading academic departments across LSE, such as International Development and Anthropology. LSE inspired me to be contrarian, to challenge the status quo for change to happen. You have to be willing to take a bold move and have the courage to address the challenges you see. Aaron Kirunda, Alum Founder of Enjuba Understanding Social Problems for Innovation and Social Innovation Design COMPULSORY COURSES (2.5 UNITS) Social Innovation and I Social Innovation and II Dissertation ELECTIVE COURSES (1.5 UNITS) 08 MSc Social Innovation and MSc Social Innovation and 09
About the LSE Department of Management The London School of Economics is a world-renowned centre for excellence in teaching and research, with the aim of impacting on socially meaningful challenges in business and policy. The Department of Management upholds these values. Our department has a tradition of innovation in business education, breaking the traditional business school mould and developing fresh approaches to teaching through academic excellence, critical analysis and the latest research in our field. We are proud to be rated #1 in the UK for research in business and management studies (REF 2014). Our research pushes the frontiers of our understanding of the world, developing cutting-edge insights for practitioners. We collaborate with businesses, third sector organisations and policymakers across the globe to bring about real world impact. My experience was very typical of LSE as a whole: a place that encourages exploring radical ideas and getting engaged in interesting initiatives, while anchoring you with a sense of pragmatism and real-world ambition. We are located in the heart of central London, on the doorstep of global business, government, culture and entertainment. Sofia Zab, Alum, Marketing Director at Branch.co & Co-founder of Sokotext Find out more and apply London is a great base for students. It has a very rich ecosystem of organisations in the social domain, as well as headquarters of a lot of large international organisations. It is also an exciting and incredibly diverse city to live in. We encourage you to find out more about the programme, entry requirements and application process by visiting our website: lse.ac.uk/sie Applications are open from October for entry in September the following year. Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. and Programme Director Contact us If you have any questions about the programme, please contact us: dom.msc.admissions@lse.ac.uk +44 (0) 20 7955 6605 10 MSc Social Innovation and MSc Social Innovation and 11
MSc Social Innovation and lse.ac.uk/sie Department of Management London School of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE 2017