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Social Entrepreneurship Option

The Social Entrepreneurship Option is the first Canadian undergraduate social entrepreneurship program grounded in the liberal arts. It was constructed with the ideal student in mind: someone who is intellectually and personally courageous, cares deeply about the world, and sees undergraduate education as a vital stage in their lifelong learning. Someone like you!

The world is an exciting and complex place, filled with beauty and wonderful people, but also struggling greatly with immense and complex challenges. How do we organize our lives, our goals, our work and our relationships to collaborate equitably and effectively to address difficult issues? Social entrepreneurship addresses this question.

By definition, social entrepreneurship is mission-impact driven, aiming to change the world for the better by pursuing social, ethical, environmental and financial sustainability – a quadruple bottom line.

Come and help us create change, as together we explore the world’s challenges and seek to make our community and the planet a better place for everyone!

Definitions of Social Entrepreneurship

“A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change.”

– Canadian Social Entrepreneurship Foundation

“Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems.”

– Ashoka

Eligibility and Requirements

The Social Entrepreneurship Option is a program offered within the Faculty of Arts but is open to all Laurier students. Priority will be given to students in the Faculty of Arts.

Core Courses

There are three core social entrepreneurship courses worth 2.0 credits:

  • SE200: How to Change the World: An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship (0.5) explores the current practice and potential of social entrepreneurship around the world.
  • SE300: Developing a Social Venture (0.5) focuses on specific learning about how to collaborate in the design and creation of a social enterprise.
  • SE400: Capstone Course in Social Entrepreneurship (1.0) helps you make the transition to becoming a social entrepreneur; you'll create a social venture to be launched during the final stage of the academic year.

Additional Required Credits

2.0 additional credits are also required, and include some non-social entrepreneurship courses that have been brought into the Social Entrepreneurship Option to address related knowledge and skill development.

Additional course requirements:

  • One of either AN100, EM202, ES110, GG102, GS101, KS100, NO105, PP110, SY101, UU101, WS100;
  • CMEG300: Introduction to Community Engagement (0.5); and
  • One of the two combinations listed below:
    1. Complete the Arts Global Experience, which includes:
      • GS391: Global Experience Pre-Placement (0.25);
      • A service-learning placement, usually conducted abroad, accompanied by GS392: Global Experience Placement (0.5) or GS393: Global Studies Extended Placement (1.0); and
      • GS394: Global Experience Post-Placement (0.25 credits).
    2. Complete SE364: Social Innovation in the City (1.0)