Social Entrepreneurship and Business Major

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Social Entrepreneurship and Business major highlights the business of changing the world. The major combines practical business knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, and understanding of current economic, political, cultural, and environmental issues. The program positions you to find–or create–careers that apply innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. It enables you to build a career out of making the world a better place, and learn transferable tools for creating change across public, private, and non-profit sectors. A Social Entrepreneurship minor is also offered to complement a major in any discipline.

The Social Entrepreneurship and Business (SEB) program is grounded in Rollins’ commitment to educate students for global citizenship and responsible leadership, preparing graduates to pursue meaningful lives and productive careers. The SEB program is anchored in the Rollins values of Excellence, Innovation, and Community and the AACSB-International values of Innovation, Impact, and Engagement. The program provides opportunities for students to develop a strong set of basic business skills combined with an understanding of current economic, political, cultural, and environmental issues consistent with the Carnegie Foundation’s (2012) definition of the purpose of liberal learning “…to enable students to make sense of the world and their place in it, preparing them to use knowledge and skills as a means toward responsible engagement with the life of their times.”

Key themes of the Social Entrepreneurship program are:

The Primacy of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) in decision making
1. Economic growth and development,
2. Social responsibility and ethics, and
3. Environmental sustainability
Contemporary theories, practices, content, and applications in business from the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK)
The global, ethical, responsible, economic, social, environmental, legal, and technological implications of course content
Problem solving through analysis, critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship through classwork and community engagement
Applied liberal arts skills (analytic, reflective, and strategic thinking; problem solving; legal and ethical reasoning, quantitative reasoning; and effective communication)
Leadership, interpersonal communication, coordination, cooperation, conflict resolution, teamwork, and team building
Application of information technology skills for research, composition, communication, calculation, and presentation
Broad global and strategic perspectives on contemporary business, social, and environmental issues
Reflective examination of self in relation to the global and local communities, and to the diversity of people with whom they will work
Application of knowledge through experiential learning opportunities (internships, service learning, community engagement, business projects, and case studies)

Major Requirements

The Social Entrepreneurship & Business (SEB) major requires seventeen courses (68 semester hours), including ten core courses (40 hours), four social entrepreneurship & business core courses (16 hours), three elective courses (12 hours), an immersion experience, and a global experience. The major is compatible with the 3/2 program of the Crummer Graduate School of Business, in which students earn a B.A. and MBA in 5 years.

Business Core Courses (10 Courses, 40 Credit Hours)

SEB 101 - Introduction to Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Crs: 4
SEB 135 - Law & Ethics of Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Crs: 4
BUS 230 - Financial and Managerial Accounting Crs: 4
BUS 233 - Micro and Macro Economics Crs: 4
BUS 236 - Statistics for Business Crs: 4
BUS 245 - International Organizational Behavior Crs: 4
SEB 305 - Social Entrepreneurship Marketing Crs: 4
SEB 345 - Financing Social Entrepreneurship Crs: 4
MGT 350 - Supply Chain Management Crs: 4
BUS 450 - Global Business Strategy Crs: 4

Social Entrepreneurship and Business Core Courses (4 Courses, 16 Hours)

Elective Courses (choose Three; at Least Two at the 300-400 Level, 12 Hours)

The electives enable students either to design an ‘impact track’ targeting their personal SE passion (health, education, environment, development, poverty, inequality, gender, race/ethnicity, etc.) or to broaden their understanding of a variety of issues. Faculty in the Department of Business can assist students interested in designing an ‘impact track’.

*additional prerequisite may be required

ANT 215 - Human Ecology Crs:
ANT 277 - Gender in the Middle East and North Africa Crs:
ANT 361 - Anthropology and the Environment Crs:
CMC 310 - Media, Peace, and Justice Crs:
CMC 320 - Political Economy of Body and Food Crs:
CMC 325 - Incarceration and Inequality Crs:
COM 325 - Communication Campaigns Crs:
COM 340 - Health Policy and Advocacy Communication Crs:
COM 355 - Global Health Communication Crs:
EDU 271 - School and Society Crs:
EDU 280 - Diversity in American Education Crs:
EDU 347 - Global Perspectives in Education
EDU 385 - Teaching Children with Exceptionalities Crs:
ENV 289 - Nature in the City Crs:
ENV 292 - Political Economy of Environmental Issues Crs:
ENV 302 - Traditional Town Planning Crs:
ENV 348 - Sustainable Development Crs:
ENV 353 - National Parks and Protected Areas Crs:
ENV 365 - Environment and Development in Central America Crs:
HIS 311 - History of American Sexuality Crs:
HIS 370 - Race and Ethnicity in United States Crs:
PHI 290 - Medical Ethics Crs:
POL 302 - The Politics of Global Poverty Crs: *
POL 330 - Peace and Conflict Studies Crs:
POL 332 - International Human Rights Crs:
POL 333 - Case Studies in Sustainable Development Crs: *
PSY 211 - Social Psychology Crs: *
REL 228 - Women and Religion Crs: *
REL 300 - Religion and the Body Crs: *
SEB 302 - Indigenous Entrepreneurship Crs: 4
SEB 310 - Human Centered Design Thinking Crs: 4
SEB 335 - Markets for the Poor Crs:
SEB 325 - Globalization and Gender Crs: 4
SOC 111 - Social Problems Crs:
SOC 324 - Women in Society *
SOC 345 - Sociology of Gender Crs: *
SOC 346 - Sexualities Crs: *
SOC 355 - Race and Ethnic Relations Crs: *
SOC 356 - The State of Black America Crs: *
SOC 360 - Poverty and Social Welfare Crs: *
SWAG 205 - Introduction to Sexuality, Women’s, and Gender studies Crs:

Immersion Experience

All SEB majors are required to participate in one immersion experience. This requirement may be satisfied by participating in (a) a Rollins Immersion program, or (b) an international service learning experience approved by the SEB director. Rollins Immersion exposes students to critical cultural, social, political and structural issues in the community through weekend and weeklong projects of civic and community engagement throughout the academic year. Rollins Immersion is rooted in the academic mission of Rollins to educate students for global citizenship and responsible leadership. Through direct community engagement, leadership development, multicultural education, discussion and pre/reflection activities students will be immersed in the big challenges and questions that face communities in the 21st Century. International service learning experiences also focus on social responsibility and enable students to practice ‘global citizenship’ while engaging in service in a different culture. Students should document their immersion experience, and may be required to provide supporting evidence or write an essay describing their experience.

Global Experience

All SEB majors are required to have a global experience. This requirement may be satisfied by: (a) participating in a Rollins semester abroad program, (b) participating in an approved Rollins study abroad course, (c) by experience as an international student studying in the U.S., or (d) by extensive experience living or working abroad at age 16 or older. Students may be required to document their global experience.

Residency and Distribution

SEB majors must take all core courses at Rollins (except for courses taken by transfer students prior to admission to Rollins); at least one-half of all courses for the major at Rollins (no exemption for transfer students); at least one-half of all business core courses from the BUS curriculum (no exemption for internal transfers); and must take at least one-half of all courses for the major at the 300-400 level.