Innovation & Social Enterprise Minor

Most people seek employment, but some create it. Do you get excited about initiating change? Are you willing to dream big, even if it means risking failure? Add a minor in Innovation and Social Enterprise to any major, and start developing the tools you’ll need to make a lasting impact. You will learn to translate personal convictions and ideas into tangible actions and plans—a desirable competency in virtually every field.

COURSES FACULTY OUTCOMES

Why study Innovation and Social Enterprise at Gordon?

At Gordon, we recognize that entrepreneurship is too big a concept to restrict to a single major or discipline—it’s a catalyst for connecting all fields to real-world impact. Whether you’re planting a church, launching a high-tech venture or expanding a nonprofit, you need the practical, creative, grassroots solutions associated with entrepreneurial thinking. Studying entrepreneurship in a Christian liberal arts community helps you connect concepts to calling. Plus, the required internship component guarantees you’ll have real-life experience to prepare you to make a real-life impact.

What careers can I pursue with an Innovation and Social Enterprise minor?

As an entrepreneurial thinker, you may be the instigating force behind new ideas or growing organizations. Your career path is flexible and dependent on your personal convictions and goals, but you’ll be equipped to chart your own course. Preferred career paths for graduates:

Business or nonprofit founder
Entrepreneur
Product inventor or service creator
Church planter
Small business or family business manager
Consultant
Social entrepreneur or activist
Technology start-up
Engaging markets and poverty alleviation

Learn more about jobs and internships ?

HEAR FROM A GRAD

Damilola Junaid ’14

“Participating in the Social Venture Challenge made me realize that I don't need to amass multiple degrees or be older to make a difference in the world today. It has also given me the opportunity to understand the social issues facing youth in my home country (Nigeria), to address their needs, and be a part of an important movement. This has been inspiring and motivational for me and my team." Hear from others ?

GO THE EXTRA MILE

Gordon fosters a rich entrepreneurial culture, so there’s no shortage of ways to plug into initiatives and immerse yourself in settings that will enhance your learning outside the classroom. (Or perhaps you’ll start some new initiative to add to this list?)

Social Venture Challenge: an annual competition that awards $10,000 for student start-ups
Entrepreneurial Mentorship: over 60 organizational leaders mentor budding entrepreneurs
Open Coffee: local entrepreneurs engage students in weekly conversations at Gusto Café in Beverly
Forrester Venture Fellows: an entrepreneurship cohort program for first-year students
Strategic Partnership with Praxis Labs: workshops and an immersive entrepreneurship experience that draws 100+ students from more than 30 universities each summer
Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership: equipping students to initiate new and noble ventures