Social entrepreneurs drive social change. They work in community and organizational contexts, harnessing creativity, innovation, and design thinking to meet the needs of people and the world around us. UMSL’s BES program with an emphasis in Social Entrepreneurship prepares students to design and implement action plans, build organizational and operational capacity, and accomplish their goals through social innovation.
In UMSL’s BES program, students gain skills and insights that can be applied as developers of educational products or services, program directors, community service professionals, and leaders of social ventures. For social entrepreneurship, half the skillset is business-oriented; thus, students take entrepreneurship courses offered through UMSL’s College of Business. But students also gain skills that help them work with others to address needs in society, especially needs related to social justice, education, and empowerment. Through the BES program, students have the opportunity to earn specific credentials and pursue academic minors related to their career goals. This degree program does not lead to Missouri teacher certification.
Internship experiences are a transformative part of an UMSL BES student’s coursework, allowing them to apply their knowledge and skills in a community-based context. BES students have pursued internship experiences at St. Louis institutions such as Beyond Housing, the Little Bit Foundation, Paraquad, and UMSL’s Community Innovation and Action Center. Internships and other service learning opportunities put students in contact with youth, women, children, veterans, and community residents of all ages. Internship projects allow students a chance to propose and/or implement social change initiatives that are effective, collaborative, and sustainable.
Students follow the University's General Education Requirements, Mathematical Skills, Advanced Expository Writing, American History and Government, and Cultural Diversity Requirements. Due to prerequisites of required courses all students must take PSYCH 1003 and POL SCI 1100. Students pursuing the Exercise Science emphasis area must take BIOL 1012, BIOL 1013, and MATH 1030.
TCH ED 1001 | Early Clinical Experience: Community Agency | 1 |
TCH ED 2000 | Becoming a Professional Educator | 1 |
EDUC 2002 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
EDUC 2222 | Interpretation: Connecting Audiences and Meaning | 3 |
ED PSY 2212 | Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
or CNS ED 3200 | Interpersonal Skills in Helping Relationships | |
PHY ED 2136 | Facilities Management | 3 |
EDUC 3170 | Grant Proposal Writing for Educators | 3.0 |
ED FND 3251 | Black Americans in Education | 3 |
THEATR 3362 | Storytelling | 3 |
MKTG 3721 | Introduction to Digital Marketing Strategies | 3 |
ED TECH 4302 | Educational Technology Instruction in Educational Agencies | 3 |
or ED TECH 4436 | Computer-Mediated Teaching and Learning in Education | |
ED FND 4330 | History of American Education through the Lens of Social Justice | 3 |
Total Hours | 32 |
Required Courses | ||
ENT 1001 | 3 | |
ENT 3040 | 3 | |
ENT 4001 | Accelerate Capstone | 3 |
Elective Courses 1 | 12 | |
Choose four of the following courses: | ||
MKTG 3785 | Women in International Entrepreneurship | |
ST ART 2285 | Entrepreneurship for the Visual Arts (Entrepreneurship for the Visual Arts) | |
MGMT 4614 | Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management | |
INTL BUS 4281 | Entrepreneurship in the Global Environment | |
SCMA 3301 | Introduction to Supply Chain Management | |
SCMA 4347 | Introduction to Project Management | |
Total Hours | 21 |
Additional entrepreneurship courses may be taken with the approval of the B.E.S. coordinator.