Graduate Certificate in Social Innovation

The graduate certificate in Social Innovation prepares future social innovators to design innovative policy solutions, create social enterprises, and develop new financial tools to speed the pace of social innovation. The program features courses from both the USC Price School and the USC Marshall School of Business, which provides students the opportunity to take social innovation and social entrepreneurship courses and then select electives around their interests to develop a useful course of study for their future career aspirations.

The certificate consists of 13-15 units of graduate courses depending on the electives chosen.

Required Courses (7 units)

  • BAEP 591 Social Entrepreneurship
  • PPDE 580 Social InnovationElective Courses (Student select two from this list)
  • BAEP 564 Investing in Impact Ventures
  • MOR 566 Environmental Sustainability and Competitive Advantage
  • PPD 688 Business and Public Policy
  • PPD 689 The Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy
  • PPDE 683 Social Finance and Development
  • MOR 555 Designing High Performance Organizations
  • PPD 665 Contemporary Issues in Philanthropy

Price courses are 4 units. Marshall courses are 3 units. Therefore, the total unit value completed for the certificate will vary depending on the courses selected.

Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Current USC Graduate Students — Applicants for the Certificate in Social Innovation who are currently enrolled in a graduate program at USC (and are in good standing with a 3.0 GPA) need only submit the appropriate paperwork for adding the certificate program, which may be obtained from the student services advisor in RGL 102.

Prospective Applicants — Applicants for the Certificate in Social Justice who have not matriculated at USC must make a formal application at the USC Graduate Admission website.

Applicants must submit the following items:

  • Official transcripts from ALL institutions attended must be sent directly to our office:

Office of Recruitment and Admissions
650 Childs Way – RGL 111
Los Angeles, CA 90089

  • Resume (upload via online application)
  • A Letter of Recommendation (uploaded via online application)

Deadlines:

November 1 – Spring Semester

April 1 – Summer Semester

July 1 – Fall Semester

Please contact the USC Price Office of Admissions at uscprice@usc.edu for more information.

Undergraduate Nonprofit and Social Innovation Track

Growing up, most people are engrossed in a world of government and business, rarely noticing the crucial role that nonprofits play in our society. Yet, nonprofits are engaged in overcoming many of our most daunting social, economic, health, and political problems.

The Nonprofit and Social Innovation track prepares undergraduates for leadership roles in the nonprofit sector by providing them with the necessary knowledge, introducing them to alternatives in the nonprofit arena, and encouraging them to develop skills for working within an organization or to start their own.