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Academics

Independent Projects

Independent Projects in social enterprise complement the classroom-based courses by providing second-year MBA students the opportunity to apply their skills to the real-world challenges facing social enterprises. Under faculty supervision, individuals or teams of students work on a project of strategic importance to the organization and report their recommendations at the end of the term.

Students undertaking a Social Enterprise Independent Project may be eligible for the Social Enterprise Independent Project Reimbursement Grant Program to support their project expenses. Grants are awarded to support these academic projects by providing funding for expenses directly related to research and analysis. The grant does not support expenses related to start–up business expenses. Learn more about how to apply.

Reimbursement grants are awarded on a case-by-case, funds-available basis.

  • For a team with one HBS student: maximum grants will be $1,000 for eligible expenses, based on student demand and funds available.
  • For a team with more than one HBS student: maximum grants will range from $1,000 - $2,000 for eligible expenses, based on student demand and funds available.

We expect that you will receive a percentage of your request, based on student demand and funds available.

Organizations can find more information about posting an independent project on the MBA Recruiting site.

Deadlines

February 16, 2024 at 12:00 noon, for spring term projects

Resources for Students

MBA Program website on Independent Projects (login required)

Independent Projects Postings (login required)

Find team members in the Social Enterprise Club, searching class-cards (login required), or networking with classmates.

Find a faculty member (from any area of the school) by referencing "area of interest" on the Faculty & Research site.

Best Practices (pdf) for Independent Projects (login required)