Getting Involved
On a Service Immersion to post-Katrina New Orleans,
MBA Students
MBA students with backgrounds in all sectors have opportunities for involvement in social enterprise at HBS, ranging from student clubs and organizations, to elective courses on social enterprise topics, to internships and other career development programs.
- Courses & Curriculum. The first-year Required Curriculum includes the course Leadership and Corporate Accountability. Additionally, social enterprise cases and topics are integrated within several other first–year courses. During the second–year Elective Curriculum, students may select from a variety of course offerings that either focus on or integrate social enterprise topics. They may also pursue field studies in social enterprise and cross–register for courses in other select graduate programs.
- The Social Enterprise Track of the HBS Business Plan Contest aims to educate HBS and Harvard University students in the process of creating and evaluating social-purpose ventures (including nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid models), while harnessing the unique resources that HBS offers. Its goal is to prepare students for opportunities in entrepreneurship sometime during their careers.
- Immersion Experiences are open to both first and second–year MBA students. These opportunities immerse students, faculty, and staff in academic, cultural, and organizational–based field work around the world where participants can meet with leaders and actively engage in hands–on projects.
- Clubs and Activities. There is a wide range of student-led HBS clubs that serve as major vehicles for student interest, activity, and community building in and around social enterprise.
- The Social Enterprise Club seeks to inspire, enable and support students to use leadership and management skills to positively impact the world, whether in the public, nonprofit, or business sector. The club hosts speakers, discussion series, and social events; provides support for students interested in pursuing careers and summer jobs in the social sector; and creates connections among students with an interest in social enterprise. The club sponsors the annual Social Enterprise Conference, the Board Fellows Program, topical interest groups, and participates in Harvard's Net Impact chapter.
- Other clubs related to various aspects of social enterprise include:
- Careers. To support students pursuing careers in social enterprise, the Social Enterprise Initiative, in collaboration with MBA Career Services, Baker Library, and the Social Enterprise Club, provides a myriad of resources and support. Visit the Careers & Recruiting section of this website to learn about the overall offerings, access additional career resources and information, and learn about specific social enterprise career programs including the Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship program, HBS Loan Assistance Program, and HBS Leadership Fellows.
- Information Resources. Visit the Resources by Topic section of this website for in-depth exploration of topics of interest; visit the Published Work section to search for articles and cases.
