The Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP)
Groover Hall, Room 214
Students today are active learners who want to make a difference in the world. They are aware of the challenges facing the planet (e.g. climate change, population shifts, extreme poverty, health care, environmental and economic sustainability, urbanization, sex trafficking, drug use, mental health, political gridlock, etc.) and they want to do something about them. Many students want more than just a classroom education. If this describes you, the Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) at Mercer is what you may be looking for.
The SEP was created for students who are inpatient with sitting in classrooms and labs. They want to do something about the world. They are risk takers and impatient with the way governments and corporations are meeting the challenge facing the planet today. SEP is for those who can’t understand why so many people (2 billion) are still living on less than 2$ per day, or can’t find clean drinking water, or can’t get adequate physical or mental health services, or why our environment is changing for the worse, or why our children are not being properly educated, or why women remain second class citizens. The program is for those who can’t understand why the gap between the rich and the poor is growing daily or why our churches and non-profits are not doing more to help. SEP is a search for answers to these and other questions.
In SEP, students are trained both in the classroom, labs and “real world” settings. SEP provides students with the values, academic training and skill sets considered necessary to create and manage two types public service programs in particular. Students are trained to create real “businesses” that place social or environmental outcomes above profit, or they learn to improve the social outcomes of real non-profits and/or religious organization. SEP provides opportunity for students to learn to make a difference in a changing and complex world while in college and beyond.
In SEP, students become part of a “learning community” that consists of faculty members from different university divisions, representatives from the world of business, theology, non-profit managers, public leaders and directors of private philanthropies. Students work in teams to create innovative organizations designed to meet the world’s toughest challenges (e.g. extreme poverty, health care, economic sustainability, environmental stability, resource scarcity, globalization, etc.). Students become part of an “incubator” and graduate from Mercer with a game plan for action.
SEP is an amalgamation of different disciplines (e.g. business, economics, engineering, environmental science, psychology, the arts, etc.) combined with extensive experience in community settings both here and abroad. The amalgamation of academic study with community service helps students to enter the private field or to pursue graduate work in a variety of disciplines (e.g. public health, social work, environmental and public policy, law, medicine, pharmacy, management and marketing, education, etc.). Students who graduate from this program carry with them an impressive resume of academic work and real world experience Students who complete the SEP program can move on to Pharmacy, Law, Business and Medical Schools. Students have a better change of being accepted into graduate programs in Education, Church Ministry, Theology, Social Work, Public Policy and Planning, Psychology and more.
The Concentration, and Combined Programs
Students can participate in the SEP program in any of three ways. They can (1) choose the Concentration Option, (2) the Double Major Option, (3) or the Minor-Major Option
The Concentration Option: All students at Mercer must complete both a major in an academic discipline and a minor. Students can earn both by enrolling in and completing a concentration. A concentration allows students to earn a major and minor and to graduate with either a BS or BA degree. A Concentration differs from a traditional major in that it requires students to take additional courses, most of which are interdisciplinary in nature. At Mercer, SEP is a concentration of a variety of multi-disciplinary courses.
Courses in SEP are arranged in a developmental sequence. During the freshman and sophomore years, students analyze and reflect on world problems and the ethical dilemmas that result. Case histories of successful social entrepreneurs projects from around the world are reviewed and deconstructed. Their methods and values are examined. In the sophomore and junior years, students learn how to develop a business plan, research markets, develop written applications for grants, evaluate program outcomes and manage successful triple bottom line projects. Internships are required to supplement the academic work. Mercer-on-Mission experiences are encouraged as well. in the senior year, students complete a valid social enterprise or research project as a condition of graduation. These projects are entered into competitions, or presented at conferences and/or evaluated by consumers and/or community partners. Each project is completed with the help of incubator partners from the faculty and community. SEP students leave Mercer with a BA in Social Entrepreneurship and with a realistic set of plans, some with a guarantee of funding.
To acquire the B.A. degree in Social Entrepreneurship, students must complete 13 courses or 39 semester hours. MAT 126 (elementary statistics) must be taken to fulfill a Math requirement. The following courses are also required: SEP 200, 210, 390, 391, 400 and 401, MGT 363, MKT 361, and MKT 415 and one course from CHR 330, CHR 335, SEP 300 or SEP 302. In addition, students must complete one of the following tracks.
The tracks are as follows. Students must choose from the courses listed below.
- Political Science: (Law and Justice Track) POL 101 and 2 courses from POL 330, 332, 345, 348, 349, and 380
- Political Science (International and Comparative Track): POL 253 and 2 courses from POL 310, 312, 313, 354, 355, 356 and 380
- Global Health: GHS 200 and 2 courses from GHS 300, 320, 330, 350 and 380
- Environmental Studies: ENB 150 and 2 courses from ENP 250, 305, 344, 350, 390 or ENB 330.
- Sociology: Three courses from 225, 310, 320, 321, 322 and 325.
- Women and Gender Studies: WGS 180, and 2 courses from WGS 201, 240 314, 332, 383 and 485.
(Note: Course descriptions for all course listed herein are contained in the 2011 edition of the Mercer cataloge).
The Double Major Option: SEP allows students to “double majors” within a four-year period. For example, students can combine Biology with SEP, or ART with SEP, or Political Science with SEP. Students leaving Mercer with both a traditional major and a SEP Concentration are more attractive to graduate or professional schools, and they are better prepared to make an immediate contribution to the resolution of problems facing a changing a complex world.
Individualized Minor and Major Options:. Students may also combine a major in another discipline with an individualized minor in SEP. This type of blending is also attractive to graduate schools, corporations and/or to the non-profit sector.
If you need more information, please contact:
Thomas J. Glennon, PhD ….
Professor and Director
Social Entrepreneurship Program
(glennon_tj@mercer.edu)