Course information

Length

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Course overview

There is a growth in the number of entrepreneurs starting businesses with social and environmental purposes. This exciting MA will enable you to develop a critical understanding of and practical insights into modes of social enterprise.

  • There is an urgent need for talented individuals who can design novel solutions to our most profound societal challenges.
  • This international MA provides practical and sociological tools to individuals motivated to develop alternative economic practices and frameworks to meet such challenges. These might include (but are not limited to) social enterprises, collaborative innovation networks, hubs, digital platforms, support intermediaries and/or policy proposals.
  • Benefitting from the MA’s timely educational content as well as from its firm roots in London’s rich networks, our students go on to become thought leaders in the burgeoning social innovation field, advancing it in a creative fashion from their chosen angle. Past graduates have gone on to create their own social enterprises or to work for prestigious organisations such as the Yunus Institute and Social Enterprise UK, while some have elected to carry out advanced research into social innovation.

This MA is ideal for:

  • Current social entrepreneurs hoping to develop their expertise further (roughly 25% of our students from the UK and EU study part-time while working in the field)
  • Undergraduates aspiring to become social innovators and changemakers
  • Intrapreneurs interested in organisational transformation within the creative sector or any other sector of interest
  • Support organisation/infrastructure architects and policy makers (including those who wish to advance the field of social innovation in their cities/areas/countries)
  • Those interested in becoming analysts and knowledge experts in this field (including academic researchers with PhDs)

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Roxanne Persaud.

What you'll study

The MA in Social Entrepreneurship is one of the few graduate programmes in the world dedicated entirely to the study of the fast-moving field of social entrepreneurship and innovation.

It will equip you with a strong understanding of foundational theories of entrepreneurship, innovation, social problems and policy (with organisational sociology as the base discipline) while supplying practical tools in relation to entrepreneurial modelling and SROI.

There is also a marked emphasis on creativity, which means that you will have considerable scope to choose the precise topics you wish to tackle and the approaches you wish to apply. Teaching on the course is interactive and seminar-driven rather than based on the traditional model of long lectures and limited discussions.

What you study

The programme will introduce you to key concepts in the historical development of social enterprise and innovation and to its changing role in society and the economy. Seminars and talks will be given by social entrepreneurs, as well as leading professionals.

You'll learn innovative approaches to developing an enterprise, and gain confidence in revenue generation and financial modelling. 

A significant amount of the learning is delivered through group projects and activities. This is designed to develop your individual communication skills and teamwork.

The programme consists of five compulsory modules, including a Dissertation or Project Portfolio. The are currently no option modules available on this programme.

Module title Credits
Foundations of Social Enterprise 30 credits
Entrepreneurial Modelling 30 credits
Advanced Topics in Social Enterprise 30 credits
Evaluating Social Impact 30 credits
Dissertation/Project/Portfolio 60 credits

In addition to these main modules, we also regularly invite external experts from intermediaries such as UnLtd and other educational institutions such as the University of Oxford to ensure our students get access to a wide range of cutting-edge topics in the field. Social and alternative finance is among the key areas examined in such guest lectures; social innovation cases from particular country-contexts such as, for example, South Korea, Japan and Colombia also feature frequently.

We are occasionally able to provide additional training in related fields (such as accounting) in the form of short-term workshops to strengthen our students’ educational experience at Goldsmiths and at the University of London. We also encourage you to become members of various social entrepreneurship/collaboration hubs around London for learning and networking purposes.

A non-business school programme

The MA in Social Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths is quite unlike traditional business/management-driven courses in the field: on the one hand, it allows scope for a far deeper examination of the theoretical and practical foundations of social innovation; on the other, it provides unique access to an expanding learning community (formed by our students and our wider, growing network) engaged in real-time research.

Equally important is the fact that students are consciously encouraged to, and supported with, forming their professional public profiles, through things like:

  • blogging (eg via The Golden Angle blog that students founded in 2013-2014)
  • public speaking
  • interactive research projects
  • developing your own social enterprise

Because our students possess diverse, highly relevant knowledge that they have accumulated prior to coming to Goldsmiths, real efforts are made to integrate this knowledge and experience into the collective learning processes.

One relevant tool that we employ here is an interactive peer-review process that we employ to raise the quality of student output, which means that often student essays (not just dissertations) are of publishable quality. Furthermore, we take full advantage of our location within London’s bustling community of social innovation by engaging with leading intermediaries, practitioners and (junior as well as senior) thought leaders.

Learning objectives

In terms of essential learning objectives, students of this MA are expected to: 

  1. Develop a critical, sociologically informed understanding of this fast evolving field
  2. Develop tangible expertise in social return on investment and entrepreneurial modelling methodologies
  3. Become part of London's social innovation community, a global centre of gravity in this field (with links to local social innovation communities virtually everywhere in the world)
  4. Access a number of future career paths in the growing social innovation sector
  5. Develop a grasp of research methods, a significant body of written work and a public profile through assignments, debates and online/offline publication avenues (including The Golden Angle), enabling some students to work as social innovation consultants/knowledge leaders upon graduation

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

What our students say

Zandile Dumas

Building on the knowledge from the MA, my vision is to contribute to the design of ecosystems that support the demand & supply of socially innovative Indigenous Knowledge Systems products and services and build its capabilities to subsequently impact the country's triple challenge of poverty, unemployment & inequality

Subsequent to consulting in South Africa’s public sector for 10 years, I wanted to deepen my knowledge in social innovation and chose Goldsmiths’ MA in Social Entrepreneurship with a keen interest in a sociology based Masters as we face a triple challenge of deepening inequality, increasing unemployment and chronic poverty and concomitant psychological, physical, spiritual and emotional trauma. Additionally, to its global ranking in sociology, Goldsmiths is renowned for its arts and creativity and for me creativity is synonymous with innovation regardless the discipline.

Goldsmiths exceeded my expectations, collectively; the ICCE department, lecturers and fellow students felt like I had a social value dream team in my back pocket holistically enriching my learning experience, particularly as an international student far removed from my traditional support systems.

The MA gave me the insight into our systemic socio-economic challenges and encouraged the exploration of systemic socially innovative solutions which led me to the curiosity and subsequent advocacy for Indigenous Knowledge Systems as a source of socially innovative, inclusive and sustainable development.

Additionally, reflecting in hindsight, IKS is essentially at the core and an amalgamation of my passions, purpose, experience and identity and this aligned learning experience is indicative of the ICCE department’s intuitive, collaborative and aspirational approach to education. I have returned home, enthusiastic to contribute to the IKS led development narrative. I highly recommend Goldsmiths, the ICCE department’s commitment and contribution to its students continues well after graduation.

Following a referral from Professor Richard Hull, I have been awarded a research grant from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business to explore the intersection between entrepreneurship and Indigenous Knowledge System in townships as part of their MPHIL in Inclusive Innovation programme. Building on the knowledge from the MA, my vision is to contribute to the design of ecosystems that support the demand and supply of IKS products and services and build its capabilities to subsequently impact the country's triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Aisling Connaughton

This MA was life changing. It gave me the tools, confidence and support to leave a corporate career and co-found CYD Connects

This MA was life changing. It gave me the tools, confidence and support to leave a corporate career and co-found CYD Connects, a strategic brand communications consultancy delivering social impact for our purpose led economy. We challenge clients to reorient their brand and communications towards good, turning social responsibilty into profitable, sustainable, long term competitive advantage.

The cohort was diverse and as well as making new friends we continually learn from each other. The educators went above and beyond to share all I needed and as alumni they continue to point me in the right direction. I cannot recommend this programme enough!

Marice Cumber

The MA gave me the space to research and test different approaches in building a sustainable social enterprise

The Goldsmiths MA in Social Entrepreneurship gave me the opportunity to discuss ideas, deepen my sector knowledge and understanding and, most importantly, gave me the space to research and test different approaches in building a sustainable social enterprise.

Collectively this informed the structure and operation of the Accumulate Art School for the Homeless and therefore contributed to its ongoing positive impact in empowering the lives of people who are homeless through creative education and participation.

See more profiles for this programme

Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject. 

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

  • Home - full-time: £12520
  • Home - part-time: £6260
  • International - full-time: £22640

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

  • Details of your academic qualifications
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
  • Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
  • personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

When to apply

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September. The deadline for applications is 20 July. 

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an earlier application deadline.

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification. 

Selection process

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Find out more about applying.

Careers

Skills

The skills you'll develop throughout the MA include: entrepreneurial knowledge and skills; a critical understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of social entrepreneurship; the ability to critically examine the conditions required for innovation and entrepreneurship to make a strong impact on societal problems; the ability to apply entrepreneurial approaches to projects; effective business and communication skills.

Careers

It is intended that students completing this programme will seek employment primarily in two areas.

Firstly: self-employed in their own social enterprise or a member of a team of an SME developing from an existing or new practice.

Secondly: within government or NGO organisations concerned with developing the infrastructure and environment for new social enterprises to flourish.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.

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