Rollins

Social Entrepreneurship

As a social entrepreneurship major at Rollins, you’ll learn how to apply business solutions to tackle challenging social, economic, and environmental problems around the world. Our program joins the top 5% of business programs worldwide with AACSB accreditation.

Through real-world projects, you’ll gain a strong foundation in business, entrepreneurial thinking, creativity and action, leadership and teamwork, cutting-edge problem-solving, and deep understanding of current economic, political, cultural, and environmental issues.

Along the way, you’ll hone your changemaking skills and business acumen by partnering with our network of social entrepreneurs and CEOs of for-profit and nonprofit organizations. And you’ll be positioned to find—or create—a career that you’re passionate about with a focus on people, planet, and profit, where solutions are effective, innovative, and financially sustainable.

Learn more about social entrepreneurship's accreditations.

AACSB Accredited logo

AACSB accreditation is the benchmark of quality business education worldwide.

PRiME logo

PRME affiliation demonstrates commitment to international principles of responsible management education.

Ashoka U logo

Rollins is 1 of 46 colleges in the world to be an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus, illustrating our international leadership in social entrepreneurship education.


Why Study Social Entrepreneurship at Rollins

  1. Be a Global Leader

    Rollins is the first Ashoka U Changemaker campus in Florida, and our social entrepreneurship major is the first in the world accredited by AACSB International, the highest standard for global business education.

  2. Gain Hands-on Experience

    Through everything from faculty-led field studies and pitch competitions to internships and community engagement initiatives, you’ll develop your capacity to address the 21st century’s greatest challenges.

  3. Use Business to Change the World

    Our interdisciplinary approach helps you translate business skills and a knowledge of social issues into making a meaningful difference in the world while cultivating a productive career.


The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Guide Us

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 ways to make the world a better place. They are a universal call to action. framing our curriculum and helping our Social Entrepreneurship major address the pressing challenges of today and tomorrow, from poverty and hunger to pollution and climate change. This prepares you to be part of the new generation of leaders taking action. You will gain valuable skills such as problem mapping, systems thinking, and impact measurement. You’ll also learn about strategies that organizations can employ to align their operations with the SDGs. The world is changing, and as a Social Entrepreneurship graduate, you’ll know how to apply your business skills to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

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Ariel Yazdian

“Throughout the courses in my major, I was able to create new business ideas and make them come to life. I gained knowledge of critical entrepreneurial skills like creativity, leadership, teamwork, and innovation. I truly believe that my experience at Rollins in the social entrepreneurship major helped me step outside my comfort zone and be able to take my talents to the technology field.”

Ariel Yazdian ’17

Senior Sales Manager, Resy


Rollins Social Entrepreneurship Careers

Yes, you can build a successful career while loving what you do. More and more, companies are seeking employees who possess the kind of social, entrepreneurial, and business skills that you’ll develop at Rollins. Learn more about careers in social entrepreneurship.

  • Travis Strote

    Travis Strote ’17

    Founder, Yogavated Athletics

  • Ha Vu portrait

    Ha Vu ’20

    Founder, Senna Wellness Retreat

  • Matt Tulley

    Matt Tulley ’17

    Real Estate Asset Manager, Coldwell Banker

  • Jorge Morejon

    Jorge Morejon ’18

    Sales Executive, ClearCompany Talent Management Software

  • Chelsea Reed

    Chelsea Reed ’17

    Relationship Manager, Community Engagement, Addition Financial

  • Chase Everett

    Chase Everett ’19

    Management Consulting Analyst, Accenture Federal Services


Real World Experience

Hone your skills by partnering with innovative organizations in our backyard and around the world. Learn more about careers in social entrepreneurship.

  • Deloitte
  • Clean the World
  • Boston Scientific
  • Nascar
  • Gartner
  • City of Orlando
  • ESA
  • Rebuild Globally
  • FDIC
  • Griffith Foods

Business for Social Change

Learn in-demand business skills and create social impact as a social entrepreneurship major at Rollins College.

logos of nine social enterprises, including Warby Parker, Athleta, TOMS, and Seventh Generation

Social Enterprises Are All Around Us

Explore examples of some of the most successful social enterprises while understanding how a Rollins social entrepreneurship degree can support your own goals.

Example Organizations
Professor and students in a class discussion at a Rollins outdoor classroom

See for Yourself

Get a feel for Rollins’ unique brand of engaged learning and personalized attention through one of our virtual or in-person visit experiences.

Take a Closer Look

Popular Courses


Beyond the Classroom

Global Experience To change the world, you need to engage it. From studying community development in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro to exploring conservation in a Costa Rican rainforest, you’ll choose from more than 90 extraordinary study-abroad experiences.

Going All In From addressing access to safe drinking water in the Dominican Republic to helping preserve one of America’s most dramatic landscapes, Rollins’ Immersion experiences allow students to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues through journeys of education, reflection, and action.

Put Your Ideas to Work in the World Develop marketing plans for socially responsible businesses. Consult for local nonprofits. Implement educational projects for underprivileged children. You’ll hone your skills and expertise while collaborating with a range of community partners to make a positive impact in your backyard and beyond.

On-Campus Impact You won't need to travel far to make an impact by getting involved in the many student organizations related to social entrepreneurship on campus.

Students partner with locals on community development project in Tanzania.
Rollins student and professor work together on a project at the Social Impact Hub, with whiteboard behind them full of notes and sticky notes.

Become a Changemaker at The Social Impact Hub

Put what you are learning in your social entrepreneurship classes to work through human- and equity-centered problem-solving at Rollins' Social Impact Hub.

Explore the Hub

Keep Exploring

Take a deeper dive into social entrepreneurship at Rollins by meeting your future professors, seeing our grads in action, and sitting in on a class.

Rollins Professors Present at Conference in Portugal

Anne Stone and Melissa Nelson, co-directors of the Social Impact Hub, along with education professor Jenn Manak presented their work at the 2023 International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC).

Bobby Sena, Alexis Matton, Angelina Khourisader, Justin Karlins

Tars on the Hill

In anticipation of the recent midterm elections, we caught up with three Tars whose opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill allowed them to make real change in the heart of democracy.

Solving the World’s Biggest Problems

For Rollins students, alumni, and faculty, the most pressing issues of our time are not insurmountable. They’re opportunities to bring meaning to the term “global citizenship.”


Honors in the Major

Graduate with honors as a social entrepreneurship major through a society or a thesis project.

  • Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society

    The exclusive academic honor society associated with AACSB-International. The top 10% of junior and senior social entrepreneurship majors are eligible for consideration.

  • Sigma Nu Tau Honor Society

    The only national honor society dedicated to entrepreneurship through the practice of principled entrepreneurship, which maximizes long-term profitability for businesses by creating value in society while acting with integrity.

  • Honors in the Major

    Receive honors in the major by completing an independent research project or thesis during your senior year under the supervision of a three-member committee.


Expert Faculty

Our professors represent a cross-section of academic disciplines, from anthropology and computer science to social entrepreneurship and environmental studies.

Department of Social Entrepreneurship

Kathleen W. Rollins Hall, 2nd Floor
1000 Holt Ave. – 2781
Winter Park, FL 32789

Telephone: 407.646.1588

Collaborate with the Department

Meet Our Advisory Board

  • Tonia Warnecke

    Tonia Warnecke, PhD

    George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Chair of Social Entrepreneurship

    Research interests: Economics, international development, gender and entrepreneurship, social impact business models, and microfinance

    Visit site

  • Walter Mswaka

    Walter Mswaka, PhD

    Associate Professor of Social Entrepreneurship

    Research interests: Social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, business strategy, non-governmental organizations (NGO)

    Visit site

  • Andrea Samaniego Díaz

    Andrea Samaniego Díaz

    Assistant Professor of Social Entrepreneurship

    Research interests: Social entrepreneurship, women’s entrepreneurship, base of the pyramid, and sustainability, with emphasis on Latin American studies.

    Visit site

  • Aycha Williams

    Aycha Williams, MBA

    Visiting Professor of Social Entrepreneurship

    Specialization areas: Social entrepreneurship, community engagement, corporate wellness, entrepreneurial marketing, corporate marketing, and sales

  • Ahmed Kamel

    Ahmed Kamel, EDBA

    Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship

    Specialization areas: System thinking for sustainable innovation, social impact of 3D printing and artificial intelligence, and innovation acceleration with artificial intelligence

  • Shiloh Karshima

    Shiloh Karshima, MPA

    Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship

    Specialization areas: Social entrepreneurship, international economic development, and nonprofit management

  • Paul Zeniewicz

    Paul Zeniewicz, JD

    Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship

    Specialization areas: First-party insurance litigation, child advocacy, and social entrepreneurship