UIC Online

Make Money. Make a Difference.

Social entrepreneurship’s quick growth as a management discipline has led to increasing recognition at the national and international levels. The University of Illinois at Chicago and the Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA) - Chicago, the largest satellite of the national organization, have developed the UIC-SEA Social Enterprise Certificate (SECert) program focused on equipping non-profits and entrepreneurs with the knowledge to build effective social enterprises. Social enterprises marry the social mission of a non-profit with the market-driven approach of a for-profit business, ultimately improving the quality of life, providing greater opportunity for larger communities of people and creating sustainable impact for years to come.

First understanding the unique drivers of today’s successful socially-responsible enterprises, students will dive into the specifics of solving real-time social enterprise problems for participating non-profit organizations. In this process, participants will have an opportunity to work with UIC business students on issues including social business design and structure, operating models, financial platforms, the attraction of donors and investors, the personal leadership required to execute operations, marketing and communications and measuring performance and impact of evidence-based metrics. Students who complete this 16-week program will earn the UIC-SEA Social Enterprise Certificate and become leaders in the global movement towards a sustainable economy, environment and direct change in people's lives.

Please note: The Social Enterprise program is non-credit.  Although you will earn the UIC-SEA Social Enterprise Certificate, no credit hours be awarded towards the completion of a degree program.