Introduction
Overview
This 9 credit, 6-month blended program will lay the foundations for businesses and intrapreneurs to incorporate social concerns and solutions into the very fabric of their organizations. Students will explore new ways of increasing corporate value that enables positive social change in their organizations, their communities, and the world at large.
The aim of the certificate is to equip professionals in leadership positions with graduate-level applied and relevant expertise in social innovation at an individual, team and organizational level. The program will focus on the application of learning in the following areas:
foundations for driving social and environmental change, while advancing core business objectives
creative thinking and innovation in trying to solve wicked problems and challenges
measuring, evaluation, and reporting on social impact
scaling for effective impact, locally and globally
learning in the areas of design thinking, organizational strategy, and organizational culture
practical change-making skills including empathy, teamwork, and leadership
Who It's For
This program is recommended for:
Vibrant change leaders and enablers who desire to develop and scale social innovation within their organizations
Those wanting to influence positive change and connect innovation and entrepreneurial practices to the community and social improvement
Organizational leaders, managers and change makers seeking to balance financial and operational performance and transform societies’ ability to solve important challenges
Upon successful completion, graduates can apply for transfer credit in select Royal Roads University’s master's programs with a portion of the tuition waived.
Courses
CSIN550: Foundation of Corporate Social Innovation
Introduces students to foundational theories, processes, practices, and strategies of social innovation as well as corporate intrapreneurship. Through deep introspection, students will gain knowledge of change strategies that include deploying soft and hard power to advance innovative opportunities, while exploring how to influence without formal authority. Learners will get exposed to the creative strategies and activities of social and institutional entrepreneurs (intrapreneurs), activists, organizations, and social movements. Students will examine individuals and groups who have catalyzed important positive social change through different organizational platforms –in the market, in government, within the nonprofit sector, and increasingly in the space between these three sectors. Throughout the course, students will examine social innovation through case studies, best practice analyses, and relevant readings.
Course Credits: 3.0
CSIN562: Design Thinking for Social Innovation
Design Thinking for Social Innovation is a methodology that encourages creative thinking and innovation in trying to solve challenges. It is a collaborative, human-centered approach to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems. Design thinking incorporates constituent or consumer insights in rapid prototyping, all aimed at getting beyond the assumptions that block effective solutions.
Course Credits: 3.0
CSIN575: Measuring and Scaling Social Impact
Focuses on measuring and reporting on social impact and identifying outcomes in relation to the objectives of different stakeholders. Also examines the question of how social innovations can effectively scale their impact to reach individuals and communities that might benefit from their innovations.
Course Credits: 3.0
ITAI: Introduction to Academic Integrity
The Introduction to Academic Integrity course illustrates academic integrity and plagiarism in real-life scenarios. A clear sense of academic honesty and responsibility is fundamental to good scholarship, and the integrity of university academic work and the degrees conferred by the university is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of the teacher-student learning relationship and of the evaluation process. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism, and other academic offenses. The Introduction to Academic Integrity course serves as a helpful, interactive companion to the academic integrity policy and procedures outlined in the Student Policies & Procedures, which contains the policies and procedures that guide academic life at Royal Roads and support our mission as a university.
Course Credits: 0.0
