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Make the world a better place with a social impact graduate degree

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A PETA member, covered in black slime, attends a protest to call attention to the harmful waste associated with the leather industry, outside the Leather, Compliance & Sustainability Conference on November 13, 2019 in New York City.

Dec 24 | 2 minutes read | 94 Shares

By U2B Staff 

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Sustainability is high on the political agenda while the general public are growing increasingly aware of how our daily choices — be it the food we eat to the clothes we wear — can have an impact on the environment. But if you’re among the individuals who are passionate about social impact and want to develop the theoretical and practical skills needed to advance your career in areas such as corporate social responsibility, social enterprise and philanthropy, to name a few, a postgraduate degree in social impact might just be ideal for you. 

An increasing number of companies look towards reducing their carbon footprint and being more “green” and socially responsible due to consumer demand. As sustainable business models grow, there’s more potential for new career options in the field to grow. 

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The World Economic Forum’s report, Jobs of Tomorrow: Mapping Opportunity in the New Economy, notes that recent analyses of global and local labour market trends have identified strong job growth in two professional clusters: Green Economy jobs and Care Economy jobs.

Despite that, Green Economy professions have more subdued growth, with a projected 117,200 openings, which amounts to just 1.6% of emerging job openings in the period spanning 2020 to 2022, when compared to other roles. 

Nevertheless, that doesn’t reduce the significance of the role.

Upskilling in social impact 

If creating positive change is something close to your heart, have some comfort in knowing that there are many options for you to upskill in the area. 

Berkeley Haas, for instance, offers the MBA social impact coursework and experiential learning opportunities. You’ll be exposed to courses such as Social Investing, Human Rights and Business and Social Impact Marketing, as well as hands-on learning available through Social Sector Solutions, Social Lean Launchpad and Impact Investing Practicum.

Some of the Social Impact Coursework learners will be exposed to include the following areas: social change, human rights and business and social investing, to name a few. Student teams also partner with McKinsey & Company coaches to provide strategic consultation to a nonprofit, social enterprise or public organisation to facilitate their learning.

Swinburne University of Technology offers a variety of social impact courses. Their Graduate Certificate of Social Impact programme addresses social investment and philanthropy, social entrepreneurship and innovation, creativity and design, and corporate responsibility and accountability. 

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Students will learn the core capabilities required to lead people effectively in a changing social economy and business environment and to develop innovative responses to complex social and business problems.

Their Master of Social Impact programme provides learners with the core capabilities required to lead people effectively in a rapidly changing social economy and business environment. 

The foundation units address social investment and philanthropy, social entrepreneurship and innovation, creativity and design, and corporate responsibility and accountability, said Swinburne, adding that graduates also acquire specialist knowledge in evaluation and impact measurement, social entrepreneurship, and advanced real-world experience in strategic philanthropy and social venture development.

Programmes in the field will pave the way for you to gain theoretical and practical skills to carve yourself a career in the field.

    
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