Community Engagement

The Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship

The Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship (MCSE) prepares students and the Mason community to build organizations that solve pressing social and environmental problems.  We recognize that those who want to improve conditions often lack the skills they will need to make the changes they seek, and those who learn these skills don’t always realize the amount of good these skills will allow them to accomplish.  MCSE aims to change that dynamic.  We expect our students to have a unique set of skills that will lead to transformative social and environmental changes.

The MCSE directs the Concentration is Social Entrepreneurship for the Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies at Mason, and they work closely with those who are developing an undergraduate concentration in that area.  They also offer two graduate hybrid distance learning courses and a summer interactive institute, the Social Innovation program, which offers upper level undergraduates and recent graduates theoretical background, social enterprise consulting experience, and the opportunity to launch a virtual social enterprise.

StartUp mason also helps social entrepreneurs get going, and our Venture Camps and hackathons provide other ways to explore, experiment, and launch social enterprises.  The MCSE is able to leverage the energy of the National Capital Region, a hub of social innovation, information technology, and policy-making.  The commitment to innovation at Mason allows the MCSE to create an environment where emerging social entrepreneurs will turn innovative ideas into reality.