Academic Social Entrepreneurship in Higher Education and its Impact on Students Entering the Workforce

The number of university programs embracing the field of social entrepreneurship is rising as people realize its value and impact. A typical university program exposes students to this field through immersive experiential learning and real-world experience working towards launching a social venture. The programs combine aspects of anthropology, business, and engineering with a focus on understanding customers' problems and their culture to co-develop a feasible solution. While these programs support students who plan on pursuing social entrepreneurship or a related field, the skills gained through these programs help students succeed in all job sectors. This paper explores the impact of participating in a social entrepreneurship program on a student after college through the experiences of several graduates from the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program at Penn State. Using an alumni survey to assess student learnings skill retention, the goal was to understand how relevant they are to the work they're doing currently. The data collected reflects positively on the HESE program and social entrepreneurship programs in general, as many of the skills gained proved incredibly beneficial after graduation. Programs like HESE should be a priority for all universities, imparting students with a motivation and skillset for change.