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Social Impact and Innovation in the Student Experience

The Rotman School experience is an invitation to explore your personal and professional potential - and work toward a more inclusive, more sustainable world.

At the Rotman School, you are invited to reach deep inside yourself, and ask the big questions. What impact will you make? This is your time to push your limits, to become better, more relevant and more connected. We give you the toolkit you need to develop your own role as a leader, entrepreneur or agent of change, ready to take on the defining challenges of our time.

Curriculum: learning with impact

The Rotman School offers unparalleled opportunities for learning about key management challenges faced by business and society. Through a curriculum that has a strong emphasis on experiential learning, we are training the next generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex social and environmental challenges facing our world.

At the Rotman School, you’ll learn how to navigate fast-changing social, environmental, political and technological context. Choose a major that fits your passion and chosen career path, and apply your knowledge through a range of student internships and local and global consulting projects. Students like Vanessa Matos Tudela (MBA '19), the president of Rotman Net Impact, are making bold strides to ensure that sustainability is a key part of the Rotman curriculum - and winning global recognition for their efforts.

If that sounds like you, here are a few options for you to consider:

Core courses:

Ethics
Managing Diverse Teams

Majors:

Social Impact and Sustainability

Sustainability Strategy
Leading Social innovation
Social Entrepreneurship 
Clean Energy: Policy Context and Business Opportunities
Designing for Equality
Social Value and Impact Investing
Sustainable Finance (starting 2019-20)

Health Sector Management

Health Sector Strategy and Organization
Pharmaceutical Strategy
Health Systems Consulting
Healthcare Innovation

Other Courses
Independent Study Projects
Global Consulting Projects
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Challenge

 

Other programs at U of T:

Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Faculty of Law
Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy 
School for the Environment
School of Cities

Internships and practicums:

Rotman Onboard
CityLab

Co-curricular: engaging with the world

Social impact and innovation are a key element of the Rotman School experience. Our students join in the work of designing a future that works for all -  a fair  economy, an equitable society, and a sustainable tomorrow. Co-curricular activities at the school reflect the incredible energy and variety of the ambitious young professionals who choose the School for their studies.

The School is deeply engaged with the wider community, and we share the latest insights and ideas on social impact and innovation through special events, publications and speaker series. Each year, the School hosts over 100 public talks by business thought leaders. Their real-world perspectives, insights, and inspiring stories have an extraordinary impact on our students.

Related Clubs:

Energy and Natural Resources Association
Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Association
Net Impact
The Letters
Women in Management Association
Healthcare Management Association (HMA)

Case competitions:

Accounting for Sustainability International Case Competition 
Compass (with McKinsey)
Hult Prize at U of T 
Manulife New Product Challenge: Market for Self-Control
Rotman MBA Impact Investing Network and Training Competition 

Conferences:

Rotman Sustainability conference
St. Gallen sustainability conference

Learning and networking events:

Behavioural Approaches to Diversity (BAD) Conference (2018)
GATE (Gender and the Economy) Research Roundtable (2018)
Green Finance in China (2018)
Joseph Wong on The Political Economy of Universal Health Care: Reaching the Hard to Reach (2018)
Lee-Chin Institute Research Roundtable on Sustainable Finance (2019)
Rebecca Traister on “Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger” (2019)
Screening of “The Invisible Heart” a documentary exploring social impact bonds (2019)
Social Value Investing with William B Eimicke (co-authored with Howard Buffett) (2019)
Soraya Chemaly on “Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger” (2019)
"AI, Digital, and the Creative Destruction of Careers in Healthcare" (2019)

Careers: unlock your potential

Leadership is changing. At the Rotman School, we take a thoughtful, personalized approach to leadership development, and aim to provide you with the team-building and decision-making skills that will best unlock your long-term career potential. We will help you to connect to the ever-expanding set of career paths with impact: in large, traditional companies (such as in finance, consulting and others), in smaller firms and startups, in health care management, government policy and non-profit management.

Career supports:

Career services

Fellowships and other opportunities for students:

Access to Success
Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman (BEAR)
Gender and the Economy (GATE)
Forte Fellowships
Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship
Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA)
Rotman Nexus

Reflections: alumni have their say


“I am most interested in that which is unclear. Instinctively, I push back, challenge and look for another perspective to what is presented as an absolute. Social impact falls in this category.  Rotman prepared me to be comfortable with the unknown while trusting my instincts.”

Ula Ubani, Chief Ethics and Conduct Officer, BMO Financial Group (MBA 1997)


“Social issues are hairy; difficult to solve at scale and achieve permanence. The size and urgency of the challenge of climate change intrigued me. That's why I decided to join one of the largest automakers in their quest to becoming a sustainable company.  Rotman enabled me the skillset to hit the ground running at the start of my career.”

Simon Guan, Sustainability Programs Management, General Motors (MBA 2012)


“Exposure to, and understanding of, the intersection between business & society reshaped my values, and ultimately, my career aspirations. At Rotman, I found mentors who guided me in pursuing a career where I advised corporations on becoming more sustainable.“

Azadeh Sabour, Executive Director, Operations and Strategy, Client Relations, Sustainalytics (MBA 2007)


“It’s really important to understand that you don’t have to take a linear path to a social impact career. My financial services employer provided me with the opportunity to learn about social impact.  I took this knowledge, absorbed it and only then made a very intentional move to a social impact career in my early 30s. It’s great to hear that Rotman has created more and more opportunities to learn about social impact for students.” 

Brad Offman, Chief Executive Officer at Spire Philanthropy (MBA 2001)

Here's where it changes.

Global Consulting Projects: Real-World Impact

Rotman students helping to drive prosperity around the globe

Rotman OnBoard Fellowship Program

MBA students helping non-profits and charities in a 6-8 month fellowship


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