Academic Year 2018-2019

A social enterprise is a private and independent organization that produces goods or services applying commercial strategies (continuity, sustainability, quality) with an explicit social purpose (this is the main difference from for-profit companies), which translates in the creation of positive effects.

Social enterprises do not pursue profit as their only objective, and rather privilege a fair remuneration of productive factors and a positive impact on the clients or users of the goods and services they produce.

The purpose of the GIS master is to create new “social managers” able to understand the complexities of the economic and social context and to operate within it with the efficiency and efficacy that are typical of the business world and a collective well-being perspective, combining economic sustainability and social integration. 

The GIS Master prepares students for the following careers

  • Executives, managers, administrators of social enterprises, co-operative organizations, consortia, foundations, not for profit companies (ONLUS), charitable organizations, residential homes for the elderly, national professional associations, non-profit organizations in general; 
  • Project managers or coordinators for social services delivered by social enterprises, non-profit organizations or entities working on behalf of the public administration; 
  • Managers or executives of private companies in the sector of ethical finance, fair trade or the integration of disadvantaged people in the labour market; 
  • Consultants of private or public organizations engaged in the development of social enterprises and the non-profit sector
  • Consultants or executives in charge of welfare development policies (social planning, agreements, outsourcing of services).

85% of students who attended the previous editions of the Master were able to obtain a professional collaboration in line with their profile within 12 months of the completion of their studies; 50% of them worked with the same organization where they did their internship.

Programme details

The GIS Master includes 6 months of lessons and a 5-month internship.

The 6 months of lessons (6 November 2018 – 30 April 2019) are divided into a number of modules, which end with a final test.

The mandatory internship consists in a 5-month full time period (from May 2019 to September 2019) at social enterprises or non-profit organizations.

At the end of the internship, students will write a “report on the professional skills acquired” which will form part of their final dissertation. When they will have earned 65 university credits they will receive the First level Master’s Degree Diploma.

Attendance

Classes will start in November 2018 and will end in April 2019. The master includes 510 hours of lessons, with workshops, meetings with social entrepreneurs, seminars, simulation exercises, group work and case studies.

Classes will take place from Monday to Friday on a regular basis (from a minimum of 2-3 hours per day to a maximum of 6-7 hours).

Students must attend at least 80% of lessons and internship hours.

Eligibility and Admission Requirements

The GIS Master is open to graduate students with a Bachelor’s degree (laurea triennale) or a Master’s degree (laurea magistrale). Students with degrees in economics, law and social or political science have the ideal background.

However, the GIS Master will offer excellent education also to students with degrees in humanities or other sectors, provided they will acquire the required knowledge in other subjects through their participation in extra lessons (Percorsi di azzeramento) that will take place during the in-class training.

To participate in the selection procedure for the GIS master, students must hold the following qualifications:

  • a bachelor’s or master’s degree (laurea triennale, magistrale, specialistica);
  • a degree awarded by an Italian university under laws previously in force (laurea vecchio ordinamento);
  • a foreign degree (equivalent to the above).

The selection procedure is open also to students who will obtain their qualification before 30 November 2018. Those who pass the admission test will be put on the list of enrolled students “waiting for confirmation”, until the award of the degree.

Master’s students cannot enrol in other University courses at the same time.

Selection criteria

Participants must submit their application to the GIS Master exclusively through the on-line application form before 23:59 of 10 October 2018.

A selection committee will assess the applications and invite candidates to the interview, which will take place by 25 October at the department of Economics and Management (Trento, via Inama 5). The committee shall award points as follows:

  • qualifications (max. 40 points)
  • CV (max. 30 points)
  • interview (max. 30 points)

The first 25 students on the list of eligible candidates are admitted to the Master and will be invited to confirm their registration by paying the relevant fee.

Fees and scholarships

Tuition fees amount to 3,900.00 € (and 16.00 € stamp duty).

The University offers 4 scholarships to cover tuition fees. One of the scholarship will be awarded to the candidate who obtained the best score in the selection procedure.

Deadline overview

  • deadline for online application: 10 October 2018 23.59
  • interview: by 25 October 2018
  • publication of admitted candidates: by 29 October 2018
  • registration and payment of tuition fees: by 5 November 2018
  • lessons start: 6 November 2018

Contact details

Euricse – European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises
via Torre Verde, 7 – 38122 Trento
Tel. +39 0461 282289
Fax +39 0461 282294
formazione [at] euricse.eu