Graduate School of Leadership and Innovation
Shizenkan University
2025 Academic Year
Non-Degree Program Application Guidelines＜Subject＞
Challenge of Driving Social Innovation

Purpose
Shizenkan University offers non-degree courses that allow those who are not enrolled in the Shizenkan
MBA Program to take, on a course-by-course basis, some of the courses offered in the Shizenkan
MBA Program and receive credit for them. For each course, applicants are screened and a small
number of students are accepted; those who successfully complete the course will receive credit.
These guidelines describe the application process for the "Creating Impact Business and Ecosystems"
course, which is offered in English. For information on other courses offered as a part of a non-degree
program please refer to p. 7.

Outline of the Course(Excerpt from Syllabus. For details, please refer to the subject syllabus at the end of this document.)
Challenge of Driving Social Innovation

Globalization of the economy has brought with it many issues, including poverty, socioeconomic
disparity, the failure of the healthcare system, a decline of primary industries, the hollowing out of
local communities, and a weakening of human relations. These issues remain mostly unsolved bytraditional capitalism and market mechanisms and many start explore the new form of thecapitalism. Under this circumstances, leaders are expected to understand how social innovation andcreated and managed especially by nonprofit organizations and civil society.
In this course, students will explore the intrinsic significance and value of creating, sustaining, andscaling social impact, as well as the methods used to do so. Further, we will discuss what roles“social-impact-first” organizations like nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and social businesses play insociety and how they can contribute to maximize social impact. This will be achieved by examiningcase studies and taking part in discussions with leading social entrepreneurs.

Method and Dates of Classes
Session 1 and 6 will be held in person at the Shizenkan campus. Session 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be held
online using Zoom. The dates and times of the classes are as follows (Japan Standard Time).
Session 1: Saturday, November 2, 2024, 13:00-16:15
Session 2: Saturday, November 9, 13:00-16:15

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Session 3: Saturday, November 16, 13:00-16:15
Session 4: Saturday, November 23, 13:00-16:15
Session 5: Saturday, December 7, 13:00-16:15
Session 6: Saturday, December 14, 13:00-16:15

Admission Process(1) Overview
The admissions process is a two-stage process with document screening and an interview. In theinterview, we will examine your motivation and readiness for taking the course, including what you
indicate in the application documents. As this course is offered in English, the admissions process isconducted in English. It is not compulsory to submit your GMAT or GRE results to enroll in the
program.

(2) Interview
The interviews will be conducted online using the Zoom platform. At the time of application, please
select the date and time of the interview from the list of options. Zoom link and other details will be
provided at the time of the initial notification of selection results.

Applicant Eligibility
As an applicant, you are required to have a minimum of three years full-time work experience and tofulfill one of the following conditions at the time of application:(1) Obtain a university or college degree(2) Obtain a bachelor’s degree from the National Institution for Academic Degrees andQuality Enhancement of Higher Education of Japan(3) Complete 16 years of education in a foreign country(4) Being designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technologyof Japan(5) Are considered to have qualifications in education, knowledge, skills and aspiration to be
admitted in the program by the Shizenkan Admissions Committee

Application Process
The application process consists of the following steps.

Step 1: Submitting the application form2·

Please submit your application via the application form below. Select your interview time/date as
instructed in the form. Note that you are required to fill in the "Your personal statement" sectionof the application form in English.
https://forms.gle/zvdBDX9wdiLCcoTT9

Step 2: Document screening and confirming interview schedule·

Based on the submitted documents, we will conduct the document screening. Those who pass the
document screening will be invited for an interview. The interview schedule and Zoom URL will
be sent to the e-mail address provided in the application form.

Step 3: Personal interview·

The interview will be conducted online (via Zoom). It will take approximately 30 minutes.

·

The interview will be in English.

Step 4: Admission·

The Admissions Office will inform you of the admissions result after the document screening andinterview.

·Successful applicants are required to pay the registration fee and tuition fees by bank transfer.
Upon completion of the enrolment fee and tuition fee transfer, the student will be officiallyaccepted as a non-degree student.

Application Deadline●

Thursday, October 17th, 2024 by 12:00pm

Interview Schedule (tentative)
Based on the preferences entered in the application form, the applicant will be scheduled for 30
minutes on one of the following dates.
Monday, October 21st, 2024, 18:30-22:00
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024, 18:30-22:00
Thursday, October 24th, 2024, 18:30-22:00
Schedule for Notification of Admissions Result (tentative)
Shizenkan will send the results to the e-mail address provided in the application form.
Friday, October 25th, 2024
Enrollment and Registration Procedures
Please follow the instructions provided with the notification of acceptance.
The deadline for completing the procedures is Friday, November 1st, 2024.

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Application Forms
Please fill out the following information when submitting your application. Your application will be
officially accepted when all items are completed. If all items are not submitted by the deadline, yourapplication will not be accepted.
1. Full name
2. Gender
3. Nationality
4. Date of birth
5. Address
6. Telephone number
7. E-mail address
8. Current employer
9. Education history
10. Your personal statement: Interests and motivation towards the topic; commitment to coursework.
(Please write in English)
11. Interview schedule preference
12. Copy of passport (for non-Japanese nationals)
13.Copy of residence card (for non-Japanese nationals)

Application Fee
No application fee is required for the academic year 2024.

Academic Fees
The following table shows the academic fees required for enrollment in the program.
Non-Degree Program
registration fee

JPY30,000

Tuition fee

JPY100,000

Total

JPY130,000(1) The tuition fees include costs for case materials used in the course; however, they do not include
costs of textbooks and other optional academic materials.

4(2) If you have already paid the registration fee for a course taken in the current or previous academic
year, you are exempted from paying the registration fee for subsequent courses.

Protection of Personal Information
All personal information that Shizenkan obtains from the applicant will be used solely for the purposeof admissions screening and the student registration subsequent to admissions. For more informationon our personal information policy, please kindly refer to our website. By applying, you are considered
to have agreed to the policy.

Notes(1) Credit will be awarded to those who meet the credit requirements for the courses taken and acertificate of credit will be issued upon request.
(2) Neither a commuter certificate (for commuter passes) nor a student discount certificate will be
issued to non-degree course students.
(3) Being a student in a non-degree program does not qualify you for student residency status.
(4) Please note that if for any reason the course is not offered, permission to enroll may be revoked.
(5) If a non-degree program student enrolls in a master's programme at Shizenkan within five yearsof earning credits, it is possible for up to four credits to be accepted as earned credit under certain
conditions (subject to change without notice). In this case, the amount of tuition fee paid for the
non-degree study to earn the credits will be deducted from the tuition fee for the master’s
program.

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Other Non-degree Courses Offerings
In addition to this course, Shizenkan plans to also accept non-degree course students for other courses.
The following list indicates eligible courses for the period from November 2024 to March 2025. We
will announce the start of the application as shown in the table. Please note that some courses areoffered in two languages (English and Japanese).
Course Name

Language

Course Period

Announcement
TimingEntrepreneurship and Business Start-up

EnglishNov.-Dec.

Sept.

社会イノベーション創出の挑戦(*) (**)

Japanese

Nov.-Dec.

Sept.

Global Management: Strategy,
Organization and Leadership

EnglishJan.-Mar.
2025

Nov.

EnglishJan.-Mar. 2025

Nov.

Japanese

Jan.-Mar.

Nov.

Leadership and Negotiation
リーダーシップと交渉学* The content is same as this course, “Challenge of Driving Social Innovation,” but deliveredin Japanese.
** “Creating Impact Business and Ecosystems” course, which are offered in September October, 2024 (not listed in the above list), also discusses creation of social impact, a topic
that we discuss in this course, “Challenge of “Challenge of Driving Social Innovation.”
However the two courses have different focus. This course will examine the essence of how
companies can design businesses that combine social and economic impact On the other hand,the “Creating and Managing Social Innovation” course will study the essence of social
innovation and system change created by non-profit organizations (NPOs) and government
agencies. It also includes perspectives on how companies can collaborate with suchorganizations to scale social innovation.By attending both courses, students will gain aholistic view of what is needed to design social innovation in a practical way.

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Course title:

Challenge of Driving Social Innovation

Course Code:B303EL-24EN

Year / semester:

2nd year / 2nd semester

Credit:1 credit (elective course)

Duration:

Saturday, November 2nd, 2024 – Saturday, December 14th, 2024

Faculty:Prof. Masataka Uo

Class Format:

On campus (in person) and online

COURSE OBJECTIVE:
Globalization of the economy has brought with it many issues, including poverty,socioeconomic disparity, the failure of the healthcare system, a decline of primary industries,
the hollowing out of local communities, and a weakening of human relations. These issues
remain mostly unsolved by traditional capitalism and market mechanisms and many start
explore the new form of the capitalism. Under this circumstances, leaders are expected tounderstand how social innovation and created and managed especially by nonprofit
organizations and civil society.
In this course, students will explore the intrinsic significance and value of creating, sustaining,and scaling social impact, as well as the methods used to do so. Further, we will discuss whatroles “social-impact-first” organizations like nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and social
businesses play in society and how they can contribute to maximize social impact. This will
be achieved by examining case studies and taking part in discussions with leading social
entrepreneurs.
COURSE POSITIONING:
This course will provide opportunities for students to think about the leadership of socialchange by gaining an understanding of how social innovation is created in our society. In thiscourse, students are expected to apply all the knowledge and skills they have obtained in thelast one and a half years at Shizenkan. Students will learn how the “whole-person leadership”
approach, which comprises “whole personality,” “leadership,” and “management,” can apply
to real social innovation and also understand how they can design their own lives to maximize
their social impact.
Goals of the study:
1. to experience the value and potential of NPOs and other organizations whose primary
purpose is to "create social impact" through the examination of world-renowned case studies
and dialogue with actual social entrepreneurs;
2. to formulate a concept of how to design their future in order to create social impact throughyour own lives; and3. to invite students who are working on the front lines of solving social problems at NPOs
and other organizations as single-semester students, and to promote understanding of more
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concrete social problems, solution options, conflicts, and possibilities through classdiscussions.
LEARNING APPROACH
In this course, we will examine practical cases of NPOs, social entrepreneurs, and companies
that are creating solutions to social problems in these changing times, while providing an
overview of the new trends that have accompanied these changes.
The course will also examine the essential topics like "NPO’s endgame," "NPO scale-out
theory," "empathy and innovation," "social financing, fundraising, and impact investing" and"evidence-based innovation," while considering what leaders who create change in society
need to understand in essence through practical learning.
As a final assignment, the students will envision how they can become people who createsocial impact through their own lives.
REFERENCE BOOK:
Henry Mintzberg (2015) “Rebalancing Society - Radical Renewal Beyond Left, Right, andCenter”, Berrett-Koehler Publishers
COURSE EVALUATION:
Students are expected to attend class and contribute to discussions. In addition to theattendance requirement, submission of " Final brief essay" is mandatory requirement toreceive credit. Failure to do so will result in the loss of credit. Grading will be based on thefollowing:
Active participation in each class session (30%)
Each class’s pre-assignments and feedback sheets (40%)
Final essay (40%)
PLAGIARISM:
In preparation for pre-assignments and final report, please respect Shizenkan policy onplagiarism. Any student who is caught cheating, such as cut-copy-pasting without properlyreferencing sources, having one’s report written by someone else, or engaging in any otherform of plagiarism, shall receive a failing (F) grade. A student who is caught cheating for asecond time, regardless of the content, shall be expelled.
Late report submissions:
Please note that reports submitted after the deadline will be subject to point deduction andmay not be evaluated in some cases.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
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In this course, we focus not only on “knowing” social business and social impact but also on
the practical application of the learnings to examples or real situations, “doing,” and on
personal values and goals, “being.” The final goal is that each student can maximize theirsocial impact in their own lives and careers.
Session 1 : Why do Nonprofit Organizations and Social Businesses Matter in Our Society? [3hours]
Session 2 : Empathy and Social Innovation [3 hours]
Session 3 : Scaling and Managing Social Innovation :Dragon or Phenix? [3 hours]
Session 4 : Managing Global Innovation [3 hours]
Session 5 : Collective impact for achieving sustainability and maximizing impact. [3 hours]
Session 6 : Thinking About Your Life and the Future of Society [3 hours]

9Contact us
Admissions Office, Graduate School of Leadership & Innovation, Shizenkan University
Address: Nihonbashi Takashimaya Mitsui Building 17F
2-5-1 Nihonbashi Chuo-ku Tokyo 103-6117 Japan
Tel: +81-3-6281-9011
E-mail: admissions-non-degree@shizenkan.ac.jp10