Turin School of Development (International Training Centre of the ILO)
Master in Social Innovation for Sustainable Development
- Turin, Italy
- Online Italy
Master degree
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
27 Feb 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
12 Apr 2027
TUITION FEES
EUR 9,900 *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
* subsistence (optional) €4,785
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
Start your transformative journey with our comprehensive 1-year programme. Featuring a blend of online learning and an immersive residential phase in Turin, Italy, this Master’s course equips you to tackle global challenges such as unemployment, climate change and social exclusion. Develop innovative solutions aligned with the 2030 SDGs, gain hands-on experience through workshops and case studies, and work on a unique final project. Join a global network of change-makers and lead the way in sustainable development.
With a global faculty and participants, this Master will challenge candidates' current beliefs and notions of social innovation, developing a new understanding of its principles and tools. Global trends show that, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, social exclusion, youth unemployment, migration, climate change and the problems of an ageing society have escalated. As they explore the implications of different models, participants will acquire tools and techniques for anticipating change and responding to complex situations in their respective fields. Social innovators and entrepreneurs are expected to play a crucial role in the implementation of the 2030 SDGs in the medium term. Government agencies are encouraged to seek out the "best social innovations" in their programmes. The entrepreneurs of tomorrow are required to use their new models to achieve results and scale their services, including public-private partnerships. Throughout the course, participants will be supported in the development of a specific project that will constitute their final thesis. During the classroom-based period, academics, practitioners and other resource persons will use lectures, case studies, laboratories, group work and practical exercises to strike a balance between theory and practice.
Who Attends this Master?
The Master is intended for officials and/or professionals working in the public and private sectors and for UN agencies, foundations and NGOs; recent university graduates from developing and developed countries; people working or interested in social innovation and social entrepreneurship and related research; members of cooperatives. The essential requirements for admission are a Bachelor's degree (minimum three years' duration) and fluency in English.
This one-year Master’s programme is intensive by design. It combines three phases: a distance learning component,
a face-to-face component, and home-based research.
Distance Learning Supported by a Tutoring Service
Students learn and practice through an online platform and live webinars.
Module 1: Social innovation, societal challenges and new skills
At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
- Explore the diverse set of skills to effectively address complex social challenges and drive positive change
- Explore and understand social innovation concepts
- Navigate the intersection of social challenges and social innovation
- Examine the role of social innovators from across sectors as agents of change
- Understand how social innovation can address societal challenges while nurturing vital skills for the evolving landscape
of social change - Delve into the key elements of project design
Module 2: Social innovation for productive employment and decent work
At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
- analyse the challenges in promoting productive employment and decent jobs
- explore the intersection between social innovation and the creation of decent jobs
- understand how social innovators can influence productive employment by fostering new competencies, opening up
new markets, and ultimately leading to the emergence of new job opportunities
Module 3: Social Innovation policies and tools & the contribution to the SDGs
At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
- Better analyse the key drivers of change and social transformations in their respective community context
- Applying in-depth knowledge of key objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
- Identify and implement social innovation actions in the relevant fields
- Examine how social innovation strategies can target and tackle pivotal global challenges
manage social innovation collaborative processes - Single out successful social innovation mechanisms and transfer them into different contexts
Module 4: From Public Policies to Social Business: Crafting a Social Innovation Plan
At the end of the Module, students will be able to:
- Explore the social innovators’ role across sectors
- Examine how policies shape social issues and build a social economy ecosystem
- Better analysis of the key dimensions of social business and their differences from ordinary business
- Craft and apply social innovation models to the achievement of SDGs in different contexts and scales
- Identify and implement social innovation actions in the relevant fields
- Identify unconventional management models for social innovation and collaborative processes
- Single out organizational hybrids and apply them to manage
- Develop a coherent strategy for ensuring adequate scaling up of their social innovation projects and engage the most
relevant stakeholders (PPP)
Face-to-face Phase at the Itcilo Campus in Turin
Module 5: The importance of measuring impact results
At the end of the module students will be able to:
- Explore the methodologies and tools for monitoring and evaluating the impact of social innovation on both ecological
and societal aspects - Understand the principles of environmental impact assessment in the context of social innovation
- Understand the principles of social impact evaluation in the context of social innovation
- Define the most appropriate methodologies and indicators for monitoring and evaluating the eco-social impact of their
social innovation ideas
Module 6: Synergising Social Impact Finance and Sustainable Social Innovation
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
- Describe the key aspects of the social impact of finance
- Better understanding of the key elements for accessing social impact finance for development and growth
- Select different fields of application of the Social Impact Finance
- Apply social impact finance models to the achievement of SDGs in different contexts and scales.
- Single out the most apt social impact finance tool to manage social innovation actions and ensure their sustainability
over time
Home-based Research for Thesis/Project Work
Through home-based research, students complete an original project work related to a specific environmental and/or
social challenge. The project should be testable at the country or community level. Tutors and professors will provide
guidance.
Partial Scholarships
A limited number of partial scholarships are available, on a competitive basis, for students from developing countries.
Participants, who wish to apply for a partial scholarship, are required to specify it on the application form.
The selection criteria for the award of partial scholarships will include academic and professional qualifications, organization, country of origin, and gender balance.
What Topics Does this Master Cover?
The Master prepares students to become leaders in sustainable social innovation endeavours.
- Innovation for sustainable development
- New skills, productive employment and decent work
- Leadership, collective intelligence, and creativity
- Public policy, social business, finance, and impact evaluation
What will I Learn?
Participants will acquire tools and techniques to anticipate change and respond to complex situations in their respective relevant fields.
- A crucial role for social innovators and entrepreneurs in the implementation of the 2030 SDGs is expected in the medium term.
- Government agencies are encouraged to seek out “the best social innovations” in their programmes.
- Entrepreneurs of tomorrow are requested to use their new models to achieve results and scale their services, including public-private partnerships.
What will I be able to Do?
Students learn how to design the social development policies and principles of the future.
- Design responsive solutions that fit the 2030 Agenda framework
- Foster collaborative networks and spark public action
- Analyse the impact of social innovation projects.
The Master duration is 1 year with only 9 weeks of face-to-face learning activities in Turin, Italy. This makes the programme accessible and affordable for working practitioners and students from all over the world.
Methodology
The Master merges theoretical and practical learning methodologies that are designed to engage and motivate students. This Master draws from the ITCILO’s training portfolio, the ILO, UN-related agencies, and international organizations, the Università di Torino’s academic expertise and leading international research centres and universities.
The Distance Learning phase includes mandatory online lectures held twice a week, typically on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM CET. A few absences are allowed, but regular attendance is required.
The Residential phase takes place in person at the ITCILO Campus, with classes scheduled from Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM (Italy time). Attendance during this phase is compulsory.
Students interact with their environment through a hands-on learning approach, which includes case studies, workshops, and group exercises. Each student develops a unique final project.