Bachelor of Science in Frugal Innovation and Social Enterprise
The majority of Ugandans are not a market that existing products are designed for, and the conventional response has been charity, which does not scale, or discounted imports, which do not last. Frugal innovation is the third answer: design...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Frugal product designer
- social enterprise founder and manager
- appropriate technology engineer
- impact and monitoring analyst
- programme design officer
- last mile distribution manager
- sustainability and circular design specialist
- enterprise development adviser.
Employer types
- Social enterprises and impact ventures
- development organisations and foundations
- off grid energy, water, sanitation and health product companies
- last mile distribution businesses
- cooperatives
- impact investors in portfolio support
- corporate sustainability functions
- and student founded ventures.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Substantial and well funded demand across the impact and development sector, with a strong founder route and rising corporate sustainability employment.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Frugal Innovation and Social Enterprise. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 110 | Frugal Innovation: Principles and African Cases Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| BIV 111 | Field Research with Low Income Users Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 112 | Prototyping and Making with Available Materials Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 113 | Enterprise Foundations, Accounting and Costing Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 130 | Design Under Constraint Studio Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 131 | Appropriate Technology: Energy, Water and Sanitation Systems Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 132 | Social Enterprise Models and Business Design Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 133 | Data, Measurement and Statistics for Impact Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 210 | Last Mile Distribution and Rural Market Systems Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 211 | Impact Measurement and Honest Evaluation Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 212 | Circular Design, Repair and Materials Recovery Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| BIV 213 | Intelligent Systems for Constrained Settings Performance | 3 | 1-0-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| BIV 230 | Field Enterprise Practicum Performance | 5 | 0-0-0 |
| BIV 231 | Blended Finance, Grants and Impact Capital Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| BIV 310 | Scaling Studio: From Pilot to Sustained Operation Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 311 | Ethics, Dignity and the Politics of Doing Good Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| BIV 330 | Frugal Innovation Capstone: Deployed Product or Enterprise with Verified Users Performance | 8 | 0-2-14 |
| BIV 331 | Policy, Partnership and Working with Government Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
Total credit units: 133
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Frugal Innovation and Social Enterprise
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
132
22 CU of 132 CU completed by the end of this step (17%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Technical Production and Craft · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Design products and services under severe cost, power skill and infrastructure constraints.
- PLO 2Conduct field research with low income users and design from what is found rather than assumed.
- PLO 3Build and test prototypes with locally available materials and repair pathways.
- PLO 4Design enterprise and distribution models that reach last mile customers sustainably.
- PLO 5Measure social and environmental impact with methods that would survive scrutiny.
- PLO 6Apply circular, repairable and environmentally responsible design principles.
- PLO 7Structure financing appropriate to blended, grant and commercial capital.
Why this programme exists
The majority of Ugandans are not a market that existing products are designed for, and the conventional response has been charity, which does not scale, or discounted imports, which do not last. Frugal innovation is the third answer: design...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in any subjects, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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