As a consequence of globalisation, there is now a general trend among hesitant small island jurisdictions to focus on educational planning in the tertiary sector. The question therefore is how smart solutions adapted to the specific contexts can be developed. This article argues for the need to innovate the societal role of the smaller state university with a focus upon "planning" and "learning." The idea of "master learning" is presented as an important organising and learning framework for developing a flexible and rational alternative social science master in smaller educational environments.