School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration
M.P.A.: Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Nonprofit management and leadership is a five-course concentration option for students in the Master of Public Administration program. This concentration is unique in Michigan and distinctive in a national context. The program provides substantial concentration in the field of nonprofit management, while it is fully integrated with the School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration programs and mission to prepare people for public service. The concentration has a special concern for the philosophical questions raised in the study of "philanthropy", broadly conceived.
The management of nonprofit organizations has special requirements both in function and in structure. From the relationship between executives and boards to the legal structure and the ways in which income is generated and monies accounted for, not-for-profits are different from both government and business. Moreover, there is a different set of expectations about what constitutes appropriate purposes and behavior for these organizations, which if violated can cause significant problems.
Therefore, managers of nonprofit organizations must have the knowledge-base and skills of administrators, but they must also have additional, distinctive skills and understandings to lead and manage nonprofit organizations effectively. These subjects are dealt with in the curriculum. Given the growing restraints on governments' capacities to address critical social problems and human needs, our society has turned more and more to not-for-profit organizations for services and solutions.
The program is partially founded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It is directed and staffed primarily by full-time faculty.
Nonprofit Management and Leadership Curriculum
Students must complete five of the following courses, for a total of 15 credits. Students whose past experience or career plans suggest a benefit to customization of this curriculum should consult with their advisor.
Required:
- PA 660 The Nonprofit Sector: History and Ethics
- PA 661 Nonprofit Management Practices
- PA 662 Nonprofit Resource and Financial Management
Select two of the following:
- PA 663 Nonprofit Organization and Public Policy
- PA 664 Program Evaluation
- PA 665 Nonprofit Boards, Trustees, and Governance
- PA 641 Economic and Community Development
Select three of the following or three total from other elective courses:
- PA 535 Grant Writing
- PA 630 Health Admnistration and Service
- PA 642 Conflict Management
- PA 644 GIS in Public Service
- PA 680 Special Topics
- PA 693 Research Project
- PA 699 Directed Readings
All pre-career students are required to take at least 3 internship credits (in addition to 39 credit hours) from PA 690 and/or PA 691.
Students are not required to submit a thesis, but those pursuing policy expertise or those considering going on in doctoral studies are strongly encouraged to enroll in the Master’s Thesis PA 695 as a substitute for PA 619, the capstone.
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Page last modified March 29, 2013
