Nonprofit Management
Nonprofit organizations confront the challenges and opportunities that mission-driven organizations face today in areas such as succession planning, volunteerism, resource development and competitive funding. The Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management addresses these areas, drawing on the expertise of experienced practitioners in the St. Louis area.
The graduate program in nonprofit management provides a range of courses that address the major responsibilities and challenges of nonprofit and human resources management. It prepares students to work effectively in the field, and it enhances the management skills of those seeking careers in related fields. This program is designed for modern learners attending school on a part-time basis.
This program provides students with the skills and resources needed to lead mission-driven organizations as productive examples of social entrepreneurship. Studies are grounded in the historical context of nonprofit management and philanthropy, and students acquire skills in all operational areas of nonprofit management, including financial management, law, grant writing, volunteer management, resource development, research and statistical analysis, and marketing communications. At the strategic level, the program teaches leadership, organization development, strategic planning, and the skills of social entrepreneurship.
This program can be completed entirely online.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Shannon Smock |
| Email: | smock@wustl.edu |
| Website: | https://caps.wustl.edu/programs/graduate/masters-nonprofit-management |
Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management
The Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management consists of 36 units of graduate course work covering all aspects of nonprofit administration and management in a combination of nonprofit and human resources management courses; 27 units are required courses and 9 units are chosen from a selection of elective courses.
Required Courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CAPS-HRM 5000 | Organizational Behavior and Management | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5015 | Management in Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5020 | Resource Development for Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5030 | Statistics and Research Design in Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5085 | Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5145 | Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector | 3 |
| CAPS-HRM 5150 | Human Resources Management | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5185 | Legal Issues Impacting Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| CAPS-NPM 5980 | Integrative Capstone Project for Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| Total Units | 27 | |
The remaining courses (9 credits total) are nonprofit-related electives of the student's choice.
This program is offered fully online. Students entering the U.S. on an F-1 or J-1 Visa must enroll in a program full time. F-1 students are only permitted to enroll in one online course per semester and J-1 students may only enroll in non-credit online courses that do not count toward their degree program. WashU Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) cannot guarantee face-to-face enrollment options each semester of full time enrollment, therefore cannot issue an I-20 or DS 2019 to F-1 and J-1 students for this program. If you are an F-1 or J-1 student and wish to enroll in a CAPS program while here on a Visa, please contact our recruitment team to discuss your options for face-to-face program enrollment. F-1 and J-1 students should not enroll in online courses or programs without first consulting the university’s Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS).
CAPS-NPM 5015 Management in Nonprofit Organizations
Effective mission-driven leadership is central to the success of a nonprofit organization. This core course provides an overview of fundamental principles of management, governance, and leadership in nonprofit organizations. Particular attention is given to issues of motivation, supervision, evaluation of professional staff and volunteers, and working with the board of directors.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
CAPS-NPM 5020 Resource Development for Nonprofit Organizations
This course concentrates on effective fund-raising management, accenting the practice, principles, process, and programs of fund raising from the private sector. A special focus of the course is an examination of the historical, legal, ethical, and theoretical contexts for fund raising. A comprehensive review and analysis is provided of annual and major gift programs, together with planned giving and capital campaign strategies. The course includes a choice of a preparation of a 12-month fund-raising plan or a paper chronologically describing a completed capital campaign.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall
CAPS-NPM 5030 Statistics and Research Design in Nonprofit Management
This course emphasizes the application of basic behavioral and social science research methods in the evaluation and management of nonprofit programs. Students learn the tools available to evaluate and report the effectiveness of programs and organizations, including program evaluation, survey design, and qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Spring
CAPS-NPM 5035 Executive Coaching
Executive coaching is an effective leadership development tool often focused on high potential middle- to upper-level managers. It is also used by managers at all levels to develop individuals and teams. Coaching is a collaborative partnership designed to facilitate and hasten the individual's learning and achieve identified business results. This course will compare and contrast executive coaching to other types of remedial approaches; personal coaching; and mentoring relationships. It will review the grounding principles that form the foundation of a coaching partnership; outline the steps in the coaching process; and review the expectations and guidelines for each member of the coaching team-which can include the individual, the coach or manager-coach, organizational sponsors and human resources.
Credit 3 units.
CAPS-NPM 5085 Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations
This course focuses on important financial and accounting principles and techniques, with particular attention to operational and project budgeting, financial statement analysis, cash flow projections, endowment building and investment management, and strategic financial planning. Course content is designed to help non-accountants understand standard accounting concepts and procedures, manage the record keeping function, make effective financial decisions and report financial status to key constituents.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Summer 4, Summer 3, Summer 2, Summer 1, Summer, Spring, Fall
CAPS-NPM 5105 Topics in Nonprofit Management: Emerging Research
In this course students read, analyze, and discuss research on the nonprofit sector released within the past five years, compare this new information to the sector's historically identified best practices, and determine how this affects the future success of nonprofit organizations.
Credit 3 units.
CAPS-NPM 5110 Marketing and Communications for Nonprofit Organizations
Examines concepts and techniques for marketing nonprofit organizations to diverse audiences. Emphasis is on strategic marketing planning, with topics including market research, positioning media relations, sponsorship, communication strategies and tactics, and evaluation.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Spring
CAPS-NPM 5111 Marketing and Communications for Nonprofit Organizations
This course is designed to introduce students to the use of marketing techniques used by nonprofit organizations to create unique brands, reach stakeholders, achieve financial stability, and fulfill their missions. Students will learn to set goals and measurable objectives, assess the competitive landscape and position an organization, understand brand, determine audiences and messaging, and understand the importance of web presence and social media. Students will learn from real-world case studies, meet professionals in the field, and develop a marketing and communications plan for a local nonprofit.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Spring
CAPS-NPM 5135 Leading and Engaging Volunteers in Non Profit Organizations
Students will explore and develop practical strategies for effective program planning, volunteer recruitment and retention, staff and volunteer relations, program evaluation, volunteerism trends within a global context, and ethical practices. This course will provide an introduction to the core competencies of volunteer resource management as presented by the Association for Volunteer Administration through its credentialing program.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Summer
CAPS-NPM 5145 Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector
Students will examine leadership in the nonprofit sector and develop their own leadership style. Students will study traditional leadership styles including authoritarian, participative, and delegative; examine the differences in leadership in the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors; and explore the distinctive roles of nonprofit leaders, including the relationship between the nonprofit executive director and the board of directors, and the relationship between nonprofit leaders, volunteers, and staff. In addition to readings, student research will include interviews and discussions with real-world nonprofit leaders.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall
CAPS-NPM 5165 Group Processes in Organizations
Credit 3 units.
CAPS-NPM 5175 Building High Performance, Team-Based Organizations
This course examines the factors that are most critical in developing high-performance, team-based organizations. We pay particular attention to the assessment of organizational climate, and analyze steps organizational leaders must take to make the transition to a team-based approach. We also examine important systems and processes that support this design.
Credit 3 units.
CAPS-NPM 5185 Legal Issues Impacting Nonprofit Organizations
This course focuses on the opportunities and requirements placed on nonprofit organizations under federal and state laws. We explore how nonprofits are organized, governed, operated, and financed within this legal framework.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
CAPS-NPM 5194 Introduction to Prospect Research I and II
Credit 3 units.
CAPS-NPM 5196 Studies in American Cultural Identity: The Civil War to the Jazz Age
Credit 3 units. UColl: ACF, ACH
CAPS-NPM 5495 Voices in Action: History and Poetry of Protest in America (1939-Present)
What sparks and sustains people's movements for social justice? This history and creative-writing course explores the contexts and expressions of 20th century and contemporary protest movements, ranging from labor, civil rights, the Vietnam War, ethnic people and women's movements, to contemporary social and environmental justice movements. We will explore speeches, manifestos, visual and oral texts, songs, and poetry to consider how dissent is voiced in response to specific social contexts and historic events. We will consider the role of personal expression in enacting democracy, focusing on poetry that helps articulate what is at stake in the protest movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will examine how language moves people, raising awareness of the facts and felt experiences of injustice, helping to fuel social movements and call forth a public to make change. Assignments include a mix of historical analysis, ethnographic and participatory work, creative writing, and reflection.
Credit 3 units. UColl: ACF, ACH, ACS, HUM
CAPS-NPM 5980 Integrative Capstone Project for Nonprofit Management
This capstone course provides the opportunity to integrate the program course work through 1) a substantial independent project conducted in a host organization, and 2) the review of several important trends affecting organizations and human resources management. If students are interested in taking both U76 514 and U87 510 in the same term, they should first contact the program coordinator. Prerequisite or co-requisite: U76 510.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Summer 4, Summer 3, Summer 2, Summer 1, Summer, Spring, Fall
CAPS-NPM 5994 Internship in Nonprofit Management
Credit 3 units.
CAPS-NPM 5996 Nonprofit Management Elective - 500 Level
Credit 0 units.