The Master of Public Affairs (MPA)

The Nonprofit Management Concentration

Are you working for a nonprofit agency, or are you interested in starting a career in the nonprofit sector?

The UNCG MPA program has a nonprofit concentration in the MPA curriculum to offer an academic foundation to those students developing nonprofit management careers. It allows students to take a cluster of 15 hours in courses related to nonprofit management and programs in the nonprofit sector in addition to the MPA core requirements.

The concentration is designed to give students an overview of the nonprofit field and to develop specific skills and program knowledge to meet a variety of interests and career goals. A major advantage of the concentration is that students will be well-grounded in public management and policy for the many positions in the nonprofit sector that depend on government funding, support, and collaboration. Students will also have the flexibility to select additional courses from among MPA and other graduate program offerings.

The required courses in the nonprofit concentration include:

  • Nonprofit Management and Leadership
  • Philanthropy and Resource Development

and at least three of four one-hour courses:

  • Grantwriting
  • Strategic Planning
  • Marketing for Public and Nonprofit Agencies
  • Volunteer Management

Other relevant one-hour courses may be selected:

  • Oral Communication Skills
  • Diversity and Culture
  • Legislative Relations and Advocacy
  • Media Relations
  • Social Entrepreneurship

Three-hour courses include these MPA options:

  • Human Resource Development and Performance Management
  • Community and Economic Development Theory and Practice
  • Urban Political System
  • Ethics in Public Policy

Additional approved courses can be taken in other departments on campus, such as Social Work, Human Development and Family Studies, Business Administration, Counseling, Sociology, and Public Health Education.

Students who do not have prior professional work experience in a nonprofit agency will be required to obtain an internship and enroll in PSC 695 and 696, in addition to the 15 hours of coursework.