30 semester hours
The Master of Science (MS) in Nonprofit Management (NPMT) is designed for prospective graduate-level students interested in learning more about nonprofit organizations and eager to apply their knowledge and skills to improve a nonprofit organization's operational effectiveness, strengthen its capacity to fulfill its mission statement and enhance its talent management.
The program's design meets the needs of working adults and students who aspire to lead a nonprofit organization (NPO) successfully, whether as an executive director, another NPO functional staff manager, a future governing board member, or a lead program volunteer. The program is offered completely online to meet the flexible scheduling needs of students with full-time jobs and others with considerable time obligations that are irregular or seasonal.
NPMT courses are offered in a fast-track format. With only ten courses required to graduate with an MS degree, the program's design favors students enrolled for three courses per semester (i.e, no more than two courses meet concurrently) and completed in four consecutive semesters (e.g., Fall > Spring > Summer > Fall). During the final fall semester, students who have already completed nine designated NPMT courses meet for one final capstone project course.
Students engage throughout the program with NPMT faculty to develop their unique capstone project demonstrating mastery of the OLLU graduate nonprofit program management curriculum. The final course's capstone project challenges students to apply their learning and interpersonal soft skills to produce a report and presentation. This deliverable will help an actual nonprofit organization better fulfill its mission and serve its community's constituents more effectively.
The MS in Nonprofit Management program requires dedication and willingness to study and complete graded assignments in an intensive asynchronous virtual (all online) environment. It takes a considerable degree of independence, self-discipline, and perseverance to complete this informative and highly practical master's degree.
Applications will be subject to the current Graduate Program Admissions Committee Approved Policies and Procedures.
Admission Application Requirements
Regular Admission
In addition to the requirements for graduate admission into Our Lady of the Lake University, applicants will provide:
- Two reference letters from persons knowledgeable about the student's managerial background and/or aptitude for completing assignments to standard and on time.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher is documented in a completed bachelor's degree transcript. This can be waived to 2.0/4.0 or higher cumulative undergraduate GPA if additional recent (i.e., within the past five years) training certifications or other work/avocational commendations or completed graduate courses on an official transcript demonstrate grades of 3.0/4.0 or higher are evaluated as meriting a waiver.
Admission Deadline
Deadlines for submitting a completed application for the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management program are as follows:
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