Nonprofit Management [Graduate Certificate]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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The Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management is designed to develop management competencies for working professionals in public and nonprofit organizations. The focus is on developing practical skills that both build and increase the management capacity of organizations. This includes financial management of resources and accountability for performance; governance issues and the legal and ethical environment of nonprofit organizations; human resources; fundraising; and technology and information systems. Coursework balances practical application with a basic theoretical understanding of these topics. The program may provide a foundation for further graduate work in business, public administration, health, human service, and other disciplines or extend the skills of professionals with graduate degrees, such as a Master’s degree in Public Administration or Social Work.

Program Admission

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Submitting the application early ensures that desired classes are available for students. Please account for delays in securing an official transcript to avoid delayed admission decisions. If pursuing the MPA program in addition to this certificate, please note that a separate application needs to be submitted for the MPA program, even if done concurrently.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or 3.25 in the last half of the undergraduate program
A 250-word description of the applicant’s academic and professional history and professional goals in public administration.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the program advisor before submitting their application if they have any questions about admission under the criteria above.

Conditional Admission Promising applicants with a minimum of five years of administrative experience who do not meet the GPA requirements for regular degree admission and who have a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be granted conditional admission. Such applicants must contact the program advisor before submitting their application. Applicants will be granted degree admission after completing at least three courses, two of which must be required courses for the program, with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course.

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.

- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.

- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.

Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

Department Information

Political Science 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113

Barbara Patrick, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Rose Jindal, MPA Coordinator, 601 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.3113

Degree Requirements: 14-15 hours

Required Courses: 9 hours

PLSC 544 Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector 3 hrs
PLSC 605 Leadership and Management 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
PLSC 540 Public and Nonprofit Budgeting 3 hrs
PLSC 606 Fundraising for Nonprofits 3 hrs

Restricted Electives: 5-6 hours

In consultation with the program coordinator, select a minimum of five credit hours from the following. Other courses not listed may be selected in consultation with an academic advisor based upon student’s individual needs.

ACC 646 Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations 3 hrs
AMA 553 Marketing the Arts 3 hrs
EDLD 660 Grantwriting 2 hrs
LAW 603 Legal Environment of Nonprofit Organizations 3 hrs
MGMT 509 Strategic Human Resource Management 3 hrs
MGMT 570 New Venture Creation 3 hrs
MGMT 600 Leading Innovation and Change 3 hrs
MGMT 617 Social Entrepreneurship 3 hrs
MKTG 510 Marketing Management 3 hrs
PLSC 515 Public and Nonprofit Personnel Administration 3 hrs
PLSC 540 Public and Nonprofit Budgeting 3 hrs (if not taken above)
PLSC 565 State-Local Government Relations 3 hrs
PLSC 606 Fundraising for Nonprofits 3 hrs (if not taken above)
PLSC 608 Contracts and Grant Management 3 hrs
PLSC 615 Public and Nonprofit Financial Management 3 hrs
PLSC 645 Intergovernmental and Nonprofit Collaborations 3 hrs
SOCL 678 Methods in Social Program Evaluation 3 hrs
SWKE 660 Community Building 2 hrs
SWKE 662 Grant Writing and Resource Development 3 hrs
SWKE 663 Supervising Staff and Volunteers 3 hrs

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Graduate Certificate requirements must be completed within three (3) years of first enrollment in a course applicable to the certificate. Dually enrolled students (certificate and master’s program) must complete both degrees within six years of first enrollment in the master’s degree.

In the event a student does not complete the graduate certificate degree requirements within three years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are the minimum requirements for all graduate certificate degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

A graduate certificate must require a minimum of 12 credit hours.
No more than six credits of independent study courses and 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
Residency Requirement - For students admitted to a graduate certificate program, at least nine graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the program must be earned at EMU. Students completing multiple certificate programs must have a minimum of 9 unique credit hours per certificate.
Application of completed certificates toward prior degree credit - Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours of the master’s program.
The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.