David Branham, PhD, Graduate Director
N1024, 713-221-8208
The Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management is a highly multidisciplinary program, designed to prepare recent college graduates as well as mid- and senior-level administrators for the management and leadership of nonprofit organizations of all types. The program will focus on strategic planning, development of entrepreneurial skills, program management, fundraising, revenue generation and grant writing, human resources, technology, social media and marketing, legal issues, program evaluation and assessment, teambuilding and partnerships, budgeting, board development, leadership, and ethics. The program will employ two key pedagogical elements. First, the MA in Nonprofit Management will be highly experiential. Every course will offer students the opportunity to learn through experience and practice. The second key pedagogical element will be a strong focus on team building. This program was designed by the leadership of the city’s most prominent nonprofit organizations and by faculty from multiple departments: Social Sciences; English; Arts and Humanities; Management, Marketing and Business Administration; and Finance, Accounting and Computer Information Systems.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates who earn a MA in Nonprofit Management will be able to:
- Evaluate a nonprofit organization’s status on leadership and teambuilding, report their findings, and initiate effective interventions to alleviate shortcomings in those areas.
- Organize and articulate ways to improve productivity from that assessment.
- Articulate expected outcomes for an organization, create a strategic plan to assess those outcomes, implement the assessment, draw conclusions from the analysis, and make effective analysis based adjustments to significantly enhance efficiency in the organization.
- Create, implement and plan data and research driven strategies for recruiting and fund raising.
- Apply and implement employment law, recruiting and hiring practices, diversity in the workplace goals, compensation and benefits, performance appraisal, and discipline.
- Analyze budgeting and accounting documents and make organizational decisions based on said documents.
- Effectively manage within a nonprofit organization.
Admissions Criteria
The Admissions Committee will consider several factors when determining admission eligibility into the Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management program, including the candidate’s:
- Experience and interest in the nonprofit sector (Five years of full-time experience in the nonprofit sector is preferred but not required)
- Proven academic ability
- Demonstration of skills necessary to complete the program successfully
- Ability to contribute to the nonprofit sector upon completion of the program
Applicants to the program must meet the following criteria:
- Completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university.
- A grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0** from prior undergraduate and graduate coursework.
- Proficiency in English (if a graduate of a university in which English is not the native language) provided by an adequate TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) minimum score of 550 with section scores of 50 or higher.
** Applicants who do not meet the 3.0 GPA requirement may be granted conditional admission when the combined strength of their application and supporting documents provides compelling evidence that they will be successful in the program. These applicants are also encouraged to apply for the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Strategic Planning instead. Once enrolled in the graduate certificate, students in good standing will have the option to apply to the MANPM program at any point after receiving passing grades in their first two courses in the certificate.
Admissions Materials
Applicants must complete and submit all of the following items in order to be considered for admission: Resumes, personal statements, and writing samples can be uploaded through the myUHD portal, emailed to gradadmissions@uhd.edu, or mailed to:
Office of Admissions - Graduate Admissions
University of Houston-Downtown
One Main Street, Suite GSB 308
Houston, TX 77002-1001
- Submit an application through the www.goapplytexas.org.
- Pay the application fee.
- Request/submit to the email or mailing address above official transcripts from the institution where applicant received a bachelor’s degree as well as any graduate schools attended. (Community college coursework will not be considered in the admission process and need not be submitted)
- Provide a professional/personal resume
- Provide a personal statement of 1,000 words or less in response to this prompt: Describe your experiences and/or interest in the nonprofit sector. Explain your career plans and how you might contribute to the field of nonprofit management.
- Have two recommendations sent directly from personal and/or professional contacts to the email or mailing address provided above.
- Suggested recommenders include college professors, work supervisors, or community leaders. Recommenders should include information about the candidate like:
- How long and in what capacity the recommender has known the applicant
- The candidate’s skills and experiences that demonstrate potential for success in the program
- How the program will benefit the candidate and the non-profit sector.
- Provide TOEFL scores of 550 with section scores of 50 or higher (if a graduate of a university in which English is not the native language).
Admissions Process
Once an application is complete, the Admissions Committee will evaluate candidates using a matrix based on required application materials to determine if the applicant will be “admitted,” “conditionally admitted,” or “denied admission” to the program. Applicants may be considered for conditional admission in cases in which candidate materials do not meet established program criteria. The committee may also ask for further information from the candidate before making a final admission decision. The Program Director or the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies will notify prospective students, in writing (via email), of the committee’s decision. This written notification will contain pertinent information and next steps for students, as applicable. Specifically, for conditionally admitted students: this written notification will detail the stipulations of the “conditional” status and the necessary steps/actions required to receive full admission to the program.
Admissions Appeals
Students wishing to appeal an admissions decision must do so by submitting a CHSS Admissions Decision Appeal Form along with any relevant supporting documentation, within 30 days of receiving their admissions decision. Students are encouraged to appeal if A) the applicant’s academic credentials have changed significantly OR B) the applicant wishes to provide additional information that further explains personal circumstances that may have affected their ability to meet program admission requirements (03.B.24 §3.1.6.1). Students will receive an official response to their appeal from their Program Director within 14 days of submitting the CHSS Graduate Admissions Decision Appeal Form. Admissions decisions may be appealed through the process found in the CHSS Graduate Student Handbook linked on this page.
Conditional Admission
Students admitted conditionally will be advised as to the specific limitations of this status and the conditions necessary to remove the conditional admission classification.
Minimum Grade Point Average
Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Grades of C or lower do not count toward graduation, and two course grades of C or lower are cause for dismissal from the program.
Transfer
Students may transfer no more than six semester hours of graduate work and must have the approval of the Graduate Director to do so; transferred coursework must be at B level or above.
