The Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management is a 40 unit cohort-designed program. A group proceeds through a sequence of core courses, which will allow for collaboration that benefits from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests. The MNLM degree is offered as a three-semester or five-semester cohort model, making the program feasible for nonprofit professionals at various stages of their careers.
30 units of core coursework is organized under three areas: Theory and Context; Leadership and Management; and Analytical Skills. These are followed by an integrative Capstone course, in which students work in the field to apply the range of knowledge and competencies covered over the course of study.
PPD 689 The Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy (4 units)
Nonprofit organizations and their relation to government and business; the role of philanthropy, social enterprise and public support; and implications for policy, strategy and management.
PPD 675 Nonprofit Management and Leadership (4 units)
Issues in nonprofit management and leadership including: the role of boards; strategic planning; marketing and fund-raising; financial management; and volunteer and human resource management.
PPDE 680 – Board Governance and Leadership (2 units)
How nonprofit organizations are governed: roles and responsibilities of boards, staff, and volunteers; unique aspects of nonprofit board governance; boards and individual board member effectiveness; and changes in governance as a result of recent federal and state legislation.
PPDE 681- Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations (4 units)
Key aspects of the fundraising process for nonprofit organizations: major theoretical foundations and general fundraising principles; fundraising techniques; sources of donations; and key aspects of managing the fundraising process.
PPDE 645 Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations (4 units)
Accounting and financial management principles and practices in nonprofit organizations: budgeting financial analysis, internal controls, financial policies, grant making and financial reporting.
PPD 503 (4 units)
Economic theory as applied to public policy. Concepts of efficiency and equity, analysis of market failure and policy interventions.
PPD 542 Policy and Program Evaluation (4 units)
Methods and models for policy and program evaluation; methods of collecting and analyzing evaluation data; processes for linking evaluation to policy formulation and program management. (Duplicates credit in former PUAD 525 and former PUAD 529.) Prerequisite: PPD 502x.
PPDE 682 – Strategic Leadership and Management in Nonprofit Organizations (4)
The capstone is an experiential learning course that brings together core knowledge, skills, and values acquired throughout coursework.
Students will also select 10 units of electives in consultation with their advisor. Sample electives may include:
Students must demonstrate basic competence in a descriptive and inferential statistics course from an accredited institution with a grade of “B” or better in the three years before enrolling.
If a course has not been completed within this timeframe or a lesser grade was earned, a statistics course must be completed the summer prior to the start of MNLM program. Once a student begins taking courses at USC, they may not be enrolled in a non-USC statistics course and request it be used to fulfill the statistics prerequisite. Instead, they must enroll in PPD 504 – Essential Statistics for Public Management within the first 12 units.
If you enroll in a non-USC statistics course in the summer prior to your matriculation at USC, please complete it by the start of fall and follow these steps to provide verification of completing the course: