PSU's Master of Nonprofit Leadership is for those who believe in the power of collective action for meaningful social change. MNL students are a part of the next generations of nonprofit leaders who work for the common good. In the MNL curriculum, we marry the best of theory and practice so that students gain critical insights into nonprofit leadership and management and the skills to affect meaningful change. Coursework focuses on four core areas: Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector and Nonprofit Leadership; the Fundamentals of Nonprofit Management; Analytic Skills; and Advocacy, Policymaking, and Community Change. Beyond these core areas, students enhance their knowledge with elective courses of their choosing and a community-based capstone project.
Students will be joining a learning community of faculty and professionals who share their passion for leading meaningful social change and working for the common good. PSU's Department of Public Administration offers a faculty of dedicated professors and professional instructors who draw on the best of both theory and applied practice from the nonprofit and public sectors to help students lead for the common good. The students and faculty in the MNL program are well-positioned to help "let knowledge serve the city" with a strong focus on community-engaged learning opportunities across the curriculum and through PSU's Nonprofit Institute. In addition, PSU's MNL offers a first-rate graduate education at a fair price. Similar programs in the Portland area cost two or three times as much in tuition each year as PSU's MNL program.
The MNL program is new to PSU but a market study commissioned by PSU for the development of the MNL indicated that students who complete this program can expect to find themselves in leadership positions with nonprofit organizations in the near future upon completion of the program. Job titles for individuals who have an MNL degree can expect to be in positions such as:
- Executive Director
- Director of Finance
- Director of Development
- Program Director/Manager