MS IN NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP
Master of Environmental Studies
The SAS College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) and the School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2) offer a Nonprofit Leadership & Master of Environmental Studies for future leaders motivated around environmentally conscious nonprofit efforts.
Application Information
Dual degree applicants must apply for and are accepted independently into each program. Applicants must indicate on each application his/her intention to become a dual degree student at the time of application. Applications for both NPL and MES will specifically request this information. Each School will designate an individual to work with dual degree applicants to ensure that they are properly evaluated and advised from the start of the process.
Course of Study
In this combined degree format, the student would complete 17 CUs in total: 9 courses in LPS (9 CUs) and 8 courses in SP2 (8 CUs). The NPL/MES student will be in residence in SAS for 3 semesters of the Dual Degree program and in SP2 for 2 semesters. Of the 9 CUs completed at LPS, NPL will accept 2 CUs at the graduate level toward the 10 CUs required for the NPL degree. Of the 8 CUs completed in the NPL program, LPS will accept 3 CUs at the graduate level toward the 12 CUs required for the MES degree.
Part-time Dual Degree Format
The format will be arranged with each student on an individual basis with advice and agreement from both programs with the goal being to complete both programs within 5 years.
Sample Curriculum
Nine CU’s are required for the MES program. Eight CU’s are required for the NPL program.
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer |
| 1 | Home School: SAS • ENVS xxxx (formerly ENVS 601 Proseminar) (1 CU) • MES Concentration Course 1 (1 CU) • MES Foundation Course 1 (1 CU) • MES Foundation Course 2 (1 CU) | Home School: SAS • ENVS 6998 Capstone Seminar (1 CU) • MES Foundation Course 3 (1 CU) • MES Foundation Course 4 (1 CU) • MES Concentration Course 2 (1 CU) | • MES Research Methods Course (1 CU) |
| 2 | Home School: SP2 • NPL Core Course 1 (1 CU) • NPL Core Course 2 (1 CU) • NPL Elective Course 1 (1 CU) • NPL Elective Course 2 (1 CU) | Home School: SP2 • NPL Core Course 3 (1 CU) • NPL Core Course 4 (1 CU) • NPL Elective Course 3 (1 CU) • NPL Elective Course 4 (1 CU) |
Tuition
Under this dual degree format, the student would be in residence for 2 semesters at SP2 and 3 semesters at SAS. The student pays 2 semesters of tuition and fees at the NPL rate while in residence at SP2. The student must take 8 CU’s while enrolled in the NPL program. When in residence at SAS, the student pays 9 CU’s of tuition and fees at the MES rate. The student must take 9 CU’s of MES course work during the MES residency.
The Capstone Project
In the first Spring semester of the program, each student selects a capstone project, an independent, research exercise that demonstrates the student’s mastery of the subject matter. The capstone documents the student’s ability to define a research question; design a protocol to address that question; acquire the data necessary to clarify, if not resolve, that question; critically assess the quality of the data acquired; draw defensible conclusions from those data; and communicate that process and those conclusions to professional colleagues with clarity and precision. For the dual degree, the project will include a nonprofit component.
Practicum
In the second year of the program, the student will complete the Nonprofit Leadership Practicum. The Leadership Practicum is an integral part of the experiential learning for all NPL students, which builds upon core competencies and principles of leadership developed in the classroom. It consists of:
- a supervised mentoring and leadership development experience with either an executive director or senior level leader at a local, national, or international social impact organization;
- a partnership with the goal of understanding the organization and providing student support on various levels that can include strategic planning, succession planning, branding or marketing, development and philanthropy, or other targeted projects; and
- a commitment of a minimum of 250 hours of practicum time with the sponsoring organization (virtually, hybrid, or fully in-person) during the academic year beginning in September and ending in April.
Contact Us
Adam Roth-Saks, MSEd
Administrative Director, MS in Nonprofit Leadership
215 573 2390