The MNA students and MNA alumni represent the rich and diverse backgrounds of the nonprofit sector. We value the innovative solutions, collaborative teamwork, and multidisciplinary perspectives that our diverse cohorts bring to the classroom.
"The mentorship opportunities are the most enriching and I find that they create the community relationships that are the most helpful.”
"I’m able to see the bigger picture after completing the MNA. Now, I can keep changing, growing and developing the skills that I’m going to need in the future. The program helped me focus on where I want to be in the years to come."
"Being in the program has helped me to grow professionally, academically, and personally. My investment in the MNA has proven to be a good decision time and again. What I have learned has already assisted me in realizing incremental career goals."
I was most particularly drawn to the fact that this was the first MNA program in the country, and that it really focused on professionalizing the nonprofit sector.
The USF Master of Nonprofit Administration program challenges students to advance and transform their thinking about nonprofit organizations, NGOs, and the global social sector.
The nonprofit sector is a major economic and labor force in our society — in California and beyond.
It represents a very diverse spectrum of organizational and managerial practices responding to societal needs both locally and globally.
Our graduate degree in nonprofit administration provides students a practical and managerial learning experience to become effective nonprofit leaders.The experience reflects the School of Management’s cross-sector values and practices centered on mission, engagement, innovation, and impact.
The mission of the MNA program is to educate competent, professional and effective leaders for the social sector, nonprofit organizations and NGOs. The program also reflects the commitment “To make the world a better place,” as suggested in the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME). The investment in your education as a nonprofit administrator, manager and leader is the best investment you can make to dedicate your career for the benefit of society.
Studying in the San Francisco Bay Area gives students a unique opportunity to engage with key nonprofits, foundations, nongovernmental organizations and social enterprises. The MNA program offers many opportunities to extend your networks with these organizations. The co-curricula activities of the Nonprofit Student Council (NSC), the large MNA alumni network, and the student and career services at the School of Management (SOM) enhance your opportunities to engage with the sector. In addition, the Academic Global Immersion (AGI) programs are another expression of the program’s priorities to effectively engage with a wide stakeholder global community.
As the first dedicated nonprofit master’s degree in the country, the MNA program has used innovative practices since its foundation in 1983. The entrepreneurial context of the San Francisco Bay Area continues to inspire the MNA spirit of innovation by incorporating social innovation and technology into its curricula and experiential learning activities. Both local and global international hybrid innovative solutions to social problems are integrated with cross-sector partnerships, triple bottom line, and social value-creation solutions.
Social impact measurement is one of the most pressing needs in the social sector. The measurement of social outcomes plays a central role to help assess and ameliorate the quality and effectiveness of nonprofit programs. Social impact analysis is also a central competency developed in the MNA program through practicum and capstone courses centered on project-based learning, sustainability coursework, data analysis, organizational learning and systemic change.
Monday–Friday 9 a.m–5 p.m.
