Religion AB/Nonprofit Management and Leadership MA(non-thesis)

This Double Dawgs pathway will give high-achieving undergraduate students the opportunity to earn their M.A. in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. We place a strong emphasis on helping students acquire and use the skills and techniques for understanding human behavior, social context, and sound research, as well as in leading nonprofit organizations that serve diverse communities. Our expectation is that this Double Dawgs pathway will provide a clear step for our dual-degree students majoring in Religion to pursue opportunities as leaders in the nonprofit sector including with faith-based organizations. There are more than 1.3 million "charitable" 501c (3) nonprofits in the United States, and studies show that over the next decade, nonprofits will need to attract and develop more than 500,000 new managers due to the growing number of nonprofit organizations, growth in the size of nonprofits, and the retirement of managers from the vast baby-boomer generation.

Admission to Program

To be considered for admission to the pathway, students must submit the following documentation by March 15th of their 2nd year:

1. A statement of purpose – a statement outlining the reason the student is seeking admission to the program, including future career/professional goals and why they are capable of taking graduate-level courses.
2. A recommendation letter from a current professor – a brief statement commenting on the student’s academic capacity to succeed in graduate-level coursework
3. An approval letter from the Undergraduate Advising Contact – a statement approving the student to apply to the pathway; must be written by the individual listed under Undergraduate Advising Contact on this page (note that this may not be the same as the student’s undergraduate advisor).

Application documentation must be submitted as a single PDF by the student and sent from their UGA email account to the Institute for Nonprofit Organizations at nprofit@uga.edu. The subject line of the email should read ‘Double Dawg Pathway Application Materials.’

The minimum requirements for admission to the pathway are as follows:
1. Overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.2
2. 60 credit hours completed or in progress at time of application.

Curriculum

Graduate-level courses that may be used to satisfy undergraduate and graduate program requirements.

Students in this pathway are required to take the following before the end of their 4th year:
MNML 5226/7226, Evaluation of Practice (3)
MNML 5237/7237, Theory and Management of Nonprofit Organizations (3)

Two from the list below can be taken before the end of 4th year to count toward the Nonprofit Management and Leadership (M.A.) degree. Note that all the normal requirements for a Religion major need to be fulfilled. If 6000-level RELI courses are taken, these can be used to fulfill the requirements for a Religion major. The MNML courses listed above and below will count toward the fulfillment of upper-level electives.
MNML 5320/7320, Volunteer Management (3)
MNML 5957/7957, Grant Proposal Writing (3)
RELI 4095/6095, Christianity and Sustainability (3)
RELI(ANTH) 4110/6110, Anthropology and American Religion (3)
RELI 4204/6204, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Religion (3)
RELI 4410/6410, Gandhi and Nonviolence: History, Theory, and Practice (3)

Additional requirements that are unique to this Double Dawgs program:

N/A

Admission to Graduate Program

Students must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and should submit the following to be considered for admission:
1. Resume/CV - Submit a current resume detailing work, educational, professional, and volunteer experience.

2. Goals Statement - Please send a statement/essay of approximately 3 pages in length that outlines your interest in graduate education and a career in the nonprofit sector. A successful statement reflects your passion for working with nonprofit organizations, describes the impact you hope to make in your career, and addresses the following questions:
• Why are you seeking a Master of Arts degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership?
• What experiences, professional and/or personal, have led you to pursue the Nonprofit Management and Leadership M.A. degree? Please outline why the program at UGA is of particular interest to you.
• What are your professional goals regarding work in the nonprofit sector? Please include a brief outline of your areas of interest with respect to both content (e.g., environment, arts, human services) as well as process (e.g., grant writing, program evaluation, program management and administration).

3. Three Letters of Recommendation (one academic and two from an employment supervisor or other director/mentor) - The letters may be submitted one of three ways:
a. Via email. They must be formal recommendation letters on letterhead and submitted as an attachment to the initial email. Letters in the body of the email will not be accepted. We will only accept emails sent directly from the recommender.
b. Via mail directly to the Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program Office.
c. Submitted online via the Graduate School admissions web site.

Program Advisor

  • Name: Anthony Mallon
  • Email: ajmallon@uga.edu
  • Phone: 2-5467
  • Address: 279 Williams St., Room 125.

Undergraduate Major Information

  • Major: Religion A.B.
  • Department/College: Religion

Advising Contact

  • Name: Greg Kline
  • Email: gkline@uga.edu
  • Phone: 706-542-1522
  • Address: 358 Brooks

Graduate Major Information

  • Major: Nonprofit Management and Leadership M.A.
  • Department/College: Institute for Nonprofit Organizations

Advising Contact

  • Name: Jessica Davis
  • Email: jesmar@uga.edu
  • Phone: 706-542-2328
  • Address: 279 Williams St., Room 121