Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership
Frequently Asked Questions
The most commonly asked questions pertain to the relationship of the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership with the Haas School of Business. All students are required to take core business school classes. Students interested in nonprofit or public sector management are encouraged to do class projects with nonprofit organizations, take nonprofit and public sector management electives and participate in a variety of nonprofit and public sector related activities.
I’m trying to decide between an MBA and a Master’s
degree in public policy. What’s the difference?
The MBA curriculum emphasizes management skills, such as accounting, finance, and marketing. The public policy curriculum emphasizes public policy analysis. Haas MBA students may take one or two electives at the School of Public Policy. For a Public Policy program catalog, course descriptions, or other information, please contact the School of Public Policy at 510-642-4670.
Is a separate application required for the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at Haas?
No. You need only complete the application for the Haas School of Business.
When do I indicate that I want to be involved in the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at Haas?
You may indicate your interest in the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership during the application process, or you may decide after enrollment that you want to focus on Nonprofit and Public Leadership. If you are admitted to the MBA program, you should contact the director of the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership -Nora Silver (Silver@haas.berkeley.edu) and let her know of your interest.
If I participate in the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership
at Haas, what degree do I get when I graduate?
You earn an MBA. You may choose to have an "emphasis" or "concentration" in Nonprofit and Public Management, which means that most of your electives would be the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership courses.
What percentage of Haas MBA students are involved in the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership?
Approximately 10 percent of MBA students each year actively participate in the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership by enrolling in Center courses, undertaking Center sponsored applied projects, and/or participating in activities such as public and nonprofit management career workshops.
What courses do Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership students take?
Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership students are required to take the same courses as other MBA students, including the core courses and electives that fulfill distributional requirements. Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership students choose primarily public and nonprofit management courses for their electives. Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership students also may undertake one or two independent study projects addressing public or nonprofit management issues, and can take related courses from other UC Berkeley schools or departments such as public health, education, urban planning and public policy.
What courses does the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership offer? Are any of them required
in order to have an emphasis in Nonprofit Management and Public Management?
Currently, the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership offers these courses: Strategic Management of Nonprofit Organizations, Marketing and Fundraising for Nonprofit and Public Organizations, Nonprofit Financial Management, Collaboration and Partnerships Across the Sectors, and Nonprofit Boards of Directors. None of these courses is required.
What resources, in addition to the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership, are available
to Haas MBA students interested in nonprofit and public management?
Following are a few examples of additional resources available
to students:
- Many students find courses of interest in the Haas School's Business and Public Policy (BPP) group. For example, the BPP group offers courses on Environmental Management.
- The Haas School offers a six-week summer program in Washington, DC, which emphasizes government issues.
- Both the Nonprofit and Public Management Club and Net Impact are student-run organizations that sponsor a variety of activities, such as monthly guest speakers, monthly professional development sessions, yearly conference, brown bag lunch discussions, and a career night.
- The Career Center assists all MBA students with their career search efforts. Materials and programs designed particularly for students with public or nonprofit interests include public and nonprofit employer directories, job newsletters, and panel discussions.
- Organizations such as the MBAA, Challenge for Charity and Young Entrepreneurs at Haas give students an opportunity to be involved with nonprofit organizations and the community.
- A joint degree program, the MBA/MPH (Master of Public Health), supports students who are interested in careers in health care administration.
Who employs Haas Nonprofit and Public Leadership graduates?
Haas graduates work for a wide range of nonprofit organizations
and government bodies. Following are just a few examples:
| American Himalayan Foundation California Legislative Analyst’s City of Berkeley City of Orinda Co-op America Environmental Protection Agency International Institute of the East Bay Low Income Housing Fund Kaiser Permanente Lindsay Museum |
Mission Housing National Park Service The Nature Conservancy The Presidio Alliance San Francisco Jewish Museum Starbucks Trust for Public Land UC Berkeley United Way |
How do I obtain additional information?
If you plan to apply to the Haas School, we encourage you
to contact the Haas
Student Ambassadors. HSA can arrange for a student escort
to take you to one or more classes that interest you. The
student also can help answer your questions. Questions about
admissions requirements or requests for applications should
be directed to MBA Admissions. If you have specific questions
about the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership, please
call our office. The following telephone numbers may also be
helpful:
Haas Student Ambassador: 510-642-5610, hsa@haas.berkeley.edu
MBA Admissions: 510-642-1405
Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership: 510-642-1625
