University of Georgia

The certificate is designed for students earning degrees in other fields at UGA but who aspire to work in the nonprofit sector.  It also provides content relevant to those who are already employed in the nonprofit arena but who can benefit from advanced training in particular areas related to nonprofit management and leadership.

The certificate is available at undergraduate and graduate levels and to non-degree-seeking individuals.

The program is taught in traditional classroom format and online. See below for more information.

Who is Eligible?

The following students are eligible for the certificate program:

  • The Undergraduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership is open to UGA undergraduate students who have completed at least 60 credit hours  (or in their 3rd or 4th year of study) and have at least a 3.20 GPA. Students enrolled in a MA NML Double-Dawgs program are not eligible.
  • The Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership is open to UGA graduate students enrolled in majors other than the Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management and Leadership (MA NML) and have at least a 3.20 GPA.
  • Non-degree seeking students who have already earned an undergraduate degree but are not currently enrolled in a degree program at UGA.  These students may apply to the Graduate School solely for CERT status (see the Graduate School website for more information, non-degree certificate student admissions).
Programs of Study

The certificate program consists of a minimum of four courses of three semester hours each, drawn from the core courses of the MA NML degree curriculum. The program of study and guidelines to apply for each program are listed below.

Online Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management & Leadership

The online program is a self-paced program that gives students a well-rounded background in how nonprofits are run—fundraising, budgeting, events management and networking—knowledge that is applicable to fields such as human services, visual and performing arts, youth sports and environmental conservation, among others. No on-campus attendance is required.Completion of the certificate requires 12 semester hours (4 courses) of eligible graduate-level courses.

Students who are currently enrolled in an online degree-seeking program should follow the guidelines above for social work MSW students or graduate students in on-campus or online degree programs other than social work.

For more information, visit the Online Nonprofit Certificate Program or contact Paul Mittelhammer at paul.mittelhammer@uga.edu or (706) 948-2608.

How to Apply - currently enrolled students

Currently enrolled UGA students fill out and submit one of the following application forms.

Once your application has been approved and you have been accepted, you will receive follow up information on what to do next to start the program.

Non-degree-seeking students follow the instructions on the Graduate School application website

How to Request the Certificate

Requests for the certificate should be made at the beginning of the semester of your last certificate course(s).

To receive the certificate you must do the following:

  1. Fill out the REQUEST FOR THE CERTIFICATE IN NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP FORM.
  2. Apply to graduate with the Certificate in Athena before the Graduate School’s deadline for that semester.
  3. Submit the form by email to nprofit@uga.edu, FAX:  706-354-3917, or mail to:

University of Georgia School of Social Work
MA NML Program Office
School of Social Work Building
279 Williams St., Room 133
Athens, GA 30602

Once grades have been posted and your certificate request has been approved, the program office will notify the registrar and a paper certificate will be mailed to you.

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