Public and Not For Profit Organizational MGMT.
Organizational or nonprofit managers aim to help people and improve their communities. To learn more about career and degree options for public and nonprofit administrators, as well as salaries, read on.
Is Public and Nonprofit Management for Me?
Career Overview
Public and nonprofit management professionals run mission-oriented organizations, such as charities, government agencies and schools. As top executives, they may be employed as general and operations managers and human resources administrators, or lead training and development programs. Managers who hold positions in the public or private sector might also work in community service, advertising, information technology or project management. Strong leadership and communication skills are essential to working in a management position; fundraising abilities can be key to succeeding as a nonprofit administrator.
Employment and Salary Information
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), administrative openings for chief executives were expected to increase by a slower-than-average rate between 2012 and 2022. An average growth in employment was projected for general and operations managers, as well as training and development managers in the same period.
As reported by the BLS in May 2013, chief executives who worked for either private or public organizations earned a median annual salary of $171,610. As of May 2013, the median annual salary of a general and operations manager was $96,430, while training and development managers earned $98,810 (www.bls.gov). In June 2014, PayScale.com reported that business and program managers who worked for nonprofit organizations earned median annual salaries of $45,393 and $45,251 respectively.
How can I Work in Public and Not-for-Profit Management?
Undergraduate Programs
It can take you as little as two years to earn an associate's degree in organizational management or over six years to complete both a bachelor's and master's degree program in nonprofit management or public administration. As an undergraduate, you may pursue topics in human resources management, organizational behavior and economics, as well as accounting and marketing. Some organizational management programs allow for concentrations in healthcare or public safety.
Graduate Programs
At the graduate level, some schools offer Master of Business Administration in Nonprofit Management programs. Course topics may include financial management for nonprofits, fundraising, grant writing and leadership development. You'll also learn how to affect change at the community and social levels. If you're enrolled in a Master of Public Administration program, you may study public affairs, planning theory, administrative law and urban development.