Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Leadership online

Prepare for dynamic leadership roles in the nonprofit sector — and beyond — when you combine traditional business expertise with mission-driven practices.

Apply by: 10/9/24
Start Class: 10/15/24

Program Overview

See a snapshot of our online MBA in Nonprofit Leadership

$17,445* Total Tuition
As few as 12-18 months Program Duration
30 Credit Hours

Empower communities with ethical, purpose-centered businesses when you earn an online Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Leadership from Murray State University. The nonprofit organization is a unique business structure driven by mission rather than profit. Nonprofit leadership studies complement traditional business education by providing access to intricacies required for work in the growing nonprofit sector.

The broad-based business core curriculum develops your skills in accounting, managerial economics, corporate finance, marketing and more. Our capstone course will strengthen your background in strategic management.

This program is designed for your success. That’s why we include free, prerequisite courses in accounting and economics, which can be completed concurrently with core coursework. Regardless of your undergraduate background, these prerequisites empower you with valuable insight in these key areas prior to learning more rigorous quantitative material.

AACSB Accredited

The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business at Murray State University has been continuously accredited by AACSB International (AACSB) since 1981.

Murray State Logo

Among the best in Kentucky

Ranked #8 among Best Value Schools in the South by U.S. News & World Report (2023)

Additional benefits of this online MBA nonprofit management program:

  • Our students consistently score above average on ETS® Major Field Tests, reflecting preparedness and confidence in impacting businesses after graduation.
  • Our faculty is dedicated to your success both in the program and in the workforce, providing personal attention, advisement and support.
  • You will have access to the resources within the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development, which offers workshops, training and consulting services, and more for small business owners in western Kentucky.
  • Our students consistently score above average on ETS® Major Field Tests, reflecting preparedness and confidence in impacting businesses after graduation.
  • Our faculty is dedicated to your success both in the program and in the workforce, providing personal attention, advisement and support.
  • You will have access to the resources within the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Development, which offers workshops, training and consulting services, and more for small business owners in western Kentucky.

This program will prepare you for careers such as:

  • Program Director
  • Nonprofit CEO
  • Executive Director
  • Social Services Manager
  • Fundraising Manager
  • Program Director
  • Nonprofit CEO
  • Executive Director
  • Social Services Manager
  • Fundraising Manager
Have questions or need more information about our online programs?

Also available

Murray State University offers a variety of specialized MBA concentrations. Check out all of our online MBA programs.

Tuition

Advance your career with a cost-effective degree

MBA online programs from Murray State University offer affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition. All fees are included in the total tuition.

Tuition breakdown:

$581.50 Per Credit Hour
$17,445* Total Tuition
Program Per Credit Hour Per Course Per Program
MBA in Nonprofit Leadership $581.50 $1,744.50 $17,445*

*The tuition rate is subject to annual changes based on approval by the Murray State University Board of Regents and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Refer to Graduate Tuition Rates for more information on the cost of attendance for Murray State.

Calendar

Write down these important dates and deadlines

Murray State University online programs are delivered in an accelerated format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year.

Now enrolling:

10/9/24 Next Application Deadline
10/15/24 Start Classes
TermStart DateApplication DeadlineDocument & Financial Aid DeadlinePriority Registration DeadlineTuition DeadlineLast Class DayTerm Length
Fall 18/20/248/14/248/15/248/16/248/19/2410/9/247 weeks
Fall 210/15/2410/9/2410/10/2410/11/2410/14/2412/8/247 weeks
Spring 11/14/251/8/251/9/251/10/251/13/253/5/257 weeks
Spring 23/11/253/5/253/6/253/7/253/10/255/6/257 weeks
Summer 15/12/255/6/255/7/255/8/255/9/256/21/257 weeks
Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from Murray State?

Admissions

Know the admission requirements for our MBA in Nonprofit Leadership online

At Murray State University, we’ve streamlined the admission process to help you get started quickly and easily. Please read the requirements for the MBA in Nonprofit Leadership online, including where to send your transcripts.

The requirements include:

Online application accepted on a rolling basis
Undergraduate degree from an accredited institution
Transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended
No GMAT required for qualified applicants

For admission to this MBA online program, domestic students must meet one of the following sets of requirements:

  • Master's degree in a relevant field or doctoral-level degree from an accredited institution OR
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with:
    • 3.25 GPA, no work experience required
    • 3.0 GPA and two years of full-time relevant work experience
    • 2.75 – 2.99 GPA and four years of full-time relevant work experience
    • Domestic applicants with a 2.74 or below GPA who have extensive work experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the admissions committee and may be required to submit additional documentation, including a GMAT or GRE score.

International students have additional admission requirements. Please see the Academic Bulletin and/or the International Admissions webpage for complete requirements.

Official transcripts, test scores and other documents should be sent from issuing institutions to:

Email address:
[email protected]

Mail address:

Graduate Admissions
Murray State University
B2 Sparks Hall
Murray, KY 42071

Questions? Call 866-906-0541.

Courses

Read about our MBA in nonprofit management online coursework

For the MBA in Nonprofit Leadership online, you must complete 21 credit hours of core courses (including a capstone course) and nine credit hours of electives. You also must complete two free, self-paced prerequisite courses in accounting and economics, which should be taken concurrently with other core coursework in the program.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is a study of marketing as the firm’s strategic link with its customers in a global competitive environment. Major topics include (1) the development of marketing strategy, (2) the formulation of marketing plans, (3) the selection and implementation of marketing tactics, and (4) ethical considerations in marketing. **Suggested first course
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Business analytics refers to the techniques and practices of statistical data analyses useful to business organizations. This course covers the fundamental concepts of data analysis, and intermediary concepts such as predictive analysis and prescriptive analysis. The analytical techniques covered include visualization, regression, forecasting, simulation, optimization and risk analysis. Students get to learn and use advanced spreadsheet functions and visualization tools to analyze business data.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Possess a strong Business Analytics vocabulary.
  2. Utilize spreadsheet and data visualization software to organize, screen, and preprocess the data.
  3. Use descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data analytics tools.
  4. Understand how and why Business Analytics techniques could be applied to assist business decision making.
  5. Gain a fundamental understanding of how to construct spreadsheet models for the purposes of conducting quantitative analysis of business problems.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to interpret analysis results, evaluate alternatives, and to apply basic sensitivity analysis in the support of a managerial decision maker.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Application of economic models and rationale to business decision-making with special emphasis on case studies. Topics include supply and demand, elasticity, production and costs, market structure, strategic interaction, pricing strategies and government intervention.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Practical application of the finance function in a company with specific emphasis on maximizing the value of the firm for its shareholders. Financial decision-making integrated with the theory of capital markets. Particular attention is given to the areas of investment, capital structure, short-term financing, and working capital management.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Defines organizations and managers’ roles in those organizations, with special emphasis upon behavioral issues. Examines individual, group and organizational processes in light of the environment within which the organization functions. Special attention is given to managing in non-U.S. settings and the ethical problems faced in the managerial job.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This is the MBA capstone course in which the students must integrate all of the functional areas of business administration and analyze their impact on management policy and strategy decisions. Even though each student will bring knowledge of his or her area of specialization into the classroom, it is expected that the student will perform as a generalist rather than a specialist and as a practicing manager rather than an impartial researcher.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An in-depth study of management accounting techniques and methods needed for effective management of business enterprises. The trade-offs management makes in acquiring and using accounting information for decision-making and control are discussed. Specific topics include cost behavior and estimation, short-term decision-making, budgeting, performance evaluation, cost allocation, and product costing.

Embedded into the curriculum are two free, prerequisite courses to fully prepare you for your graduate level courses. Designed to revitalize your skills and reinforce previous concepts, these prerequisites will strengthen your understanding of accounting and economics and can be taken simultaneously with your other program courses, but prior to ACC 604 and ECO 625. These mandatory courses are pass/fail with 80 percent being the minimum score to pass.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Introduces the application of basic accounting techniques for recording, analyzing, and communicating financial information to parties external to a corporate business entity. Topics include understanding the elements of the accounting equation, using double-entry accounting methods to create and summarize account balances, preparing the four basic financial statements, and analyzing financial ratios. Both service and merchandising business operations are discussed. Can be taken a maximum of three times.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
An introduction to basic economic theory related to supply and demand, elasticity, firm theory, market structures and government policy analysis. This course provides the theoretical and mathematical foundation for the application of economic theory to business problems. Can be taken a maximum of three times.
Students must take NLS 600 and select 2 of the following:
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course provides students with historical and philosophical foundations of the nonprofit sector in American society and around the globe, the roles and relationships among structural sectors of society (nonprofit, government, and business), and the competencies and functions of nonprofit sector leadership and management. Students identify and study current and emerging issues and trends impacting society and the response for the nonprofit sector, while exploring the range of career and volunteer opportunities.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the comparative perspectives on the nonprofit sector, voluntary action, and philanthropy and their impact on global social, economic, and political issues and trends;
  2. Delineate the scope, significance, and diversity of the nonprofit sector and its sub-sectors, voluntary action, and philanthropy across civil society and among the nonprofit, government, and for-profit sectors; and
  3. Develop a working knowledge of the history and theories of the nonprofit sector, voluntary action, and philanthropy around the world, including (but not limited to) political, economic, religious, and socio-cultural perspectives.
  4. Scope, size, functions, and structure of the nonprofit sector, voluntary action, philanthropy, and civil society, globally;
  5. Cross-sector issues and trends, opportunities and challenges, and future projections; and
  6. History and theoretical foundations of the nonprofit sector, voluntary action, philanthropy, and civil society, along with the impact of a range of related political, economic, and socio-cultural perspectives.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A review of the impacts of basic economics and market dynamics on the nonprofit sector, frame an overview of financial management, and resource development processes and practices. The course presents students with quality practices and tools used in budgeting, accounting, reporting, and fund raising.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Explain budgeting as a component of the planning process
  2. Discuss principles of accounting and reporting requirements
  3. Present key financial tools for informed decision-making
  4. Understand the principles of fund development and donor retention
  5. Present key investment strategies for nonprofits
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course prepares students for action in the complex and ever-changing context in which mission-driven nonprofit organizations operate. This course provides students with current and emerging action strategies and practices to strengthen or improve less-advantaged communities, empower their residents, and interact with a broad spectrum of public, for profit, and nonprofit agencies. Students examine and apply quality practices in comprehensive community development, coalition and movement building, integrated strategies, collective and collaborative action, and strategic planning and assessment approaches.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Explain a mission-driven nonprofit and the role it plays in community development
  2. Explore common challenges faced by less advantaged communities
  3. Discuss ways collaborative efforts of the nonprofit sector can empower residents and promote community growth
  4. Apply community assessment tools
  5. Present a strategic plan for community development
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course is about utilizing entrepreneurial skills to craft innovative responses to social problems. Entrepreneurs are particularly good at recognizing opportunities, exploring innovative approaches, mobilizing resources, managing risks, and building viable enterprises. Social entrepreneurship applies to both profit and non-profit organizations that have programs designed to create social value.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Distinguish among different frameworks and approaches to social entrepreneurship, including social impact, enterprise, and venture applications.
  2. Understand a range of applications of social impact strategies to address critical social challenges and opportunities.
  3. Develop knowledge of and access to a range of networks and support systems that advance social entrepreneurship.
  4. Understand and apply the principles of social entrepreneurship in responding to the needs and opportunities of a nonprofit organization interested in incorporating related practices into their operations.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
"Course is a high-level exploration of leadership principles and practices, in support of the development of personal confidence and capacity to be more effective leaders and managers. Students will develop competencies for quality applications in the context of family, community, and career, including personal principles and values, ethical standards and practices, interpersonal and group dynamics, cultural competence, and vision and strategy development, among others. "

Need More Info?

Submit the form below, and a representative will contact you to answer your questions.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Or call 866-906-0541

Or call 866-906-0541

By submitting this form, I am providing my digital signature agreeing that Murray State University (Murray State) and its agent, Risepoint, may email me or contact me regarding educational services by telephone and/or text message utilizing automated technology or a pre-recorded message at the telephone number(s) provided above. I understand this consent is not a condition to attend Murray State or to purchase any other goods or services. Privacy Policy. SMS Terms.

Ready to Begin?

Start your application today!

Request More Information

Submit the form below, and a representative will contact you to answer your questions.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Or call 866-906-0541

Begin Application Process

Start your application today!
Call 866-906-0541 866-906-0541
for help with any questions you may have.