The College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences offers a Public and Nonprofit Administration major to prepare undergraduate students for leadership in the nonprofit sector and in local government. Required coursework is based on a set of competencies designed to help students gain the skills and knowledge to be successful in the public sector. Graduate students are offered a chance to reach these competencies through Master of Public Administration: Nonprofit Management program. Both undergraduate and graduate programs work together with NLSA to award students the Certified Nonprofit Professional Credential (CNP).


The Public and Nonprofit Administration Major: 

Required Courses (18 hours)

  • PAD 210 (3) Introduction to Public Administration
  • PAD 211 (3) Nonprofit Administration
  • PAD 313 (3) Budgetary Processes in the United States 
  • PAD 380QR (3) Public Sector Research Methods
  • PAD 411 (3) Public Sector Human Resources and Organization Theory
  • PSC 395 (1-12) Internship in Government and Politics 
  • PAD 523WI (3) Grant Writing and Management

Electives (15 hours)

  • PAD 413 (3) Organizational Leadership and Behavior
  • PAD 414 (3) Public Policy Analysis
  • PAD 585 (3) Public Sector Information Technology Management
  • PSC 105 (3) Introduction to American Government and Politics
  • PSC 150 (3) Introduction to International Relations
  • PSC 261 (3) State and Local Government
  • PSC 300 (3) Michigan Politics and Elections 
  • PSC 301 (3) Law and Policy in Michigan State Government
  • PSC 321 (3) The American Chief Executive 
  • PSC 513 (3) Citizen Engagement in Public Life
  • PSC 514 (3) American Public Policy Making
  • PSC 522 (3) Regulatory Processes and Administrative Law
  • PSC 557 (3) War and Peace Studies
  • PSC 563 (3) Politics and Policy in Urban Communities
  • PSC 566 (3) Intergovernmental Relations in the United States
  • OR Choose one of the following undergraduate certificates: 
  • International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Administration 
  • Public Policy Analysis 
  • Public and Social Entrepreneurship

Total: 33 semester hours