Nov 10, 2024  
2012-2013 Graduate Catalog 
    
2012-2013 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Post-Master’s Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Organization and Management


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Department of Political Science
418 Varner Hall
(248) 370-2352 • Fax (248) 370-4299
www.oakland.edu/mpa

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Program director:
Diane M. Hartmus
421 Varner Hall
(248) 370-2375
hartmus@oakland.edu
 

Program coordinator:
Suzanne Rossi
457 Varner Hall
(248) 370-4117
ssrossi@oakland.edu
 

Program description

The Post-Master’s Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Organization and Management program is designed to provide students who have already earned an M.P.A. or a similar degree with additional education and training in the specialized area of nonprofit organization and management. Students will be required to take at least 16 credits of graduate work beyond the master’s degree. The nonprofit organization and management specialty area is based on elective coursework currently offered by the M.P.A. program.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Admissions by the semester deadlines listed below.

  • July 15 for fall semester
  • November 15 for winter semester
  • March 15 for summer semester
Readmission and program transfer

Requests for readmission and program transfers must be completed and approved prior to the beginning of a semester.

International application deadlines

International applications are reviewed for fall and winter admission only. To ensure adequate time for review, international applications must be completed at least six months before the desired date of intended enrollment in the University. All international application materials must be submitted by May 1 for fall admission and by September 1 for winter admission. International applicants are not eligible for Special Graduate classification.

Special Graduate classification

Applicants who are seeking a graduate degree or graduate certificate, but are unable to meet the deadline for filing all required application materials or credentials for graduate admission, may contact the department and request Special Graduate temporary admission.  The applicant must submit an Application for Admission to Graduate Study, plus a copy of a transcript providing evidence of a bachelor’s degree awarded and any specific evidence concerning their qualifications for graduate study as required by the department.  Up to 12 credits may be earned in the Special Graduate classification. Admission as a special graduate student in no way assures subsequent admission to a degree or graduate certificate program.

Students may request special graduate classification beginning  with the dates below.

  • August 1 for fall semester
  • December 1 for winter semester
  • April 1 for summer semester

Note: Special Graduate classification will not be granted after the first week of classes in a semester.

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all of the following university and program application documents by the published application deadlines.

University graduate application requirements
  • Application for Admission to Graduate Study       
  • Official transcripts providing evidence of an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. institution, OR a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree from a college or university of government-recognized standing.
  • Official transcripts for all post-secondary educational institutions from which the applicant earned a degree (beginning with the first baccalaureate) and for all enrollment in graduate-level coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree. International university transcripts must be evaluated by a professional credential evaluation service.
    • As part of the admission requirements, graduate programs may require official transcripts from post-secondary educational institutions from which the applicant earned an associate’s degree and all enrollment in coursework both pre- and post-bachelor’s degree.
  • Two official and original Recommendation for Graduate Admission forms.
  • Proof of English language proficiency
  • International supplemental application and supporting documentation must be submitted before international applicants can be issued the Certification of Eligibility (I-20). This certificate is required to apply for a student visa from the U.S. embassy or consulate. 

Program application requirements
  • Two essays (Forms are downloadable from www.oakland.edu/mpa.)  
  • Applicants to the Post-Master’s Certificate program must hold an M.P.A. or equivalent degree to be considered for admission. If the degree is not from an NASPAA accredited program, the M.P.A. director, in consultation with the M.P.A. faculty group, will determine whether a specific degree program provides adequate background training.
  • Applicants should have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 or better in the Master of Public Administration degree or M.P.A.-type degree.   

Admission review and assessment

Admission to graduate study at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Certificate requirements


To provide specialized work in nonprofit organization and management, the student is required to complete a minimum of 16 credits in the courses listed below. Students who have completed any of these courses for their master’s program or another graduate certificate program will be required to take additional courses to complete the 16 credits required for this graduate certificate. 

Satisfactory academic progress


Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing


All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

  • Holding a Graduate Assistantship
  • Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
  • Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
  • Going on a leave of absence
  • Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Department requirements:  Students must earn a grade of 3.0 or above in each course required for the graduate certificate in order to qualify for the graduate certificate; students may repeat any course once in order to achieve the minimum grade for that course.

Academic probation
Students admitted to a graduate certificate program will be subject to the same policies governing academic progress for regularly matriculated M.P.A. students. 

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information


Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework.

Note:  Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Number of graduate certificates

Students may earn more than one graduate certificate, but cannot use (double count) any specific course to meet the requirements of two graduate certificate programs.

Transfer credit

Up to 4 credits of graduate work taken at another institution may be transferred to Oakland to meet part of the 16-credit requirement; these credits may not be used toward another graduate certificate or degree program.

Course requirements

Courses used toward the graduate certificate requirements must be beyond those earned for the master’s degree. 

Software skills

Students must have proficiency in the use of Microsoft Professional Suite (or comparable package) and use of the Internet; students deficient in these skills may take an approved PC skills course which will not apply toward the certificate program.

Academic probation

Students admitted to a graduate certificate program will be subject to the same policies governing academic progress for regularly matriculated M.P.A. students.

Academic progress

Students must earn a grade of 3.0 or above in each course required for the graduate certificate in order to qualify for the graduate certificate; students may repeat any course once in order to achieve the minimum grade for that course.

 

 

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