NPL/Center for Social Impact Strategy Executive Program
Alumni of Penn’s Center for Social Impact Strategy Executive Program for Social Impact Strategy(opens in a new tab), Stuart Weitzman School of Design Executive Program for Social Innovation Design (XSD(opens in a new tab))(opens in a new tab), and the Annenberg School for Communication Executive Program in Digital Media for Social Impact(opens in a new tab) (DMSI) are eligible to complete the Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership in an accelerated, on-campus or online format. Executive program alumni must apply to the program and meet the same requirements as traditional applicants. Applicants to the accelerated program must include a reference from the Executive Program they completed as one of the three required references. The MS in Nonprofit Leadership is a ten course unit (CU) master’s program. Students who enter the NPL program after completing the CSIS executive program must complete six NPL CUs, at least three of which must be from the core offering. Students who enter the NPL program after completing the XSD or DMSI executive programs must complete seven NPL CUs, at least four of which must be from the core offering. Multiple executive programs cannot be combined for additional accelerated CUs.
The MS in Nonprofit Leadership is a ten course unit (CU) master’s program. Students who enter the NPL program after completing the CSIS, FSI, or NAS executive program must complete six NPL CUs, at least three of which must be from the core offering. Students who enter the NPL program after completing the XSD or DMSI executive programs must complete seven NPL CUs, at least four of which must be from the core offering. Multiple executive programs cannot be combined for additional accelerated CUs.
Course of Study
Over the course of one or two academic years, students will be required to take six CUs for the CSIS, accelerated programs and seven CUs for the XSD and DMSI accelerated programs. The final three (CSIS) or four (XSD & DMSI) CUs required for the master’s degree will be applied to the degree retroactively from the CSIS, XSD, or DMSI Executive Programs, thus earning ten CUs of credit while completing six or seven CUs in the master’s program itself.
Students will choose most or all of their coursework from the course options. They may take one Penn elective course outside of NPL. Students coming from CSIS must choose at least three NPL core courses. Students coming from XSD or DMIS must choose at least four NPL core courses. The remaining may be NPL elective or NPL core courses.
Sample Online Schedule
| Fall | Spring | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| August | September – December | January – April | May |
| Online Orientation, Cohort Building, and Networking (required for online students, optional for on-campus students) On-Campus Orientation, Cohort Building, and Networking (required for on-campus students, optional for online students) | 1-2 NPL Core CU’s (2 CUs for XSD and DMSI accelerated students) | 2 NPL Core CU’s | Optional On-Campus Networking and Commencement |
| 1 NPL Elective CU | 2 NPL Elective CUs | ||
Students may also complete the program part-time taking 1 to 2 CUs over three to four semesters.
