MBA in Nonprofit Management
Asbury’s MBA program is designed to provide a rigorous educational experience that develops students academically, and equally prepares them to engage today’s complex global marketplace in a faithful way.
The Nonprofit Management Pathway provides students the opportunity to learn core business principles and apply them within the context of nonprofit organizations as administrators, missionaries, managers, fundraisers, entrepreneurs, analysts, etc. Students develop contextualized business and project plans which they often implement immediately in the nonprofits in which they serve.
The Asbury MBA recognizes that our values serve to shape the very business activity we engage in, and this makes us unique.
Credit Hours: 36 – Length of Program: As few as 18 months. Optional scheduling tracks customize the pace of the learning experience. While a majority of the courses are conducted in an online classroom in 8-week sessions, students will join together as a cohort at the completion of their MBA experience for capstone presentations, professional development and ultimately graduation. Standard graduate admission requirements apply. Prerequisites include accounting, economics and statistics.
- Length of Track: 18 Months
- Total Credit Hours: 36
Master of Business Administration (PDF)
Sample Course Schedule
Sample course pacing based on a 18-month schedule.
▾ Fall Year 1
MBA 511 - History of Business, Faith & Ethics
The purpose of this class is to unite key business principles with theological insights as an opening course for students. Understanding our Christian anthropology, in addition to our heritage and key beliefs, is a necessary antecedent to graduate work in business at Asbury University. People of faith, like everyone else, are active participants in a business- dominated world. Developing a clear understanding of how the business world runs, and more importantly, having our faith perspective define and dictate how we understand and behave within this world—is the primary intent of the class. This course will specifically explore the history of Christianity and commercial exchange, humans as image bearers of a productive and relational Creator, case study examples of faith-motivated ventures and entrepreneurial endeavors through history, and reflection upon redemptive business practice. (Typically Fall & Spring)
Faculty: Dr. David Bosch
NPM 522 - Nonprofit Financial Management
The course covers skills for budget development, financial forecasting and analysis. Skills such as data collection, preparation, analysis, and interpretation will be taught. This course will utilize tools to aid decision making. Financial management concepts such as financial forecasting, and working capital management will be covered. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Prof. Alesha Graves
NPM 526 - Nonprofit Marketing
This course challenges students with case studies and familiarizes them with strategic management tools such as media monitoring, crisis planning, content analysis and questionnaire development. Aspects such as brand development and protection, services marketing, the duality of donor and recipient marketing relationships will also be addressed. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Prof. Michael Ross
▾ Spring Year 1
NPM 523 - Strategic Fundraising
Covers funding topics such as the running of an annual campaign, membership driven fundraising, corporate gifts, estate giving as well as grant writing. (Typically Spring)
Faculty: Mike Stratford
MBA 515 - Strategic Leadership
This course provides practical understandings into internal and external factors which impact the effectiveness of leaders and an understanding of the dynamics of leadership skills and behaviors necessary to function in a competitive, international environment. Topics such as characteristics of leaders, change leadership, transformational leadership, and servant leadership will be covered. (Typically Spring)
Faculty: Dr. Mike Yoder
Elective
Choose from elective list below.
▾ Summer
MBA 518 - Business Analytics
An overview of design, control, and improvement of production and service systems. Topics including operations strategies, product design, process selection, and quality management are covered. This course will also utilize tools to aid decision- making. Skills such as data collection, preparation, analysis, and interpretation will be taught. (Typically Summer)
Faculty: Dr. Paul Hamilton
Elective
Choose from elective list below.
▾ Fall Year 2
Elective
Choose from elective list below.
Elective
Choose from elective list below.
▾ Spring Year 2
MBA 611 - Entrepreneurship & Innovation
A study of entrepreneurship and the skills and practices needed to launch a sustainable venture. This involves understanding how to stimulate creativity, innovation management, new product development, and becoming a learning organization. (Typically Spring)
Faculty: Dr. Mike Kane
MBA 614 - Capstone Project
In this course, students will experience an intensive study week that serves as a comprehensive class for the entire MBA program at Asbury University. Specific attention will be given to the origination, implementation, and sustainable cultivation of a business project, firm, or organization. Attention will be given to considerations in the triple bottom line. (Typically Spring)
Faculty: Dr. George Allen and various faculty
▾ Electives
Choose four (4):
ACG 501 - Advanced Auditing
This course focuses on advanced topics related to auditing standards. This course utilizes case studies to explore the auditor’s ethical responsibilities, the profession’s impact on stakeholders, auditing techniques, internal control evaluation, fraud detection, and other contemporary auditing issues. Prerequisites: ACC 402 or equivalent. (Occasional – Spring)
Faculty: Dr. Emily Walsh
ACG 502- Advanced Taxation (Fall)
This course will explore the rules affecting regular taxation of corporations from initial organization, to capital structure, distributions, dissolution, and liquidation. Specifically, this course focuses on advanced issues related to Federal income taxation of partnerships, corporations, S-corporations, estates, trusts, and gifts. (Occasional – Fall)
Prerequisites: ACC 307 or equivalent.
Faculty: Dr. Alesha Graves
MBA 517 - Managerial Economics (Spring)
This course is a study of economic decision-making in today’s business firm. Students will develop fluency with the language and concepts of economics and a strong economic intuition. Students will gain an understanding of selected economics-based decision-making tools and the impact and interaction of the structure of an industry on competition. The course emphasizes the logical foundations of economic analysis and managerial decision-making. Advanced estimation techniques such as multivariate regression will also be incorporated into the course. (Typically Spring)
Faculty: Dr. Paul Hamilton
MBA 514 - Business Ethics (Summer)
This course will explore the more common ethical traditions and their moral claims relative to the marketplace and the business environment. Moreover, topics of spirituality, business ethics, and calling from a Christian perspective will be explored from a faith-based perspective. (Typically Summer)
Faculty: TBA
MBA 519 - Business Law (Summer)
An overview of commercial law related to business transactions and the legal frameworks that regulate companies and industries. Topics include commercial paper (checks, promissory notes, certificates of deposit, etc.); credit transactions and security devices (mortgages, pledges, liens, etc.); agency; and bankruptcy. (Typically Summer)
Faculty: Prof. Chad Wadlington
MBA 612 - Social Entrepreneurship (Summer)
A study of the business principles that are being applied to solving the world‘s humanitarian problems such as poverty, homelessness, malnutrition, and infectious diseases. This course introduces the field of social entrepreneurship and the effective governance of nonprofit organizations. (Typically Summer)
Faculty: TBA
MBA 615 - International Business (Fall)
A survey of the organization and management of international business stressing the effects of international cultural, economic, and legal factors on the management function. Typical factors examined are export and import trade, transnational investment, finance, marketing, production, taxation, and the role of the U.S. national in multinational organizations. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Dr. Mike Kane
MBA 616 - Human Resource Management/Organizational Behavior (Fall)
The processes inherent in effective management of the organization’s human resources. Topics include: employee selection, training, and development; design of compensation and reward systems; applied motivation models; and current issues in the management of human resources. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Dr. Michael Yoder
NPM 528 - Project Management (Summer)
Nonprofit organizations are constantly being challenged to reinvent themselves and their programs while staying true to their mission. This course considers the challenge of creating new program and service offerings as well as how to encourage entrepreneurial thinking within the organization. (Typically Spring)
Faculty: Dr. Jay Moon
NPM 625 - Global Issues (Fall)
This course is designed to enhance awareness of global issues affecting nonprofit organizations. The range of contemporary topics include: 1) ethnic and cultural factors that lead to conflict; 2) international social justice issues; 3) cross-border global issues; 4) the intersection of state and religion; 5) technology; and 6) other issues relating to globalization. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Dr. Mike Kane
NPM 626 - Human Resource Management in Nonprofits
A study of issues related to attracting, motivating, and retaining employees (both paid and volunteer). This course discusses the activities of planning staffing, appraising, compensating, training and developing, improving, and establishing work relationships with employees. A focus on the development of skills in the recruiting and leading of paid and volunteer teams. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Dr. Michael Yoder
NPM 522 - Nonprofit Financial Management
The course covers skills for budget development, financial forecasting and analysis. Skills such as data collection, preparation, analysis, and interpretation will be taught. This course will utilize tools to aid decision making. Financial management concepts such as financial forecasting, and working capital management will be covered. (Typically Fall)
Faculty: Prof. Alesha Graves