Beginning in the fall semester of 2019, the College of Human Sciences’ department of consumer and design sciences will offer a new major to their curriculum: philanthropy and nonprofit studies.
This major was adapted to help students focus on solving social problems through the work of philanthropic efforts and nonprofit organizations.
“Philanthropy and nonprofit studies was already offered as a minor and came from our women’s philanthropy program,” said Louisa Wood, College of Human Sciences student services coordinator. “It was doing extremely well, so we decided to go ahead and make a change.”
While on this course of study, students will have the opportunity to take classes such as collegiate consuming and giving, portfolio development, nonprofit studies, nonprofit law and governance and gender, wealth and philanthropy.
This track of study is focused on helping students gain a sense of how to build on the premise of individual and organizational financial strategies in order to assist in philanthropic projects and dominate nonprofit organizations and companies.
“We think it is important for students to understand what nonprofits exactly do and the financial responsibility in fundraising. Nonprofits are growing, and this skill is becoming important,” Wood said.
Students outside of their course curriculum will be able to take their studies into internships and real-world scenarios.
Examples of career choices with a philanthropy and nonprofit studies degree are fundraisers, grant writers, operations specialists, managers, program directors or officers for private foundations.
According to a report published by PNP Staffing Group, a nonprofit staffing agency, the nonprofit sector has grown by 20 percent over the past 10 years.
This exceeding growth has also helped to increase staffing by over 50 percent in the nonprofit sectors, according to a Salaries and Staffing report completed by PNP, as well.
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