Lead with faith, innovation, a relational approach, and hard skills to make the world a better place. Nonprofit Leadership (M.A.)

Serving People in Their Time of Need Why Study Nonprofit Leadership at Wheaton?

The M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership prepares you to lead in a wide range of nonprofit fields so that you can make the world a better place with an approach that meets the needs of the moment in a rapidly changing world.

• Spiritual Formation
  Christian faith integration, vocational discernment, and the cultivation of humble, character-driven leadership, grounding that will nourish and sustain you for the long run.
• Hard Skills
  Strategy, financial management, fundraising, evaluation, operations, culture building, measure what matters, and crisis leadership.
• Evidence-Based and Real-World Learning
  Research-driven frameworks, project-based and case studies, analytical rigor, and data-informed decision-making.
• Future-Ready Skills
  AI-informed strategies, design thinking, adaptive leadership, and systems-level problem solving.
• Relational Approach
  Respectful partnering, beneficiary/client focused, mentoring, cohort learning, and access to a global network of nonprofit and social impact leaders, partners, and alumni.

The program is designed for students looking to advance or to begin your career in diverse nonprofit fields with organizations of any size. It is housed within Wheaton’s School of Social and Natural Sciences and is interdisciplinary by design for a holistic approach to nonprofit leadership. The program can also prepare you for future doctoral studies.

Cutting Edge Nonprofit Research

Scholars and students grow close relationships and delve into high-level, impactful research together. Students collaborate with professors on projects that explore many aspects in nonprofit leadership, across disciplines.

Recent research and evaluations by the faculty team includes:

• Theories of change for urban Chicago grassroots organizations
• The positive impact of humble leadership in nonprofit leadership
• Social determinants for volunteering in response to crises
• Program effectiveness in a wide range of nonprofit settings
• How practical theology shape and guide nonprofit interventions

Networks, Collaborators, and Curriculum Partners

As faculty teach and mentor you, they are in network with, learn from, and/or collaborate with organizations such as: the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council, Christian Community Development Association, Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, Micah Global, Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, Professionals in Christian Philanthropy, Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Praxis, ACCORD Network, National Christian Foundation, Global Trust Partners, International Society for Third-Sector Research, and more.

Our Faculty Compassionate, Intelligent Faculty

Our faculty don’t just teach leadership—they study and practice it. You’ll learn from our award-winning faculty, who have founded and led nonprofits and social ventures, served on philanthropic and nonprofit boards, researched leadership in 20+ countries, raised millions of dollars in philanthropic support, published books and scholarly articles that help guide the nonprofit field, contributed to Forbes National Council, served on GoFundMe’s Compassion Leader Network, and are regularly cited or published in national outlets like Christianity Today, Washington Post, USA Today, and BBC News. They regularly speak, provide workshops, consult, and partner leading nonprofits that are local, national, and global.

Our faculty are deeply committed to helping students grow intellectually, as leaders, and in their faith–so you can grow in how you lead and serve others. 100% of Wheaton’s full-time faculty are committed followers of Christ.