NGO Management MSc

Structure

The MSc course is taught on a part-time basis over a period of two years.

Students initially enrol on the Postgraduate Diploma with the specialist area of their choice, and confirm their intention to complete the MSc at the end of the first year.
 

As a student you will:

• Develop your understanding of the strategic issues and organisational challenges facing NGO managers

• Build relevant management and leadership skills, and analytical capabilities.

• Acquire insights into the different strategies and approaches commonly adopted by NGOs.

• Deepen your appreciation of the issues of managing change in NGOs.

• Gain access to a strong network and connections within the charity sector.

• Build your confidence as you pursue your career in the sector.
   

Induction

The Charities programme courses starting in October will have a final session for the in-person registration followed by an Induction Programme on Thursday 06 October 2022.
 

Module outlines

• Learning and Understanding the Voluntary Sector (10 credits)

  This module represents the starting point for you and the opportunity to learn about the process of learning and establishing plans for learning on the programme. The vital 'Learning Contract' is developed on this module, and forms the basis of the learning throughout the Masters programme. It also offers a perspective on leading public/voluntary sector debates within an historical context, alongside a more enduring understanding of scholarly approaches to the understanding of developments and changes in the relationship between government and the voluntary sector.

• Strategy, Diversity and Governance (20 credits)

  This module aims to enable you to develop a broad knowledge and conceptual base in the field of strategy development, diversity and governance.

• Marketing and Fundraising (10 credits)

  This module aims to provide you with the concepts, underpinning knowledge, skills and techniques to plan and develop marketing and operations systems and enable students to analyse marketing needs, evaluate marketing plans, in the context of applying marketing concepts to their own organisation.

• People Management in the Voluntary Sector (10 credits)

  This module provides you with an appreciation of key aspects of voluntary sector human resource issues, including the critical issue of volunteer management.

• Charity Accounting and Finance (20 credits)

  This module aims to to provide you with an understanding of the specialist charity accounting framework grounded in trust law and fund accounting principles and issues of financial management.

• Shadowing (20 credits)

  In this you will have the opportunity to spend 4-5 days shadowing a senior NGO manager or undertake a relevant fieldwork consultancy exercise with members of an NGO's senior management team.

• NGO Management (15 credits)

  This module aims to enables you to understand the key strategic issues facing the NGO Sector and analyse the organisational challenges facing international NGOs.

• Managing NGOs: People and Practices (15 credits)

All students will be highly motivated graduate-level people who bring a wide range of professional competencies, skills and experience from a wide range of backgrounds.

In general we ask for a good first degree, normally an upper second-class honours degree from a British University or an equivalent qualification from a leading overseas institution; and three or more year’s relevant experience at a senior level.

In exceptional cases we will also accept those without a degree but with significant work experience. Provided you have more than three years relevant experience, two professional references are acceptable.

This course is aimed at those currently working in the sector, but also at people exploring a career shift into the international development sector and consultants looking to develop their expertise in the NGO sector.
 

In order to participate fully in the collaborative learning process all students who have not previously studied in English must sit an academic IELTS pr TOEFL iBT exam.

The minimum required academic IELTS level is an average of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and no less than 6.0 in any other section.

We require a well-balanced overall score of at least 100 and no less than 25 in the Writing section in the TOEFL iBT test or the TOEFL iBT Home Edition test.

If you are not a native English speaker but have been working in the UK for the last three years it is unlikely you will need to take the test.

UK/EU/International
£10,700
(2022/23)
Tuition fees are subject to annual change

Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
 

The course fees for all five courses in the Charities Programme are payable at the start of the academic year. The fee for the Postgraduate Diploma is £6,800 for 2022/23 entry. A deposit of £400 is payable on acceptance of a place. For self-paying students, the balance is payable in two instalments, the first during the registration process in September and the second at the end of January. For those converting the Diploma to MSc a further £3,900 for 2022/23 entry is payable in one instalment at the beginning of the second year.
 

You may wish to look at both the PG Loan option for funding.

Students on the course who are sponsored by their employer will need to complete a sponsorship form as part of the application process. This can be completed for the Postgraduate Diploma or the MSc. An invoice for the full fees for the academic year will be sent to the employer in October for the Postgraduate Diploma. If the employer is a charity, they can request payment in two instalments by contacting the person named on the invoice. This arrangement allows the charity to spread the fees across two financial years.

Career pathways

Experience of past students is that by completing the course increases their employability in the sector, and gives them greater flexibility as to career options. Past students have come from NGOs of all sizes, as well as foundations, business and the public sector. Their feedback has been very positive:

"I'm now better equipped to serve civil society and to strengthen its effectiveness in pursuit of an open society"

- Rozanne Nazir, Centre for Charity Effectiveness 2018
 

“I found the MSc in NGO Management to be extremely practical and valuable. The course gave an excellent overview of the issues facing charities that are working internationally … the quality of the teaching was high and the assignments relevant and stimulating.  I highly recommend it”

- Matt Parker, Vice President, Kids Alive International, Chicago, USA
 

“Studying NGO Management at the Business School (formerly Cass), and especially combining it with Finance, enabled me to make the step into a leadership role. The course provides the perfect combination of academic rigour, practical knowledge, and teachers and classmates with experience from across the sector.”

- Meryl Davies, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Great Britain
 

“I cannot recommend more nor speak more highly of the Masters in NGO Management at the Business School (formerly Cass). The quality, pace and depth of the teaching, learning and challenge was genuinely excellent. I was promoted within a few weeks of completing the course and 100% believe this would not have happened so quickly without the added value the Masters brought to me. The Masters itself, the professors and my fellow students gave me huge confidence and knowledge. Reflecting on it 12 months later, I feel that the main thing the course has given me is access – access to critical information, best practise approaches and most importantly individuals that will continue to help shape my learning and challenge my thinking throughout my career.”

- Jennifer Coffey, Deputy Head of Partnership Development, Save the Children UK Global Programmes
 

“The course gave me the confidence to strengthen my role in the senior management team, which ultimately lead to my appointment as Deputy Director”

- Gillian Garcia, Deputy Director, CDD, Mexico City
 

“It was like ten years of NGO management experience analysed thoroughly, distilled into a single course and personalised for me.  In the course you will have a chance to survey our field broadly, to think critically about what you bring to it, and to focus on what you can do to become a better international NGO leaders and manager”
- Ted Nierras, Global Coordinator of Alliance Centres, HIV/AIDS Alliance
 

“I have used the models and approaches which I learned on the course in my day to day work.  The breadth of the course gave me the confidence that I know the key issues across the range of functions within NGOs”

- Alison Marshall, Senior Advocacy Adviser, International Planned Parenthood Federation
 

“The NGO Management course provides a fascinating insight into the key challenges and trends that are shaping international development today. The course combines academic rigour with a practical focus, and is delivered by lecturers and practitioners who are able to illustrate issues with first-hand experience and recent case studies. Sitting in class, I’d often feel I was getting a “behind the scenes” look into how NGOs operate”

- Adam Groves. Senior Programme Manager, Radar