Nonprofit Administration
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is a national alliance of colleges,
universities, and nonprofits whose mission is to educate,
prepare, and certify professionals to strengthen and lead
nonprofit organizations.
An Interdisciplinary Minor
• Boy Scouts of America
• Camp Fire USA
• Feeding America
• Girl Scouts
• Girls Inc.
• Guidestar
• March of Dimes
• National 4H Council
• National Human Services Assembly
An affiliate of:
• National Urban League
• Volunteers of America
• The Y
• Voices for America’s children
Western Illinois University
Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration
Currens Hall 400
Macomb, IL 61455
Phone: 309/298-1967
Fax: 309/298-2967
wiu.edu/rpta
Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration
College of Education and Human Services
Western Illinois University
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
Curriculum
Nonprofit human service organizations play pivotal roles in helping
people of all ages and backgrounds develop their capacities needed
to live quality lives. They need nearly 50,000 trained and dedicated
professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of others and
their communities. Vibrant and resourceful students will be able to
select leadership, management, finance, marketing, or other positions
in agencies that provide services to youth and adults.
Students will work toward certification by consulting with the
Nonprofit Administration advisor and completing the following
requirements or their equivalents:
I. REQUIRED COURSES (7 s.h.)
RPTA 199: Fieldwork in Leisure Services (1, repeatable to 2) or
equivalent experience of 100 hours of direct involvement in a
nonprofit organization. Prerequisite: Prior consent of departmental
Gain that Edge
adviser. Graded S/U only.
This minor will enable you to obtain the competencies needed
to become a certified leader in nonprofit management and
leadership. This program makes it possible for you to make a
difference in the lives of others and their communities through
education and leadership opportunities in many skill areas including:
• Ethics
• Volunteer management
• Human development
• Program planning
• Financing
• Risk Management
• Board and committee • Fundraising
development
RPTA 270: Introduction to Nonprofit Organizations (3)
RPTA 470: Nonprofit Management/Leadership Institute (0)
Prerequisite: RPTA 270. Graded S/U Only.
Required Internship to include a minimum of 300 hours of direct
involvement in a nonprofit organization (3)
II. ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: (3 s.h.)
EIS 201: Educational Psychology: Human Growth and
Development (3)
FCS 121: Introduction to Lifespan Development (General
Education/Human Well Being) (3)
• Marketing
PSY 221: Psychology of Child Development (3) Prerequisites: PSY 100
PSY 422: Adolescent Development (3) Prerequisites: PSY 100 & 221
Benefits
SOC 360: Gender Roles (3) Prerequisites: SOC 100 or WS 190
• Certification in entry-level nonprofit employment competencies
SOC 425: Juvenile Delinquency (3) Prerequisites: SOC 100
• Course-work grounded in the foundations and practices of non- profit management
III. ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: (3 s.h.)
• Tested practices and principles through experiential learning
SPED 310: The Exceptional Individual (3) Non-Majors Only
RPTA 235: Programming Principles and Applications in Leisure
Services (3) Prerequisites: RPTA 111; upper division status or consent of
instructor. Field observations required.
RPTA 330: Program Planning for People with Physical Disabilities:
Community and Educational Services (3)
• One-to-one support, career development and mentoring
• Networking with prospective employers at local, regional, and
national levels
• Opportunity to experience various nonprofit roles through
internships, co-curricular and community service activities
RPTA 428: Youth and Leisure Services (3) Prerequisites: RPTA 230
and 235.
RPTA 430: Principles of Recreational Sports (3) Prerequisites: RPTA
111, 230, and 235.
IV. ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: (3 s.h.)
RPTA 424: Fundraising and Volunteerism in Leisure Services (3)
Prerequisite: RPTA 322.
RPTA 467: Special Event Planning and Management (3) Prerequisite:
RPTA 235.
HS 400: Grant Writing (3) Prerequisite: HS 313 or permission of
instructor
V. ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: (3 s.h.)
JOUR 329: Fundamentals of Public Relations (3) Open to nonmajors.
MKTG 327: Marketing Principles (3)
HRM 353: Human Resource Management (3)
RPTA 322: Administration of Leisure Services (3) Writing Instruction
in the Discipline (WID) course. Prerequisites: RPTA 230, and 235; upper
division status or consent of instructor.
RPTA 422: Advanced Administration of Leisure Services (3)
Prerequisites: RPTA 322 and upper division status, or consent of instructor.
“Working with children who are emotionally and behaviorally
challenged couldn’t make me happier. Each day I come
home from work knowing that I had a positive impact on a
child’s life.”
Nikki Bryant, B.A., Fine Arts, 2009
Night Milieu Counselor
Cunningham Children’s Home
To get involved contact:
Western Illinois University
Dean A. Zoerink, Ph.D, CTRS
Campus Executive Director, Nonprofit Administration Program Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration Currens Hall 400
Macomb, IL 61455
Phone: 309/298-1967
Fax: 309/298-2967
Email: da-zoerink@wiu.edu
Web: humanics.org
wiu.edu/RPTA