FAQs

A non-credit certificate of completion is awarded to students who successfully pass three CNM courses. You must complete the courses within a five-year time period and earn a minimum of 70 percent in each CNM course. The non-credit certificate of completion is signed by the Assistant Vice Chancellor of UIC Extended Campus and will be printed and sent twice a year: after the end of the fall session (to be sent in January) and spring session (to be sent in July).

You can participate in the courses whenever your schedule allows, but you must meet due dates for weekly assignments. All CNM courses are delivered entirely online and rely on asynchronous (i.e., independent of time or location) discussion and collaboration. Course content is broken into five one-week modules (with the exception of Mastering Grant Writing, which is six weeks). Via a Web-based learning management system (Blackboard), you will interact extensively with your instructor and your fellow classmates.

The certificate program is designed to enhance and develop management skills for:

• Individuals currently working in the nonprofit industry who want to advance their career.
• Individuals not currently working in the nonprofit sector who are considering a career change.
• Career changers who are new to working in a nonprofit organization and need to learn skills specific to the sector.
• Practitioners looking to develop skills in a specific area of nonprofit management.
• Members of nonprofit boards of directors.

No. The CNM courses are non-credit offerings and do not include a formal admissions process. There are no educational or professional requirements to register for a course. You will not be required to submit academic transcripts to the University.

As non-credit offerings, the CNM courses will not appear on your transcript, nor will credit hours be awarded towards the completion of a degree program. Letter grades will not be issued; however, students must earn at least 70 out of 100 points to successfully complete a course.

The CNM program utilizes a wide array of online material, including audio and video presentations and Web links to the latest resources related to nonprofit management.

CNM courses are facilitated by seasoned nonprofit managers with hands-on field experience.

Read more about the CNM instructors.

While most readings will be provided on the course web site, for certain classes, it may be recommended or required that that students purchase an additional textbook.  Please view each course description for details.

You can expect to spend an average of 8–10 hours per week on each highly interactive CNM course. Many readings can be downloaded and/or printed, so actual time online can be reduced.

We highly recommend that you participate in no more than two CNM courses at a time. We also recommend that first-time students take only one class in order to become accustomed to the online learning experience.

No. Courses do not need to be completed in any specific order and there are no prerequisites for these courses. If you need assistance with course selection, please submit an e-mail and a CNM Program Advisor will be happy to assist you.

Yes. If you are interested in a specific course topic, you can register for one course. You can take as many or as few courses as you would like. To earn the Certificate in Nonprofit Management, you must complete three CNM courses within a three-year time period and earn a minimum of 70 percent in each course.

Courses are scheduled at various times throughout the year to accommodate our students’ busy schedules. Visit the course description page for more information.

There are no specific times or days of the week that you must log on; however, you are expected to complete assignments by the due dates specified in the course syllabus. We encourage you to log in to the course website at least four times per week to stay on track.

No. CNM courses are conducted entirely online and at your convenience. You will not be required to come to the University of Illinois at Chicago campus.