The M.S. in Nonprofit Management (NOPM) program offers flexible learning options that allow students to complete up to 100% of their coursework online—an approach designed to meet the needs of its diverse and dynamic student population. In a recent information session with Dr. Basil A. Smikle, Jr., NOPM program director and professor of practice; Lonni Ryan, NOPM deputy program director; and Emma Vittori, admissions counselor, current student Karen Barone explained that flexibility made all the difference.
A purchasing coordinator at H.O. Penn Machinery, Inc., Barone is also a mother, wife, and business owner who lives 45 minutes north of Albany, New York. With more than 25 years of experience as a market consultant and B.A. and M.A. degrees in sociology, she brings deep professional and academic experience to the classroom. Still, she was seeking a remote program that could fit into her already full life.
Barone had taken online courses before, but her experience in NOPM felt different. “I’ve taken other online courses [outside of the NOPM program], and it feels like there’s a barrier. You’re not necessarily fully in it,” she said. “But the courses here are conducted in a way that ensures you’re part of an immersive class experience.”
Adding graduate school to her schedule was no small decision. “It’s another pie on a very full plate,” she said. “I’m a mom and a wife, and I run my own business, so it’s a very full life. But that time for classes, as corny as it sounds, is really precious. It’s become me time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of work, and it’s intense, and I’m learning a lot.” She credits the encouragement of family and friends with helping her stay motivated. “There’s so much excitement from the people in my life that I’m doing this—and that makes it work.”
Beyond flexibility, Barone points to the program’s practitioner-led model as a defining strength. What initially drew her to NOPM, and what has fulfilled that promise, is the opportunity to learn from faculty who are active professionals while studying alongside classmates who are also working in the field. “You’re constantly learning from real case studies,” she said. “It’s impossible not to make that actionable when I go back to work.”
The online format, she noted, has not limited connection. “We think about online as being equivalent to remote, but this does not feel remote,” she said. “For example, I just got a text from a classmate sending me her wedding pictures. I’ve already made really good friends in the classroom, and it happens organically.” For Barone, the program feels less like logging into a course and more like joining a community. “You’re part of this group of like-minded people who are curious and insatiably interested in thinking about how to do better and be better for our neighbors and those who are less fortified right now.”
That sense of shared purpose is strengthened by the program’s diversity. “What this tapestry of diverse lived experiences creates is a benefit,” Barone said. In her 50s, she finds herself learning alongside students who have recently graduated from college. “I learn so much from them. It’s about more than what makes us different. It’s about how we’re lifting each other up and sharing what will make us better practitioners.”
Like Barone, NOPM students come to the program at different stages of life and from a wide range of professional backgrounds. Every student has access to a broad selection of courses, as well as a network of faculty and alumni working across subsectors including international relief, affordable housing, philanthropy, and grant writing. Many professors are not only educators but active practitioners, bringing real-time insight into the classroom.
For professionals wondering whether it is the “right” time to pursue graduate study, Barone’s experience offers reassurance: there is no single path into nonprofit leadership—only a shared commitment to meaningful impact, supported by a flexible structure and a strong, engaged community.
About the Program
Columbia University’s M.S. in Nonprofit Management prepares graduates for leadership roles within mission-driven organizations in a wide variety of contexts, including global and community nonprofits, foundations, education, healthcare, the arts, or as fundraising and development experts.
Learn more about the program here. The program is available part-time, full-time, on-campus, and online.
