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Nov 04, 07
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degree needed for non-profit orgs?
hey..i know this isn't who i should be asking but anywya..
does anyone know what kindof degree is needed to work for a place of this nature? i'm just kindof changing my mind on what i want to do 
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Nov 04, 07
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unless you specify what sort of field you want to work in, you're not going to get an answer.
there's no standard degree you need to work with a NPO. job set skills are job set skills, regardless of whether the organization is seeking a profit or not.
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Nov 04, 07
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Nov 04, 07
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well lets say you want to work for Doctors Without Borders. if you want to be a doctor you still need to be a doctor, except you probably only get paid living expenses. otherwise you probably don't need any degree to work for them. check out MSF-USA: Working In the Field
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Nov 04, 07
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A Poli Sci or Communications degree can get you in that direction, that's why I'm doing both. I haven't decided exactly if i'll go in the NPO direction though.
A lot of upper-level poli sci students i talked to were aiming to do a series of internships after they graduated for NGOs or NPOs in China or Latin America. One of the major things you take away with any undergrad degree is the ability to write and to put ideas together with your eyes closed. There are courses in the upper-level of poli sci that teaches you how to prepare reports for different institutions (NGO, Commercial, Governmental etc) using the information they produce, stats, etc. So students taking this course were moving into big international careers as policy researchers etc. I haven't really met anyone in communications doing this as a lot of the kids in my class dream of starting morally devoid PR firms. But i can see how advanced degrees in Communications can help you administer/market your own non-profit as well as supply you with the social/cultural expertise to bring that project to light. Obviously this is a lot harder then it sounds but with a masters or graduate program in this field i believe it's entirely possible. It is possible to get into this right out of an undergrad, possibly co-op could help you get your foot in the door. You can work for a medical NPO doing research and deskwork/planning or you can be a medical professional facilitating programs, family outreach, and assessments. So you can see that your education changes depending on what area you're in and what capacity you want to be working in that organization. A lot of job listings i've seen have asked for either an undergrad or graduate so the more you can do during your undergrad the better.
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Nov 04, 07
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Ah ok reading now that you are interested in development then you'll definitely want a poli sci degree with a focus on political economy, history, social relationships. If you want to work for a development organization in Latin America/Africa/etc then you'll want to understand the political economic structure of how neoliberalism works, what it has done in the past (ex, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, etc). Some people/organizations look at how the "free-market" can benefit developing nations, some say it destroys economies who really need social spending, some say technology can facilitate change, some look at new design/engineering approaches. There is so much so the context of what you're into has to be backed by history, structure, writing/research skills and/or a specific skill like with Doctors without Borders. Just don't get a business degree and try and help developing nations, we already have enough of that logic ugh.
You will have to have to learn how to write reports like i explained with that one upper-level poli sci course above. As a communications focus you can work on promoting the image of that organization, their cause, and facilitating media, research, policy for them. Last edited by decypher; Nov 04, 07 at 07:06 PM.
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Nov 04, 07
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Most non-profits require the exact same requirements that a similar private sector job would require. They usually pay a lot less, but provide you with awesome experience and look amazing on things like resumes and grad school applications.
You can find out more about the internships Kam is talking about here. Canadian Internships You can check out their requirements. ie. what kind of degree or experience you need for the various positions they have offered. The DFAIT and CIDA internships are probably the most popular. International Youth Internship Program - Organizations A lot of these organizations (like Doctor's Without Borders) agree to either make your student loan payments, pay the interest on your loans, or write a letter to the govn't so you can go into interest free status, during your time with them.
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Nov 04, 07
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If you want to be able to do something with your sociology degree, I would also consider talking to your sociology professors or faculty advisors. Get to know the faculty, find out what the different soci professors at yours and other institutions have focussed on in their research. It's likely that one of them have focussed their research on international relations or developing countries and can lead you in some direction. Fellow students also make great resources. I have learned about so many great opportunities through my classmates. Also, there are usually seminars held by the sociology department at most schools which focus on "what you can do with a degree in sociology" type thing. Those events would be a great opportunity to ask those specific questions.
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