I have some BIG news: I’m a grad student again.
Almost ten years ago to the day after I filed my dissertation and thought I had finished my formal university education, I received an acceptance letter from Northeastern University.
In January 2022, I will begin pursuing a master of science degree in nonprofit management. I will be a part-time student this time around, taking one course per quarter. It will take me three to four years to finish my degree, but unlike the last time I pursued a graduate degree (when I studied continuously from kindergarten through Ph.D.), I have no desire to be a full-time student. I love my job, the work I do, and the experience I’m gaining in the business side of history through my employment.
Now you may be thinking “Liz, what more could a professional historian need than a terminal degree in history to pursue great historical work?”
For the work I wish to pursue, I need a solid background in business and a business credential.
Someday, I’d like to work as the executive director or president of a significant cultural institution. My time at the Omohundro Institute has shown me that EDs have opportunities to set goals and visions for historical work that align with the missions of the institutions they direct and, with the help of their boards, work to see those goals and visions enacted. If you work for a prominent institution and you’re effective, your impact can be BIG.
In a time when history, historical knowledge, and historical education and outreach are both crucial and beleaguered, I want to be in a position where I can work for the good of a historical organization, the historical profession, and American society. I want to do work that has a similar impact to the work I’m doing now, but on a larger scale. Serving as the executive director or president of a significant cultural institution will provide me with the opportunities I seek.
Many of the executive directors I know earned their positions through their brilliance and some hands-on experience in doing the work of the organizations they serve. In many ways, I’m following this traditional career path. However, the job market is tight and very competitive. Within the different fields of professional history, employers are able to seek more and more from their job candidates and the people they hire.
Having figured out what I want to do and the type of historical institution I’d like to work for and lead, I conducted informational interviews with several EDs and those who serve as board members. When I asked them what I could do to have the best shot at the type of position I’d like in the future, nearly all mentioned that a solid background in fundraising, personnel management, and knowledge of the legalities of running a nonprofit would help. Several suggested pursuing an MBA.
I appreciate their time and advice. At first, I thought going back to school for a degree was a crazy idea. I thought maybe I could pursue a couple of certificate courses. But the more I looked at the kinds and number of certificates I’d need, the more pursuing an actual degree made sense.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources to pursue an MBA. Most good MBA programs require you to quit the workforce and become a full-time student for two years. Additionally, because MBAs often serve as centers for university revenue generation they come with a hefty price tag of $125,000-$275,000 and little-to-no financial aid.
If you’re like me, you just did the math and understand that with their exorbitant price tags, MBAs don’t make sense for most history professionals. Most executive director positions won’t pay near enough to recoup the cost of an MBA. Plus, the MBA programs I looked at (these range from in-person degrees offered by schools like Harvard and Indiana University to online programs offered by schools like UNC-Chapel Hill and Johns Hopkins) offer only one or two courses that provide any knowledge about the particularities of managing and leading a nonprofit organization.
This research led me to a unique program offered by Northeastern: the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management. This program is local for me and will allow me to attend classes online and in person. It has a part-time option, which is essential for me. And it has a price tag where I should be able to recoup the cost of my degree over several years. Most importantly, Northeastern’s entire program is designed to enable students to gain both book and experiential knowledge about what it is like to manage and lead a nonprofit organization.
Skills I will learn and solidify during my studies include (but are not limited to) knowledge about creating and filing the IRS-990, budgets, sustainability, employee, resource, and board management, fundraising, developing metrics that demonstrate the value of organizational work, and the legal world of nonprofits.
Many of these skills are skills I have some knowledge and experience in thanks to my work in developing Ben Franklin’s World, my work with the OI, my insatiable curiosity, and my talent for creating opportunities that allow me to learn something new while also helping my organization. Other skills will be completely new to me.
In the end, this master’s degree may be superfluous when compared with my work experience. But I don’t want to chance it. More knowledge and experience can’t hurt me as I pursue top jobs. I don’t just want to be competitive for those jobs, I want to be the candidate boards want to hire. And I don’t just want to be a successful executive director, I want to be an effective one who can really help an organization, the historical profession, and help society at large think more historically.
So I have a lot to do in 2022. I will work full-time, pursue a graduate degree, and make progress on my research project about the Articles of Confederation. It may take me some time to sort out all that I need to juggle. But learning how to successfully juggle these big projects will assist me as I prepare for the job I want. Executive directors often wear many hats and often pursue different kinds of work at the same time.