This research revisits, updates, and expands the research on undergraduate education from the 1996 Berkeley Conference as reported in O'Neill and Fletcher's edited book titled Nonprofit Management Education: U.S. and World Perspectives. First, the nature and types of undergraduate programs in the United States are examined from a national database developed by Mirabella that answers these questions: How many colleges and universities offer undergraduate nonprofit studies? What colleges and departments offer these? Do they award degrees or certificates? What types of courses are offered? Where do their graduates get jobs? Then, four curricular models used by American Humanics (AH) campuses for nonprofit education are examined: certificate programs, academic minors, academic majors, and programs combining the previous three. The relationships of AH programs to higher education trends are identified and undergraduate nonprofit education programs beyond AH are examined.

The essay aims to foster reflection and discussion on the institutionalization of undergraduate nonprofit education. Undergraduate nonprofit programs (certificates, minors, and majors) have been developing at a slower pace than their graduate counterparts. This essay focuses on the development of these programs and identifies particular challenges in the administration of four undergraduate programs selected as case studies. Common concerns include (1) development of programs broad enough to allow students to pursue multiple career and educational paths after graduation, which forces a curriculum development that differs from the path laid out at the graduate level, and (2) misconceptions and lack of knowledge about nonprofit careers in prospective students, parents, and high school counselors. The discussion is contextualized in broader trends of nonprofit education.

In this essay, I look at the question of nonprofit academic program accreditation from the perspective of various groups external to the academy. How do those who are not program and center directors look at accreditation? What is the person without academic titles such as professor or senior lecturer, the everyday person, likely to say? What about the constituents considered important to academic nonprofit programs such as students, parents, nonprofit organizations, donors, and legislators. The thoughts expressed here are not based on extensive literature reviews or scientific research but rather various discussions over the years, experiences getting support for starting and maintaining programs, and listening to public comments and observations in the media. Perhaps they will stimulate thought on the topic, and if so, then they are worthwhile.

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