The graduate certificate in NGO Management is a two-course module designed for students and professionals looking to start or join an NGO as well as NGO staff seeking to deepen their knowledge and improve their practices, and for all those who wish to integrate in other types of careers an in-depth understanding of what have become essential components of international affairs.

Curriculum

The program is based on a dual focus: a thorough exploration of the nature and role of non-governmental organizations and of the international context in which they are active, and a hands-on approach of the principles and practices of developing and managing an NGO.

The curriculum is composed of two semester courses, taught in English - as are all courses at AGS. These two courses can be either taken as a standalone module yielding a graduate certificate in NGO Management from the American Graduate School in Paris, or as components of the M.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy program conducted at the American Graduate School in Paris and accredited in the US through Arcadia University (Pennsylvania). They each bear 3 credits towards the degree. They can also be transferred to a Master’s degree at another institution, at the discretion of that institution.

AGS-E18: NGOs: An International Perspective

Taught every year in the Fall, this three-credit course will introduce the range of NGO organizations, defining their place in the institutional landscape of the global community. It will critically examine the roots of their creation and action, as well as their modes of action.

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AGS-E19: NGOs: Principles and Management (prerequisite: AGS-E18)

Taught in the Spring, this three-credit course will address the principles and practices of developing and managing an NGO. Starting with the idea of creating an NGO to meet a certain need, the course will provide students with the framework to grapple with creating NGO structures and governance, managing personnel and programs, attracting and accounting for financing, as well as examining the crucial aspect of communication with varied constituencies.

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Faculty

The faculty who has elaborated this program for the American Graduate School in Paris and will teach the courses is composed of two professionals with extensive and outstanding experience in creating and managing NGOs.

An independent consultant in education and development, Clinton Robinson has served as a senior specialist on various education programs at UNESCO since 2005, after working for over twenty years for SIL International, a literacy and language development NGO. His experience includes ten years in Africa, as well as building professional networks with the UN system and other NGOs. His areas of expertise include education in developing countries, social and rural development, literacy and language issues, and NGO management. Robinson holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Rural Social Development and Sociolinguistics from Reading University (UK), an M.A. in Modern Languages from Oxford University (UK), and a Master in African Linguistics from La Sorbonne Nouvelle (France).

An agronomist by training, Jean-Marie Fardeau is the Director in France of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. Through his work, Fardeau seeks to influence France’s domestic and foreign policies to ensure that they comply with human rights standards. Before joining HRW in 2007, Fardeau worked in humanitarian aid and international cooperation for over twenty years, serving notably as Executive Director of CCFD (Comité Catholique contre la Faim et pour le Developpement) and president of CIDSE (Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité, an international network of catholic development NGOs).