MNM 697 Professional Project vs.
MNM 677 SOFE

Here is some important information for you to consider when the time comes to decide whether you wish to take MNM 697, the Professional Project or MNM 677 SOFE the Service Oriented Field Experience in the MNM program. If you have any additional questions, please contact your academic advisor in the MNM Program.

Similarities:

  • Both courses are considered capstone courses in the MNM Program. Both courses can be taken after having completed 27 credit hours in the program, so please plan accordingly.
  • Both courses are designed in an 8-week online format, just like all other courses. The actual SOFE trip varies in number of days in the field.
  • Both MNM697 and MNM677 require a final paper which includes original research following APA formatting.

Differences:

  • MNM 697 is offered every term, either in classroom or online; MNM 677 is offered four times a year, once in the Fall , once in the Spring and once in the Summer.
  • The Professional Project (MNM 697) requires extensive research and a comprehensive written paper; The SOFE final paper is meant to address a particular need of an NPO or nonprofit sector from the SOFE experience.
  • The Service Orientated Field Experience- SOFE is a field experience which involves an intense learning experience at an off-campus domestic or international location and provides service to the nonprofit community that in that venue.
  • The Professional Project (MNM 677) involves the creation, development, or evaluation of a product or program and is presented in a thesis-like format.

SOFE

Tentative Upcoming SOFEs

Please note that these locations are for planning purposes only – they might change. Actual dates and locations will be announced at the beginning of every semester.

Professional Project

MNM 697 is offered just like regular MNM courses, both online and in the classroom. Students register for it just as any other course.

The purpose of the Professional Project is to provide a culminating opportunity for the student to demonstrate skills in research and writing while pursuing a research problem or innovative project that reflects the student's special interests within the nonprofit sector.

Prerequisites

  • MNM 601 History, Theory and Future of Nonprofit Organizations.
  • At least 27 semester credit hours of satisfactorily completed coursework in the MNM program.

Course Objectives

The MNM Professional Project will develop the student's comprehensive understanding of a specialized area, as demonstrated by the design and completion of a significant and relevant professional or scholarly project. Specific outcomes are to:

  • Develop a project or scholarly work of direct applicability to a nonprofit agency, the nonprofit sector or the community. The work must benefit the broader nonprofit community in some way.
  • Exhibit the ability to work collaboratively with others
  • Synthesize knowledge attained previously in this program and elsewhere
  • Utilize appropriate analytical skills in the acquisition of information
  • Demonstrate the oral and written communication skills necessary for effective leadership and management in the nonprofit world
  • Express an understanding of the ethical and value-based considerations discussed in courses taken at Regis