Center for Policy Studies
American Humanics
National Certification Program in Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Make a living, make a difference – that’s the opportunity UTSA’s nonprofit certificate program, American Humanics, offers undergraduate and graduate students. UTSA’s nonprofit management students get the chance to prepare for a career in making the world a better place.
What Is American Humanics
Established in 1948, American Humanics (AH) is a national alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofit organizations dedicated to educating, preparing and certifying college students for careers in nonprofit organizations. The AH national headquarters and its alliance of universities work closely with the national and local nonprofit organizations to identify the skills needed to lead successful nonprofit organizations. Each university then develops its own AH program, an innovative course of study that combines classroom and community activities to prepare students to lead America nonprofit organizations.
AH Program at UTSA
UTSA is proud to be one of three universities in Texas offering the undergraduate American Humanics Certificate and the only one in Texas offering the American Humanics Certificate for graduate students. AH students represent a wide variety of academic majors including biology, business, communication, criminal justice, education, bilingual-bicultural studies, fine arts, health, political science, marketing, psychology, sociology and others.
AH students acquire a wealth of real-world experience through nonprofit coursework, service activities, and a challenging, supervised nonprofit internship. In addition to their chosen undergraduate degree, students graduate with a minor in nonprofit studies along with American Humanics national certification.
Earning AH Certification
The AH Certification can be completed in one year by following these steps:
- Students are required to declare their minor with a downtown undergraduate advisor.
- Courses for the Nonprofit Minor – These include
- Accounting
- Management
- Marketing
- Introduction to Nonprofit Management
- Introduction to Fundraising
For a detailed listing of classes click here.
- Internship with a Nonprofit Organization –Working with a nonprofit organization is a great way for students to connect to the community, learn about how a nonprofit really works, and learn what it takes to become a nonprofit leader.
- 300 clock hours
- Students may complete this over a semester, two semesters or a summer
- Internships help build resumes to get that first job after graduation
- Important Deadlines for American Humanics Students interested in Internships
Because of new agreement policies placed by UTSA, all students interested in completing an internship must work with their agency site before the semester when they want to complete their internship.
Deadlines for processing this paperwork are:
Spring Semester internship – November 1
Fall Semester internship – July 1
Summer Semester internship – April 1
- Attendance at the American Humanics Management Institute (AHMI) – Held annually over three days in early January, AHMI brings together national experts and presenters to lead educational workshops for AH students from around the country.
- Students interested in attending AHMI (Spring Semester) must notify the American Humanics Advisor the Summer Semester prior to AHMI.
- Exciting, inspiring and intensive nonprofit training
- Students network with nonprofit leaders and students from other universities across the country while participating in case studies and workshops to learn about key aspects of the nonprofit sector.
- Job and internship placement services offered
- Register for the one-credit UTSA AHMI class through the AH Advisor
- View past AHMI conferences.
- Participation in the American Humanics Student Association (AHSA)
- Camaraderie and shared commitment to social responsibility
- AHSA students plan and participate in field trips, retreats, service projects, workshops, and fundraisers.
- Weekly meetings are held during the fall and spring semesters at both the 1604 or Downtown Campuses.
- Students also gain leadership experience by serving in officer roles.
- Visit AHSA website at Yahoo Groups.
- Click here for calendar of meetings, speakers and groups.
Benefits to American Humanics students:
- Acquire real-world experience and build leadership skills through nonprofit coursework and co-curricular activities including a challenging, supervised internship.
- Meet like-minded students and network with nonprofit professionals while engaging in service activities through the American Humanics Student Association and Management Institute.
- Earn scholarships based on merit and community service. American Humanics offers NextGen and Academic Scholarships for which only AH students can apply. UTSA students have been very successful in receiving these scholarships.
- Gain a tremendous edge in the marketplace. The American Humanics placement service has a high success rate in assisting students with job placement after graduation. Post your resume on the AH web site, which is consulted by national nonprofit partners when hiring new employees.
For more information visit the American Humanics web site at
Or schedule an appointment:
Teresa Pena
Office: BV 4.304
Phone: 210-458-2546
Fax: 210-458-2633
501 W. Durango Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207 PH (210) 458-2545 FAX (210) 458-2633