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Conflict and Dispute Resolution

Program Structure

The two-year program is structured around four main components:

  1. Core courses – 43 credits
  2. Elective courses – 16 credits
  3. Internship – 8 credits
  4. Final project – 9 credits
  5. Additionally, all students participate in a 32-hour Basic Mediation training which is a prerequisite for the four-credit Mediation Skills course.

Students become colleagues as they take all of the core, required courses during the first year together as a cohort. The cohort model provides a community of learning within which new students can study, discuss, and experience the foundational ideas and skills of conflict resolution theory, research, and practice. The cohort model offers three levels of learning: 1. the substantive content within each course; 2. the threads of conversation that continue throughout the year among the cohort members as they engage with the interrelated and complex subject matter; and 3. the social dynamics within the cohort that provide the challenge and opportunity to walk our talk, to practice what we preach within the intensity and safety of the 28 members of a group that spend a lot of time together.

In addition to their class time, the cohort meets once a month with the program director to plan, review, address problems, answer questions, and share some social time together.

In their second year of study, degree candidates focus on individualized learning, completing their elective course work, their Internship, and their Final Project.

In the course of their studies, degree candidates will:

  • Explore the connections between various forms of conflict (e.g., interpersonal, social, economic, organizational, environmental, global, psychological, cultural, etc.)
  • Master specific skills to manage, transform, or resolve disputes.
  • Work closely with faculty mentors dedicated to creating experiential learning opportunities and encouraging substantial research.
  • Apply new knowledge through extensive internship work, including on-site and program mentoring and evaluation, and participation in special events and seminars.
  • Produce publication-quality academic research.