You are here: 51²è¹Ý School of International Service International Peace & Conflict Resolution Degree Options

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phrcr-grad@american.edu

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Flexibility for your degree

Whether you’re interested in understanding strategies to resolve violent conflicts around the world or in promoting reconciliation processes in communities where conflict has occurred, IPCR offers students the flexibility to design a degree that matches their unique career goals. The program encompasses multiple concentrations, dual degrees through 51²è¹Ý partnerships, and hands-on opportunities in the field that allow students to customize their academic and student experiences.

IPCR students select one of four concentrations within the master’s degree that aligns with their career interests. Students can build on their curriculum with experience-based Skills Institutes, Practica programs, and independent studies. IPCR partners with 51²è¹Ý’s business, theological, and teaching schools to offer three dual degrees.

Degree Options

In addition to the standard master's degree, you can earn a dual master's degree through our partnerships at 51²è¹Ý.

The International Peace and Conflict Resolution program is the premier choice for those seeking careers related to conflict and peace. We prepare graduates to be peacebuilders in a wide variety of professional settings and political contexts. You will gain deep insight into the causes and impacts of war. You will learn the strategies and practices for resolving armed conflict and for preventing its resurgence, and you will learn to stand with populations impacted by war so that they can be collaborative agents of peaceful transformation. The program is committed to contributing to sustainable peace by addressing root causes and overt manifestations of violent conflict.

The School of International Service (SIS offers a dual master's degree program with the School of Education. Graduates will receive an MA from SIS and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in secondary education through the School of Education.

Students must complete a combined 57 credit hours of approved graduate coursework at SIS and the School of Education, as well as an education internship.

Prospective MA/MAT students must separately apply to and be accepted by each school. The admissions committees from each school do not collaborate on the decision-making process.

View the School of Education dual degree admissions requirements and coursework.

The School of International Service (SIS) offers a dual master's degree program with Kogod School of Business, giving students the opportunity to acquire expertise in both conflict resolution and business. This combination of skills is particularly valuable to international organizations trying to increase productivity through better business practices and to businesses adjusting to the global market. Graduates will receive an MA through SIS and an MBA through Kogod.

Generally, dual degree students will spend their first year taking core curriculum courses at Kogod, then spend their second and third years taking courses at both SIS and Kogod. Students must complete 32 credit hours at Kogod and 39 credit hours at SIS, with the option to count up to 9 credit hours from Kogod degree requirements towards SIS degree requirements.

Prospective MA/MBA students must separately apply to and be accepted by each school. The admissions committees from each school do not collaborate on the decision-making process.

View Kogod School of Business dual degree admissions requirements and MBA coursework.

The School of International Service (SIS) offers a dual master's degree program with . Graduates receive both an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from SIS and a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree from Wesley.

Students must complete 39 credit hours at SIS and 42 credit hours at Wesley, with the option to count up to 12 credit hours from Wesley degree requirements towards SIS degree requirements.

Prospective MA/MTS students must separately apply to and be accepted by each program. The admissions committees from each program do not collaborate on the decision-making process.

Concentrations

Students can choose from the four options below for their concentration. Additionally, students have the option to complete a self-designed concentration after discussion with the IPCR academic advisor.

Below are samples of the courses you can take by concentration area.

Understand the factors that spark conflict between nation states and between various societal identities. Topics in this concentration touch on communications, area-specific conflicts, and cultural identities.

  • SIS 606 Culture, Peace, and Conflict Resolution
  • SIS 619 Youth and Conflict SIS
  • SIS 619 Gender, Peace, and Security
  • SIS 619 US-Iran Conflict and Reconciliation
  • SIS 619 Peacebuilding in Divided Societies
  • SIS 619 Intercultural Relations
  • SIS 619 Understanding Conflict in Syria and Iraq
  • SIS 619 Democracy and Political Change in the Middle East
  • SIS 628 Communication, Culture, and International Conflict

Students will understand effective negotiation through the lens of peaceful diplomacy and dialogue. Topics in this concentration include mediation, peace processes, diplomatic practice, and more.

  • SIS 611 International Negotiation
  • SIS 619 Negotiation Analysis and Skills
  • SIS 619 Comparative Peace Processes
  • SIS 619 Mediation in a Turbulent World
  • SIS 619 Dialogue: Approaches and Applications
  • SIS 619 US-Iran Conflict and Reconciliation
  • SIS 628 Applied Public Diplomacy
  • SIS 653 Diplomatic Practice

Students will explore theoretical and practical approaches to peacebuilding by studying ways in which global and regional conflicts have been resolved. From the role of the United Nations to change in the Middle East, this concentration offers a comprehensive perspective on peacebuilding efforts.

  • SIS 619 Peacebuilding Theory and Organizations
  • SIS 613 Reconciliation and Justice
  • SIS 619 Peacebuilding in Divided Societies
  • SIS 619 Conflict Prevention and Analysis
  • SIS 619 Conflict, Memory, and Peacebuilding
  • SIS 619 Localizing Peace
  • SIS 619 Understanding Conflict in Syria and Iraq
  • SIS 619 Post War Peacebuilding
  • SIS 619 Unpacking Intervention in Civil War
  • SIS 619 DDR, Justice, and Security Reform
  • SIS 619 Economics of Violence and Peace*
  • SIS 619 Environment, Peace, and Conflict
  • SIS 619 Conflict and Development
  • SIS 619 Dialogue: Approaches and Application
  • SIS 619 Conflict in Africa
  • SIS 619 Democracy and Political Change in the Middle East
  • SIS 619 Peace Education
  • SIS 619 Peacebuilding in Africa
  • SIS 619 New Frontiers in Peacebuilding
  • SIS 619 Complex Interventions and Peacekeeping
  • SIS 619 Refugees, Migration, and Trafficking
  • SIS 619 The United Nations and World Politics
  • SIS 619 Human Security
  • SIS 619 Weak States and War
  • SIS 619 Law of Armed Conflict
  • SIS 619 Youth and Conflict
  • SIS 619 Comparative Peace Processes
  • SIS 628 Global Migration
  • SIS 635 Introduction to Global Health

*Economics of Violence and Peace can only count toward the concentration requirement if it has not already been counted toward the Economics requirement.

This concentration focuses on post-conflict social reconstruction, including healing, reconciliation, and transitional justice as building blocks of sustainable peace.

  • SIS 619 Reconciliation and Justice
  • SIS 619 DDR, Justice and Security Reform
  • SIS 619 Conflict, Memory, and Peacebuilding
  • SIS 619 Refugees, Migration, and Trafficking
  • SIS 619 Transitional Justice
  • SIS 619 Conflict Prevention and Analysis
  • SIS 619 Dialogue: Approaches and Application
  • SIS 619 US-Iran Conflict and Reconciliation
  • SIS 619 Peace Education
  • SIS 619 Human Rights and Conflict
  • SIS 619 Human Rights in the Middle East
  • SIS 619 International Law and the Global Order
  • SIS 619 Gender, Peace and Security
  • SIS 622 Human Rights

Experiential Learning

Students are also encouraged to take Skills Institutes and can participate in the Graduate Practicum Program, both of which provide extensive real world skills in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

The Practicum is a one-semester, pre-professional experience, which serves as a capstone for the MA program. Student teams complete projects for external client organizations, producing deliverables that address challenges identified by clients in a statement of work. Students work under a site supervisor and a faculty advisor. Each practicum offers real-world experience with project management, client relations, oral presentations, and writing skills. Practicum options change every year, and students can apply to one that best suits their academic and career interests.

Skills Institutes are intensive workshops designed to introduce students to professional skills relevant to careers in international affairs. Taught by experienced practitioners from many fields, these courses allow students to translate theory into practice and gain the competencies sought by today’s employers. This program provides students with the opportunity to focus on tangible skills that are applicable in the workplace. These can include more generalized skills in international affairs or specific skills in peace and conflict resolution. Over the course of 2-3 full days, students are immersed in courses designed to be rigorous and experiential.

Application At a Glance

View a detailed admission and degree requirements listing for your degree of interest.

Entrance Semester
Fall and Spring
Application Deadline
January 15 for the fall semester
October 1 for the spring semester 
Additional Requirements
Undergraduate degree
Two letters of recommendation
Resume
Statement of Purpose
TOEFL/IELTS score if international applicant
Application
Completion of online application