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About the Program
The Master’s Program in Coexistence and Conflict provides students with a solid grounding in the theories of contemporary coexistence work. It also provides the professional skills to design and implement successful interventions that enable groups, nations and regions to embrace coexistence values, i.e. societies living together more equitably, while respecting each other's diversity and acknowledging each other's interdependence.
Who Should Consider the Brandeis Master's Program?
The program is designed for early and midcareer professionals who already work within governments, international agencies or related fields, such as security and diplomacy, aid and development, human rights, democracy work, education, civil society and community development.
The program takes 16 months to complete. It involves an academic year in residence at Brandeis (September to May) followed by a three-month field placement and completion of a master’s paper by December of the second year.
The Brandeis Master's Program in Coexistence and Conflict:
- Provides a solid grounding in contemporary and developing theories on the causes of intercommunal conflicts, from the local to the global.
- Emphasizes the skills needed to design strategic interventions that prevent, mitigate or resolve intercommunal conflicts and violence.
- Focuses on mainstreaming coexistence and conflict knowledge and skills within governments, international and inter-governmental organizations.
- Includes a master’s field project in an area of conflict or with an organization involved in coexistence and conflict interventions.
- Teaches dialogue and mediation skills designed for work in intercommunal conflict situations.
- Introduces students to evaluation skills to help them to assess the success of conflict interventions.
- Helps students develop partnership skills in delivering coexistence work through democracy, security, legislative, mediative, human rights, political, equity and development work.
- Offers a wide choice of electives, including language courses that are relevant to participants’ career interests.
For Further Assistance
For further assistance with the application process and information specific to your country, please contact your local U.S. embassy, U.S. consulate or Office of Public Affairs for referral to an overseas educational advising center near you, or consult the list available on the U.S. Department of State’s Web site.
Program Director
The master's program is led by Professor Mari Fitzduff, a native of Northern Ireland who brings more than 20 years of international experience in conflict resolution policy and practice development to the program. Fitzduff was the first chief executive of the foremost conflict resolution agency in Northern Ireland. More recently, she served as director of UNU/INCORE, one of the world’s leading organizations for international research and consultancy work on coexistence and conflict matters around the world.