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The Programme

This internationally renowned programme is offered by leading academics from the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE), based at the University of Ulster.  The Programme is located on the Magee Campus in the city of Derry/Londonderry along the shores of Lough Foyle in the north west of Northern Ireland.

The emphasis of the INCORE programme  is consistent with the new vision of the University to be a leading provider of professional education for professional life.  There is a strong focus on post-violence peacebuilding, which is appropriate given that the programme is rooted in a society emerging from decades of protracted violence.  However, the geographical scope of  INCORE’s work in research, policy, and practice is both local and global.

The programme stresses the development of skills relevant to graduates who want to go on to be practitioners, researchers and policymakers in the peace and conflict field. To ensure this, the programme was recently re-structured to offer a wider variety of modules including, new technologies and peace, psychosocial approaches to peacebuilding, and evaluation in conflict zones. The overall approach seeks to develop the critical, theoretical and analytical skills necessary for working in conflicted societies – in ways that are grounded in real life application and case studies.

INCORE staff have been engaged in peacemaking and peacebuilding activities as both practitioners and researchers. This experience and expertise is a hallmark of the programme which is reflected in the classroom experience.   The location of the programme in Northern Ireland ensures that there is an open door between classroom learning and experiential learning.  Practitioners from Northern Ireland and abroad are important components of  the programme, as are site visits, e.g. to the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Maze Long Kesh site.

The Peace Bridge spanning the river Foyle

The INCORE MSc. in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies offers the student a unique opportunity to undertake a graduate programme characterized by academic excellence within the context of a vibrant and culturally rich society emerging from conflict.

Students in the programme have access to leading academics and practitioners working both to address the causes and consequences of conflict locally and internationally, and to promote better peacemaking and peacebuilding strategies.  INCORE is honoured to host the Tip O’Neill Professor of Peace Studies, currently held by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, John Hume. Professor Hume’s tenure has been notable for an array of high-profile Peace Lectures given on the Magee Campus by prominent global policymakers involved in peace and conflict issues. These include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, former EU Commission President Romano Prodi and the Irish President Mary McAleese.

Employability

Students of an interdisciplinary programme such as the MSc. in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies are well placed to follow a number of distinct career opportunities, based on their specific interests and core strengths.  The past decades have seen tremendous changes in the global context, with the collapse of the Iron Curtain, the rise in ethnic conflict and the increasing demands for peaceful resolution of conflict and the reconstruction of affected regions and states.  As a result, the demand for well-trained individuals to work on the myriad of peace and conflict issues continues to rise.  The knowledge and capacities developed by   INCORE peace and conflict studies students are transferrable across sectors and regions, making their skill set mobile and flexible within a globalised job market.  

There are a range of career paths available to students undertaking the MSc. in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies. The course is designed to enhance the students’ employability within the applied field of peace and conflict studies, which can take a wide variety of forms, both locally and internationally.

Read more about:

• Employment Options
• Stories About our Graduate

Course Structure

All students enter the MSc programme at the Postgraduate Diploma stage.  This consists of the eight taught modules, of which five are compulsory and three are selected from a range of choices  (listed below). Upon successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma (i.e., the eight taught modules), students are eligible to enter the MSc stage, which is normally completed within  three to six months and which consists of a 15,000 word dissertation.

The formal teaching is supplemented by an informal programme of lectures, seminars and study visits, and students have access to a range of events organised by the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) and other associated institutes at the University of Ulster.

Full-time

The year-long programme for full-time students is:

Semester One:

• Foundations of Peace and Conflict Studies
• Research Methods 1
• Conflict Analysis

Choice of one of the following:

• Northern Ireland Conflict
• Comparative Case Studies
• Psychosocial Approaches

Semester Two:

• Peacebuilding in Divided Societies
• Research Methods 2

Choice of two of the following:

• Northern Ireland: Issues in Peacebuilding
• Dealing with the Past
• Evaluation in Conflict Zones
• Development, Peace and Conflict
• New Technologies and Peace

Semester Three/Four: MSc Dissertation (individual supervision)

Part-time

The University welcomes applications from part-time students who have an interest in this area of study. The content is exactly the same as the full-time  programme but is spread over a longer period of time.  For the PG Diploma stage students will have to take two 15  credit point modules in each of the four teaching semesters.  Upon successful completion of this stage, students can move to the MSc. which normally lasts another  year  and consists of a 15,000 word dissertation on a peace and conflict studies topic.   All classes will be held during normal day-time hours in order to ensure that part-time and full-time students can study together.

Module Content

Semester One

• Foundations of Peace and Conflict Research - Core
  This module will introduce students to some of the key concepts, theories and debates within this field of study. 
  
• Conflict Analysis - Core
  This module will introduce students to the main stages of the conflict cycle and to key intervention strategies used to resolve and transform violent conflict.  Topics covered will include the causes of violent conflict, the structure and dynamics of conflict, peacekeeping, peacemaking, peacebuilding and conflict transformation.
• Research Methods 1 - Core
  The module will introduce students to the main stages in the research process, the main approaches and methods and will give students a firm foundation in the basics of social research that will prepare them for Research Methods 2.
• Intro. Northern Ireland Conflict Option - Option
  This introduction to the Northern Ireland conflict aims to provide the student with a detailed overview of the historical roots and longevity of the Northern Ireland conflict.  It seeks to equip the student with the knowledge and tools to explore and analyse the various actors to the conflict, their motivations, objectives and tactics.
• Comparative Case Studies - Option
  This module will cultivate a firm grounding in comparative case study methodology, a central approach to research in Peace and Conflict Studies.
• Psychosocial Aspects of Peacebuilding – Option
  This module will develop the theoretical and practical understanding the role of psychosocial work in in post-conflict societies and peacebuilding processes.

Semester Two

• Peacebuilding in Divided Societies  - Core
  This module provides students with a thorough grounding of the academic field of peacebuilding, and the different approaches and interventions employed within it. The focus is global.
• Research Methods 2 - Core
  This module will build on Research Methods 1 and bring students to the point where they can understand the basic ethical and methodological issues involved in conducting research in divided societies.
• Northern Ireland: Issues in Peacebuilding - Option
  The aim of this module is to explore the various facets of peacebuilding required to secure a sustainable peace in Northern Ireland following the Belfast agreement.  The module will critically analyse the legacy of conflict from a range of social, political, economic and psychological perspectives.
• New Technologies and Peace - Option
  This module will provide students with a thorough and critical understanding of the impact that new technologies have had/will have on peace strategies, peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
• Dealing with the past - Option
  The module will introduce the critical debate of dealing with the past and transitional justice in peace and conflict studies. It will outline and describe the differences between concepts such as “dealing with the past” and transitional justice.
• Evaluation in Conflict Zones - Option
  This module will critically examine the methods and politics of conducting evaluations in conflict-prone settings. The focus of the course is not limited to peacebuilding initiatives, but applies to the evaluation of the full spectrum of projects and programmes: development, humanitarian, private sectors, community development, and so on.
• Development, Peace and Conflict - Option
  This module explores concepts and theories in the sociology of development as they concern global human security.

Semester Three/Four

• MSc Dissertation  - Core

This module will enable students to conduct and present research on a relevant and pressing topic in peace and conflict studies in ways that are informed by current research developing critical analytical research skills and theoretical knowledge.

Please note modules will be offered based on student numbers and the outline of modules should be considered as a draft as the programme is subject to revalidation in early 2012

Current faculty on the PgDip/MA in Peace and Conflict Studies and their research interests:

Prof. Brandon Hamber: Director of INCORE. Political transition, peacebuilding, reconciliation and conflict transformation, transitional justice and dealing with the past, memorialisation and reparations, psychosocial support for victims of violence and victim empowerment, trauma, its critiques and methodologies, ex-combatants and political transition, masculinity and transition.

Dr. Stephen Ryan: Senior Lecturer, Peace and Conflict Studies. The dynamics and transformation of violent intercommunal conflict, the UN and international politics.

Prof. Gillian Robinson:Professor of Social Research and Director of ARK. Research methodology, social attitudes, community relations.

Ms. Grainne Kelly: Policy/Practice Coordinator INCORE. Reconciliation; Institutional development following conflict; Peace and Conflict-related Philanthropy; intercommunal division; Storytelling and testimony work as mechanism for dealing with the past.

Dr. Kenneth Bush: Research Coordinator, INCORE. ethnicized conflict; methodology and evaluation; the commodification of peacebuilding or the conflict-generating impacts of "peacebuilding" initiatives; diaspora; and the role of local government in peacebuilding.

Professor Emeritus Paul Arthur. Honorary Associate, INCORE. The Northern Ireland conflict, Track Two Diplomacy, dealing with the past.

Background and Achievements

The MA in Peace and Conflict Studies started in 1987 on a part-time basis. The target cohort was opinion formers in Northern Ireland - educators, clergy, business, community activists - indeed anyone who might have a role in helping to control conflict.

Substantial overseas interest arose after the ceasefires in 1994. Initially this came from the US, Japan and Scandinavia. Since then, participants have enrolled from Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria, among others. Further information for international applicants can be found at: http://international.ulster.ac.uk/

The diversity of intake has been matched by quality: Rotary, Chevening (British Council) and Mitchell Scholars have all graduated from the MA in Peace and Conflict Studies in recent years.

 
Click Map to enlarge

Many graduates have been involved in community activity in Ireland and the United Kingdom.Graduates have gone on to work for NGOs in Kosovo, the DRC (Congo) and Colombia. Others have gone on to complete PhDs and a number of these have entered academic life.

How to Apply

For more information on the PgDip/MSc in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies and to answer any queries on enrolment for the 2012/13 Academic year, contact the Course Director, Dr. Stephen Ryan (s.ryan@ulster.ac.uk), Magee Campus, University of Ulster or telephone on +44 (0)28 71375246

For additional information on the PGDip/MA in Peace and Conflict Studies and to apply on-line, see http://study.ulster.ac.uk/prospectus/course/201415/2794

You can download the MSc in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies brochure from here.

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