Program Requirements

Minor Requirements

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Maximum 3 credit hours of PACS 35092 may count toward the Peace and Conflict Studies minor. Students may enroll in 1-9 additional hours which will then count towards upper-division credit hours.

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Full Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Peace and Conflict Studies prepares students for careers or graduate study in the field of conflict management, peace studies and dispute resolution. This major gives students a solid background in managing conflicts in constructive, not destructive, ways. Students learn skills that are not only useful in a variety of workplace settings, but in everyday life and relationships as well.

Program areas of focus include mediation, negotiation, environmental conflict resolution, international conflict resolution, workplace conflict management, nonviolent action and community organizing. As this is an applied program, students learn skills and build professional networks through the internship, which can be completed in a wide variety of contexts.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the research and analytical skills that will be useful while working in the field of peace studies and conflict management.
2. Analyze the dynamics of social conflicts and apply the principles of nonviolent theory and practice in order to wage conflict constructively to bring about social or political change.
3. Utilize conflict management and peace-building skills and knowledge to effectively develop, teach and/or implement approaches to preventing, managing and resolving conflicts.
4. Demonstrate an ability to identify and analyze the cultural dimensions of conflicts and conflict management.
5. Describe and interpret the roles that gendered power dynamics play in conflicts and conflict management.
6. Demonstrate a broad grounding in the field of peace and conflict studies by being able to explain the historical evolution of the field, by identifying and analyzing a full range of conflict dynamics, and by designing constructive and appropriate intervention tactics and strategies.
7. Demonstrate an ability to explain the main theories on causes, expression and consequences of international conflicts, and comparatively evaluate different mechanisms of prevention, management and resolution of international conflicts.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

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Maximum 3 credit hours of PACS 35092 may count toward the major. Students may enroll in 1-9 additional credit hours, which can count towards upper-division credit hours.

²

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

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Students who have completed the Columbus Program in State Issues or the Washington Program in National Issues (total 15 credit hours for POL 41990 or POL 42990, respectively) may substitute 3 credit hours for PACS 35092 and 6 credit hours for major electives. The remaining 6 credit hours may be used to fulfill the upper-division requirement and/or as course substitutions for required courses. Course substitutions will be considered on a case-by-case basis in consultation with a program faculty advisor.

Graduation Requirements

Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 14-16 credit hours of foreign language.¹
To complete the requirement, students need the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options²:

1. Intermediate I and II of the same language
2. Elementary I and II of a second language
3. Any combination of two courses from the following list:

• Intermediate I of the same language
• ARAB 21401
• ASL 19401
• CHIN 25421
• MCLS 10001
• MCLS 20001
• MCLS 20091
• MCLS 21417
• MCLS 21420
• MCLS 22217
• MCLS 28403
• MCLS 28404

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All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.

²

Certain majors, concentrations and minors may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular language coursework.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Full Description

The Master of Arts degree in Peace and Conflict Studies is designed for students interested in gaining the knowledge and practical skills necessary to become a professional peace practitioner, one who is equipped to promote peaceful change and social justice whether in the local community, across the country or at the international level.

Students have the opportunity to learn at the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, Kent State’s ‘living memorial’ to the four students killed on May 4, 1970, and one of the oldest and most well-known institutions for the study of peace and conflict. Students work with faculty who are leading experts in their field and with students from all over the world — all of whom are dedicated to building peaceful local communities, societies and states in a time of increasing incivility, rancor and conflict.

In the program, students examine the causes and consequences of violence; develop methods for preventing, resolving and transforming conflicts; and critically analyze the values and institutions of peace. Students study relevant academic and policy literature and develop an advanced understanding of the field. Above all, however, they embark on a multidisciplinary program with a strong focus on experiential learning, the development of advanced skills relevant to the field (e.g., mediation, conflict analysis, project management), training in leadership and career planning for future employment, whether as a peace practitioner or researcher.

Through the school's partnership with the Center for Conflict Management at the University of Rwanda, students have the opportunity to undertake a study abroad course in Africa to examine both how the country has responded to the challenges of post-genocide reconstruction, and how it is addressing contemporary environmental challenges.

The Peace and Conflict Studies comprises two concentrations:

• The Applied Conflict Transformation concentration focuses on the domestic dynamics of peace, including human relations, organizational conflict and conflict resolution, group and community conflict transformation. Students specialize in a wide range of electives (e.g., peace psychology, public sector conflict transformation, peace education). This concentration provides students with knowledge and applied skills necessary to pursue a career in fields such as mediation, arbitration and dispute resolution; in the service and social and community service sector; or in roles in businesses, non-profits and government entities that requires skills of mediation and conflict resolution (e.g., human resources).
• The Peace, Conflict and Development concentration explores the intersection between peace, conflict and development in fragile or insecure states and societies around the world. Students examine policy and practice in the fields of international conflict prevention, international peacekeeping, post-conflict peace-building, sustainable development and good governance. Students specialize in a wide range of electives, including on issues such as environmental change and conflict, reconciliation after conflict and the global governance of military technologies. This concentration is designed to appeal to those students wishing to obtain work in fields and organizations dealing with the local and international dimensions of peace, conflict and development in the global south, including governments, international organizations, international development and humanitarian-relief non-governmental organizations (NGO).

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in peace studies or related discipline from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000 point scale¹
• Official transcript(s)
• Résumé or curriculum vitae
• Goal statement highlighting relevant professional experience and academic background
• Writing sample
• Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic evaluators
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL IBT score
  • Minimum 77 MELAB score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 Duolingo English score

Admission to the program is competitive and selective. Applicants will be reviewed holistically, by the school’s graduate coordinator, who may conduct interviews with select candidates to ensure qualifications and fit with the program. The coordinator will render admission decisions after consultations with the faculty and school director.

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Applicants who do not meet the GPA criteria but have extensive experience in the peace-building field are encouraged to apply. They may be conditionally admitted if all other admission requirements are met. After earning a 3.000 GPA in their first semester, they will be considered fully admitted.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Application deadline: April 15 (international student) and July 1 (domestic student)

Applications received after these deadlines will be considered on a space-available basis.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Analyze and apply key theories, concepts and policies relevant to the field of peace and conflict studies, in general and in their specific concentrations.
2. Synthesize the interplay of conflict sources at different levels of analyses (from interpersonal to structural) with the dynamics relevant to all conflict situations.
3. Analyze and apply appropriate intervention practices for successful conflict resolution or transformation at relevant levels of conflict.
4. Describe and evaluate the key role that leadership plays in conflict intervention and crisis management.
5. Integrate and apply learning from across the program to real-world situations.
6. Apply knowledge about the field to develop personally tailored career plans.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Applied Conflict Transformation Concentration Requirements

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Students who matriculate into the program without requisite mediation experience will take PACS 58080.

Peace, Conflict and Development Concentration Requirements

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus