Peace and Conflict Studies

Overview

This Master's programme offers an interactive, research-driven education in theories and methods of peace and conflict studies. It centres on understanding the root causes of violent conflict and on exploring pathways for transforming violence into peaceful, stable relations. The curriculum also examines real-world examples of peaceful coexistence and the institutional and social mechanisms that support non‑violent conflict resolution.

What you'll learn

You will gain theoretical and methodological skills drawn from multiple disciplines — including international relations, psychology, sociology, anthropology and linguistics — to analyse complex social and political contexts. The course covers concepts, institutions and tools of peacebuilding, conflict transformation and human rights policy, and trains you to evaluate political strategies and ongoing projects in security, peacebuilding and human rights. Emphasis is placed on developing both analytical abilities and practical techniques for constructive conflict management.

Outcomes and career relevance

Graduates will understand how international organisations operate and how peaceful political processes can be re‑established in settings previously affected by open violence. You will be able to assess the aims and limits of human rights policies at national and international levels and design constructive strategies to break deadlocks in social conflicts. The programme deliberately balances disciplinary breadth with methodological depth so you leave with rigorous analytical competence applicable in policy, civil society, international organisations and related fields.

Practical components / Requirements

• Training in socio‑scientific research methods and empirical analysis
• Instruction and practice in mediation techniques and political decision‑making processes
• Participation in operational simulations and conflict‑management seminars
• Completion of an internship in a relevant institution to gain practical experience

Structure and focus The Master’s curriculum is built around five core modules and five additional modules from a set of optional-but-compulsory choices, combining theoretical foundations, applied skills and method training. Core courses give you a solid grounding in the main theories, concepts and research approaches of peace and conflict studies, while the optional modules let you deepen knowledge in thematic areas such as regional governance, environmental drivers of conflict, media and violence, and normative questions of justice. Practical training, negotiation and mediation exercises, and opportunities to earn credits through international exchanges are integral parts of the programme.

Key modules and what you will learn

• Theories and Approaches of Peace and Conflict Studies: A paired lecture (4 CP) and tutorial (6 CP) introduce major theoretical perspectives and current research topics in national and international peace and conflict studies, equipping you to read and critique scholarly debates.
• Concepts of Securing Peace: Reviews scientific concepts for promoting peace, democracy and human rights, and critically examines when and how coercive military measures are used.
• Conflict Analysis and Theories of Conflict Management: Delivered as a seminar on conflict analysis (6 CP) plus a seminar or lecture on conflict management (4 CP). You will learn analytical frameworks to map conflicts and the main approaches to resolution, management and transformation.
• Applied Conflict Management: Typically run as a block seminar with hands-on components. Practical training covers negotiation, mediation and moderation techniques, communication strategies and basics of political planning and consultation—skills you can apply in fieldwork, NGOs or diplomatic contexts.
• Methods in Peace and Conflict Studies: Comprises a seminar and a compulsory tutorial that both must be completed. You can choose an overview course in qualitative methods or a course that teaches one qualitative method in depth, developing research design, data collection and analysis skills.

Optional module highlights

• Regional and Global Order: Explores governance beyond the nation state and the political, economic and normative processes that create order at regional and global levels.
• Sustainable Development and Resource Management: Examines anthropogenic environmental change, limits to growth and climate impacts, resource scarcity and resulting distributional conflicts (including North–South, North–North and South–South dynamics).
• Violence and Media: Offers critical tools to analyse how discourses legitimize or mobilize direct violence and how cultural, epistemic or structural forms of violence are reproduced.
• Global Justice: Focuses on normative questions related to long‑term peacebuilding and conflict management, including substantive and procedural justice.
• International Module: Designed to support the transfer of credits earned during international exchange periods.

Requirements (concise)

• Complete five compulsory core modules (Modules 1–5).
• Complete five optional compulsory modules chosen from Modules 6–10.
• Where modules are split into parts, both components must be completed (e.g., Module 1: lecture 4 CP + tutorial 6 CP; Module 3: conflict analysis 6 CP + conflict management 4 CP).
• Methods module requires both the seminar and the compulsory tutorial to be taken.
• International Module facilitates recognition of credits obtained during study abroad or exchange programs.

Graduates are prepared for careers in international organisations, NGOs, human-rights institutions, governmental agencies, mediation centres, policy consultancies and research centres. The programme’s blend of theory, method and practice equips students to analyse complex conflicts, evaluate and design peacebuilding and human-rights initiatives, and contribute to multi-stakeholder conflict-transformation processes.

Practical experience from simulations, conflict-management seminars and the mandatory internship enhances employability in operational roles (e.g. programme officer, policy advisor, analyst, mediator) and provides a solid foundation for further academic research or doctoral studies.