Peace and Conflict Studies PgCert, PGDip, MA

Why you should study this course
 

• You can complete an MA in 16 months with accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL1). For those with 5 years+ working experience, you could gain one third of your Master’s degree credits in recognition of what you’ve already achieved, through our APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) route.
   
• Complete a Postgraduate Certificate in 8 months or a Postgraduate Diploma in 16 months. Our course can be studied at Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master's Level, with the opportunity to stop, pause or progress between stages. Whilst most complete a full Master’s degree with us, many students choose to pause after the first or second stage, graduating and continuing their careers with ‘PGCert’ or ‘PGDip’ after their name.
   
• Study wherever you are, whilst working. We can provide the flexibility of studying online and through short workshops4 where you can network and learn with peers in a diverse range of roles around the world.
   
• An international network of professionals. Access to a current network of practitioners2 working in roles related to peacebuilding internationally, as well as the large team of researchers and practitioners working in the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations.
   
• A distinctive, international course led by world-leading experts. This course views peace studies as an activist discipline, which looks more holistically at peace than other similar courses. Our courses are global, from the content of the programme and the staff leading them, to the diverse backgrounds of our participants.
   

What you'll study
 

The MA in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations is rooted in Coventry’s history as a ‘City of Peace and Reconciliation’. This multidisciplinary programme provides you with the opportunity to learn about the complex nature of peace and conflict in the 21st century. You will be taught how to apply theory and draw on case studies to aid peacebuilding in complex situations. The programme enhances the skills and abilities of people seeking to achieve and strengthen peace in their local communities and around the world.

Year one

This programme is studied in three stages:

• Postgraduate Certificate (60 Master's level credits);
• Postgraduate Diploma level (120 Master's level credits);
• Master's (180 Master's level credits)
   

Students start with the Postgraduate Certificate stage, then they move on to the Postgraduate Diploma and finish with the Master’s degree, with the option to stop, pause or progress at each stage. Each stage must be successfully completed before progressing on to the next.

In year one, students start with the three Postgraduate Certificate modules:
 

• Peace, Conflict and Security in the 21st Century;
• Philosophies of Non-Violence and Reconciliation;
• Peacebuilding: Theories into Practice
   

If they choose to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma, their final modules in year one will be Project Design and Planning and either Religion, Peace and Conflict, or Preventing Violent Conflicts, depending on their preferred route.

Year two

The Postgraduate Diploma stage continues in year two with two further modules:

• Project Management in Practice, and either
• Gender, Violence and Justice, or
• Environment, Conflict and Sustainability, depending on their route.
   

If students choose to progress to the Master's, the final modules in year two will be Research Design in CTPSR, and the dissertation, supervised by a subject expert from the Centre, for Trust, Peace and Social Relations.
 

Modules
 

• Peace, Conflict and Security in the 21st Century - 20 credits

  This module develops your critical understanding of the key concepts of peace, conflict and security and examines your application to contemporary problems. You will be presented with insights from a range of disciplines on both the causes and consequences of conflict and the practices which aim to address the problem of violence in all its forms.

  Compulsory
   

• Philosophies of Non-Violence and Reconciliation – 20 credits

  This module explores a range of philosophies and traditions of non-violence and reconciliation. It extends the exploration of violence and its impacts reviewed in ‘Peace, Conflict and Security in the Twenty-First Century’. The module examines the meanings of ‘peace’, ‘justice’ and ‘power’, interrogating the inherent ethical dilemmas contained in the pursuit of peace. Approaches to peace-making, including pacifism, just war thinking, transitional justice and forgiveness, as well as the liberal peace thesis, are reviewed.

  Compulsory
   

• Peacebuilding: Theories into Practice – 20 credits

  This module consolidates, extends and synthesises your understanding of peacebuilding as a broad range of approaches and practices that emerge from the theoretical perspectives examined in Philosophies of Non-violence and Reconciliation which seek to prevent, end, and transform violence and conflict. Drawing from relevant case and field evidence, the module evaluates peacebuilding practices from the individual to international levels. The module will encourage you to critically examine and reflect on a range of key issues that arise in developing ethical and effective processes and practices of peacebuilding including gender, religion, culture, underdevelopment and poverty, and displacement.

  Compulsory
   

• Project Design and Planning (For all students) – 10 credits

  This module enables students to understand aspects of project design and funding proposal development in a variety of contexts such as development, social work, security, NGOs and beyond.

  Compulsory
   

• Religion, Peace and Conflict (For students on the Identity and Culture Pathway) – 20 credits

  The module will provide you with the opportunity to learn about the impact that core theological and ethical themes within the world’s living religions can have on attitudes to peace and conflict. It will also help you to develop the skills to investigate and encourage you to critically analyse the impact that religious ideas have on contemporary conflict situations and the practice of peacebuilding.

  Compulsory
   

• Preventing Violent Conflict (For students on the Peace and Development Pathway) - 20 credits

  The module enables you to develop the theoretical and analytical capacity to evaluate and critically engage with the relationship between types of conflicts, the manner in which they are settled, and the problems of promoting sustainable post-settlement peace processes. This module aims to examine a range of regional conflicts exploring the manner in which a formal peace agreement came about, and encourages you to identify the range of peacebuilding initiatives involved in the efforts to deepen the peace and promote reconciliation during the post-peace settlement period

  Compulsory

All applications will be evaluated individually with admissions decisions made by CTPSR. Admission decisions are based on the entry criteria elaborated below and an evaluation of the required application documents.

Ordinarily, the minimum entry criteria for each stage (PGCert, PGDip & MA) of the Peace and Conflict Studies programme are as follows:

Applicants should hold a 2:2 or above degree (or equivalent international grade/qualification), from a recognised University, preferably in a social science subject (e.g. Sociology, Psychology, Security Studies, International Relations, Politics, Peace and Conflict Studies, Development Studies, etc.).
 

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning:

To be eligible for AP(E)L an applicant must have a minimum of five (5) years evidenced working experience in a relevant field to Peace and Conflict Studies and be operating in a relevant role at the level of mid-management or above at the time of application, or have operated within a relevant role at the level of mid-management or above within 12 months of the time of application. An eligible applicant seeking AP(E)L will be assessed by a portfolio and admissions interview, alongside their capacity to complete the programme successfully.

English language requirements

For non-UK applicants, the entry requirement is English language proficiency at IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. Where applicants do not hold up-to-date IELTS certification, we will look at whether an applicant has previously studied and successfully completed a Higher Education qualification in English. Where an applicant does not hold such a qualification entry will be at the discretion of the Course Director and subject to a review of documentation and an interview. Please call or email our team if you have questions about this requirement.
 

• IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5

International Fees
£10,600 (MA) | £7,066 (PG Dip) | £3,533 (PG Cert) per year

International Pathways 2022 Scholarship
You could enjoy a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees.

Our high-quality foundation, international year one and pre-masters courses are for international students who do not meet the requirements for direct entry to their preferred Coventry University undergraduate or postgraduate course. We can support you to achieve the academic and/or English grades you need and help you gain the personal and professional skills required to study at university.

We want to encourage ambitious international students like you to study at Coventry University, so we’ve secured extra financial support for you worth £3,000, to help with the cost of tuition fees, living expenses and accommodation.
 

The scholarship application deadline is:
September 2022 intake: 31 July 2022

This course equips students who have an interest in peace and conflict with the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to work for a broad range of organisations such as:
 

• International non-government organisations
• Multi-national government organisations like the United Nations
• Regional communities such as the European Union or the Economic Community of West African States
• Faith groups
• Faith-based organisations
• Community organisations
• The private sector
• Think tanks and academia.
   

The MA in Peace and Conflict Studies is currently taught by experts in the broad field of peace and conflict studies and is informed by their research, practice and activism. The programme provides students with a deeper insight into theoretical and practical challenges in contemporary peacebuilding.