Conflict Resolution 

Alumni 

Students

You will be assigned a faculty advisor who will assist you in meeting your academic requirements and exploring your academic and professional interests. If you do not know who your advisor is, contact the program director.

Helpful planning resources: 

• Masters' program at a glance grid

• ConRes Master's program curriculum tracking worksheet

• ConRes Certificate program curriculum tracking worksheet

Electives: MA students are allowed to take up to 3 (three) classes ­­outside of the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance with the approval of your advisor and of the Graduate Program Director. External Course Approval Form, 

If you need assistance with WISER, or other resources, refer to the links below:

WISER: https://www.umb.edu/it/wiser

UMass Boston IT Help Desk https://www.umb.edu/it/help

Guidelines for ConRes accelerated master's students 

Accelerated ConRes Master's Program at a glance

Graduate Assistants are employees of the university and required to work in proportion to their assistantship award. (.5 = 9 hours per week 1.0 = 18 hours per week)  You will be assigned a supervisor for each academic year and work closely with them. Please contact your program director with questions 

Visit upcoming events on the home tab.

To fulfill your degree requirements in Conflict Resolution, students are required to attend a certain number of colloquia sponsored by the department. We offer at least 4 events per semester so there are ample opportunities to meet this requirement.  There will be a sign-up sheet at each colloquia to record attendance.

• Master's students must attend 10 total 

• In-person Certificate students must attend 5 total

• Online Certificate students are welcome to attend colloquium and other department events but are not required to attend in-person events.  

These events are opportunities to network with other students, faculty and staff members, as well as with guests. Events include our annual Slomoff Lecture, guest speakers, book and film screenings, study abroad presentations, etc. Visit the Upcoming Events on the Home Page here.

Beacon2Beacon (B2B) is a team of Conflict Resolution students and faculty offering mediation services to members of the UMass Boston community who are experiencing conflict and seeking resolution.   

All Master's students must complete one of the following internships (3-6 credits):

1. CONRES 627 - Inter-Group Dialogue & Facilitation 6 Credit(s)

2. CONRES 690 - Court Mediation Internship 6 Credit(s) Results in Mediation Certification which includes 40 hours of classroom training and more than 30 hours of district court mediation, mentoring, and evaluation, meeting all the requirements of the Guidelines for Implementation of Qualification Standards for Neutrals, adopted January 24, 2004, pursuant to Rule 8 of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Uniform Rules on Dispute Resolution. Prerequisite: ConRes 621 Negotiation or previous negotiation experience

3. CONRES 696 - Independent Study Internship 3-6 Credit(s) Work with your advisor to *find or create your own internship. 

*(see finding internship tab below) 

Internships are excellent learning opportunities, sources for professional networking, and employment. This page provides a sampling of opportunities available in Boston and abroad. You are encouraged to reach out to organizations on this list or other groups you are interested in. Also visit UMass Boston's Office of Career Service & Internships and UMass Boston Handshake, our career portal.  Sign up for GoogleDigest ListServ and explore opportunities with UMass Boston faculty members, staff and fellow students.

When searching for an internship, consider the following:

• What industries or career fields interest you?

• Do you need a paid internship, or can you accommodate an unpaid opportunity?

• What are your transportation needs? Is driving possible or do you require easy access to public transportation?

• Are you willing (and able) to relocate temporarily (i.e. for summer internships)?

Below is a sampling of what’s available to Conflict Resolution MA students, from on-campus, in-state, national, to international opportunities: 

Elaine Werby Public Service Internship at the UMass Boston Center of Social Policy  

Internship position with a financial award through stipend available for selected students who are passionate to gain experience in research and evaluation regarding poverty eradication.

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration

As a research center and the state office serving Massachusetts government agencies and citizens, MOPC serves as a neutral forum for collaborative planning, problem-solving, and public issues through evidence-based programming and expedited procurement of resources. Interns will perform photographic evaluations of four youth conflict resolution programs in urban and rural settings, resulting in the development of digital stories that document the lives of a diverse group of at-risk/vulnerable youth populations

Massachusetts Peace Action

Different internship positions for students, recent graduates, or young activists who want to help and want experience in building political power for peace.

Positions Available: Legislation, Research, Communication, and Campus Organizing Intern

United Nations Young Professionals Programme

A recruitment program for young professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the United Nations Secretariat. The application is open to all nationals of countries participating in the recruitment exercise.

Conflict Resolution Master’s students have three options for completing the Capstone requirement which is necessary to graduate.  Choose from the following: 

Integrative Paper (3 credits total)

• CONRES 693 -  Capstone Seminar - 3 Credits 

Master’s Project (6 credits total)  You must take both:

• CONRES 693 -  Capstone Seminar - 3 Credits 

• CONRES 689 - Master’s Project in Conflict Resolution 3 Credits

Master’s Thesis  (6 credits total)  You must take both:

• CONRES 693 -  Capstone Seminar - 3 Credits 

• CONRES 699 - Master’s Thesis in Conflict Resolution 3 Credits

Your advisor can help walk you through the differences among these options.  Explore the Capstone and Master's project library on next tab for list of what graduates have done.