Learn to turn conflict into a more positive dynamic through collaborative problem-solving and alternative dispute resolution, and find yourself in great demand.
You can also complete this program as a dual J.D./M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management , which allows you to earn both degrees with 18 fewer credits than would be required to earn the two degrees independently.
In this 42-credit Master of Science program—the first-ever program in Maryland—integrates a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to give a broad understanding of what conflict is, why it happens and how to resolve it. When you graduate, you will be prepared for an exciting career managing conflict in many different arenas:
- management and organizational settings, including employee and labor relations
- health care, social work ad human services
- public administration and non-governmental organizations
- law, law enforcement and courts
- local, state and federal government
- international relations
- peacebuilding, social justice and advocacy work
What You'll Learn
You'll learn how to:
- analyze, understand and address various forms of social conflict
- work with individuals, communities, organizations, regulatory bodies, conflicting social and ethnic groups, and even nations
- promote understanding of conflict while mitigating its destructive aspects
- negotiate, facilitate and pursue conflict transformation
- embrace conflcit as a catalyst for social change.
Beyond the Classroom
Your capstone internship experience will allow you to gain insight into practical applications of negotiation and conflict management in the field. The program's remarkable range of internships has partnered students with:
- the Department of Energy
- the Office of the Maryland Attorney General
- the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland
- the National Association for Conflict Resolution
- the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- and the Baltimore City Office of the Labor Commissioner, among others.
You are encouraged to join the Negotiations and Conflict Management student association, which keeps students in this master's program informed and educated about relevant issues, provides peer support and guidance, and organizes events that nurture the professional growth of the student body.
Classes are offered evenings, and some courses are offered in the summer for continuing students. Electives are sometimes offered online and opportunities to study abroad are also available.
Alumni Spotlights
The Negotiations and Conflict Management program was honored to have one of its graduates, Shilesha Bamberg, M.S. '17, selected to be the student speaker at the spring 2017 graduate commencement ceremony. Here's a video of her inspirational speech:
“During my final semester in the Negotiations and Conflict Management program, I interned with the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs. I served as Administrative Assistant and Council Developer, working to boost the visibility of the Council and to increase membership rates by assessing existing efforts and providing methods for improvements. Not only did my internship experience enhance my understanding of American foreign policy, but it gave me the opportunity to understand how the conflict theories I learned in the classroom could be applied in a global context.”
-Messad M. Alzahrani, M.S. '17
(pictured left at the spring 2017 graduate commencement ceremony with Negotiations and Conflict Management program director Assoc. Prof. Sascha Sheehan)