In parallel to the emergence and development of the academic discipline, there is a growing understanding that the proficiency of becoming a peace-builder, a conflict-specialist or a mediator, requires skill-building and the development of proficiency through practice. There is increasing awareness that professionals hired to manage and transform complex interpersonal, social or international conflicts, should acquire scholarly-based skill-sets in negotiation, mediation, consensus-building, and other domains, which have been developed in recent decades in the field of peace and conflict management. Along with the theoretical foundations, the program provides skill-building courses and workshops that help students acquire the foundational skills and techniques required to address conflicts at the interpersonal, communal and international levels. Students learn how to apply these skills in diverse situation, to think critically about the theories and adapt them, and to reflect on their own practice.
