M.A. Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution

AUR’s multidisciplinary Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution program explores how we approach, mediate, and resolve conflict both globally and in individual cultures. Our graduates analyze the background context and causes of conflict and develop ways of addressing it.

The  Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution: Human Security in the Mediterranean and Beyond  program provides the opportunity for students to understand peace and conflict in the interpersonal, institutional, societal, and global contexts and to engage with the subjects of intercultural dialogue, politics, religion, and nationalism as both causes of conflict and factors in peacebuilding.

This unique program provides students with an understanding of the political economy of peace and war, negotiation and conflict management, democracy and government, humanitarian crises, and international law and how these forces play their parts in conflict resolution. It is the ideal program for those seeking to enter a career in international relations, humanitarian aid, foreign policy making, or any area of peacebuilding.

What makes AUR's Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution program unique?

Location & Focus

Rome and the Mediterranean are central to the program, with their historical significance and prominence in contemporary international affairs and conflicts. The proximity of other centers and areas relevant to contemporary global affairs in peace and conflict – the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe – is an additional advantage to our location.

Professional Networks

Rome is home to a diverse range of multinational political, humanitarian, religious, and research institutions with which the university and its faculty have deep academic & professional connections, e.g., The Agency for Peacebuilding, which holds the annual international Peacebuilding Forum in Bologna. AUR Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution students are regular attendees.

Faculty Expertise

AUR's Peace Studies faculty are highly experienced academic and professional practitioners who have worked in international crisis management, humanitarian protection, and peacebuilding initiatives across the world. Many have occupied high-profile roles within academic research and advisory boards for NGOs and governmental organizations within Europe & the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States.

The American University of Rome (AUR) is a U.S. small liberal arts institution based in the heart of Rome, Italy. All of our programs are taught in English. AUR offers three career-focused master's degrees: Cultural Heritage (Sustainability and Community), Food Studies (Policies for Sustainable Production and Consumption), and Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Human Security in the Mediterranean and Beyond).

Around 50% of our graduate students come directly from their undergraduate studies; the other 50% vary in age and work experience and enter the programs to boost their careers or change direction. AUR welcomes students from across the globe into our thriving, diverse community. AUR’s graduate programs are small; the average class size is less than ten students. This enables close academic relationships with classmates and professors, as does the experiential nature of our teaching; Rome and its environs are used as an everyday extension of the classroom, and each program prides itself on offering many opportunities to interact with professionals in relevant fields and disciplines.

The overarching philosophy of AUR’s graduate school is to engage our students directly with some of the most important global issues of our time: the sustainability of global peace, global food production and distribution, and the management and maintenance of global cultural heritage. AUR’s master’s programs are 15-month courses; however, after the first nine months of study, students can either choose to stay in Rome for the duration or complete their internships and/or theses remotely. This modular structure allows students to complete their degrees in situ anywhere in the world. The AUR Admissions Committee takes a holistic view of each applicant, considering grades, recommendation letters, and the required interview to help inform admissions decisions. Personal interviews are required of all applicants. They may be conducted face-to-face, on the phone, or via video-conferencing.

Mission Statement

The American University of Rome prepares students to live and work across cultures as skilled and knowledgeable citizens of an interconnected and rapidly changing world. AUR is a private, independent, not-for-profit institution of higher education, offering undergraduate and graduate liberal arts programs to degree-seeking and study-abroad students from around the world.

Taking the best of the American approach to interdisciplinary, student-centered learning, our international faculty and staff use Rome as our classroom and Italy and Europe as invaluable resources. AUR’s innovative programs promote intellectual excellence, personal growth, and an appreciation of cultural diversity in an international environment.

Student Life

The Student Life Office is at the heart of your daily life at The American University of Rome!

We strive to complement the academic mission of the University by providing and supporting opportunities for learning through extra-curricular activities. The activities and facilities that we offer strive to promote students’ personal growth, leadership development, social responsibility, multicultural competence, and intellectual inquiry. Our staff is committed to providing you with superb service in an engaging environment to entice your participation in formal and informal activities.

Accreditation

AUR is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a non-profit institution.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) was formally incorporated under Pennsylvania Commonwealth law on March 1, 2013. From its origins in 1919 through February 2013, the Commission was a unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Although now an independent corporation, the Commission maintains an ongoing relationship with the Middle States Association.

The Commission on Higher Education is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidacy status) activities for institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including distance education and correspondence education programs offered at those institutions. MSCHE is also recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit degree-granting institutions that offer one or more post-secondary educational programs of at least one academic year in length in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other geographic areas in which the Commission conducts accrediting activities.

The Commission is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources. It examines each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs within institutions.