Peace and Conflict Studies, M.A.

Peace and Conflict Studies
Director: Dr. Jessica Senehi
Head: Joint MA Program Chair: Dr. Saad Khan (as of July 1, 2025)
Associate Head: Joint MA Program Associate Chair: Dr. Jessica Senehi (as of July 1, 2025)
Program Director: Dr. Jessica Senehi
Campus Address/General Office: 261 St. Paul’s College
Telephone: 204-474-8894
Email Address: pacs@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/st-pauls-college/mauro-institute-peace-justice
Academic Staff: Please contact pacs@umanitoba.ca for current staff listing.

Peace and Conflict Studies M.A. Program Information

The Joint Master of Arts Program in Peace and Conflict Studies (JMP-PACS) encompasses the analysis and resolution of social conflicts; peace research that examines the structural roots of social conflicts, divisions, and social inequalities; and strategies for building community and promoting social justice. The Program is intended to be rigorous as the significance of research and intervention for conflict resolution, peace-building, and creating a culture of human rights demands a high standard of commitment, scholarship, and professionalism.

Joint Master's Program

The University of Manitoba and The University of Winnipeg together offer the Joint Master's program, with courses and thesis direction (if applicable) offered at both institutions. Students of a JMP are admitted by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Manitoba. Graduates of Joint Master’s programs receive a joint-institution parchment. Students in the JMP may elect to attend the convocation of either of the two participating universities. The programs are governed by the Joint Discipline Committee (JDC) at the department/unit level, consisting of faculty members of both institutions.

Admission Information

Admission to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Application and Admission Procedures are found in the Academic Guide.

Admission requirements for Master’s students are found in the Master’s Degrees General Regulations section of the Guide.

Peace and Conflict Studies M.A. Admission Requirements

Applicants require a four-year honours or four-year baccalaureate degree, either: (a) earned in peace and conflict studies, or conflict analysis and resolution; or (b) earned in another related discipline, such as education, law, social work, native studies, political studies, human ecology, human rights, women's studies, and sociology, among others. A high academic standing in previous university work with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours are eligible for admission to a course of study leading to the Master's degree. However, PACS is a highly selective graduate program and applicants should be advised that in order to be competitive for admission, possession of a GPA much higher than the minimum required is strongly recommended.

Appropriate research capability, typically demonstrated by authorship of a major research paper, for example, a senior undergraduate term paper, or thesis, or an article in a refereed publication. Applicants will also have a proficiency in the English language at levels required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Application Information

Students should complete and submit their online application with supporting documentation by the date indicated on the Peace and Conflict Studies M.A. program of study page.

Degree Requirements

The Joint M.A. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies has the following requirements:

Thesis Option: Twelve credit hours of core courses*; three credit hours in research methods; three credit hours in a PACS elective or PACS practicum; a thesis proposal and defence, and a thesis examination. The research methods and PACS electives can be taken from a list of PACS approved courses at the 7000 level.

Comprehensive Exam Option: twelve credit hours of core courses*; three credit hours in research methods; three credit hours in practicum; twelve credit hours of PACS electives; and a comprehensive examination. The research methods, and PACS electives can be taken from a list of approved courses at the 7000 level.

After the completion of 9 credit hours of coursework within the Program, the student must apply for consideration within either the Thesis route or the Comprehensive Exam route.

Expected Time to Graduate: 2 years

Progression Chart

Thesis Route

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1		Hours
GRAD 7300	Research Integrity Tutorial	0
GRAD 7500	Academic Integrity Tutorial	0
PEAC 7010	Interpersonal Communication, Problem-Solving, and Trust-building	3
PEAC 7020	Theories of Conflict and Conflict Resolution	3
PEAC 7110	International Human Rights and Human Security	3
PEAC 7120	Peacebuilding and Social Justice	3
PEAC XXXX	PACS Elective Course	3
PEAC 7070	Special Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies 2 ¹	3
	Hours	18
Year 2
GRAD 7000	Master's Thesis ²	0
	Hours	0
	Total Hours	18

¹

Either a PACS research methods course or a research methods course offered by another program (with approval of advisor).

²

Students are expected to produce a thesis proposal subject to a public oral defence.
If applicable, Students must obtain approval from the Research Ethics Board (REB), prior to obtaining research.
Students must successfully submit and defend their final version of the Thesis.

Comprehensive Exam Route

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1		Hours
GRAD 7300	Research Integrity Tutorial	0
GRAD 7500	Academic Integrity Tutorial	0
PEAC 7010	Interpersonal Communication, Problem-Solving, and Trust-building	3
PEAC 7020	Theories of Conflict and Conflict Resolution	3
PEAC 7110	International Human Rights and Human Security	3
PEAC 7120	Peacebuilding and Social Justice	3
PEAC XXXX	PACS Elective Courses	6
	Hours	18
Year 2
PEAC XXXX	PACS Elective Courses	6
PEAC 7500	Practicum	3
PEAC 7070	Special Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies 2 ¹	3
GRAD 7010	Comprehensive Examination ²	0
	Hours	12
	Total Hours	30

¹: Either a PACS research methods course or a research methods course offered by another program (with approval of advisor).
²: Students must successfully write and defend their Comprehensive Examination.

Registration Information

Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.

Prior to registering, all students (new and returning) must meet with their program advisor to select and receive approval for courses to be taken. Any course revisions (additions and/or withdrawals) must be approved in the same manner.

Regulations

Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.

Supplementary Regulations

Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations.

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.

All students must successfully complete:

GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;

unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.

Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.

General Regulations

All students must:

maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).

Courses

Peace and Conflict Studies

PEAC 7010 Interpersonal Communication, Problem-Solving, and Trust-building 3 cr

Examines the role of language and communication in conflict and conflict resolution. These theoretical and practice perspectives are fundamental to the field of conflict analysis and resolution/peace studies. The role of power, gender, and culture in communication and conflict are reviewed. Theories and practical skills for successful communication, collaborative problem-solving, and trust-building are explored. This class is relevant for addressing conflicts within diverse settings.

PEAC 7020 Theories of Conflict and Conflict Resolution 3 cr

Provides an overview of the theoretical foundations of the interdisciplinary field of conflict analysis and resolution, examining macro and micro theories regarding the causes of conflicts and approaches to their resolution. Conflicts are complex and take shape on multiple, interlocking planes. The course focuses on theory and the implications of these theories for practice.

PEAC 7030 International Conflict Resolution and Peace-building 3 cr

Examines international conflict resolution and post-accord peace-building. Theories regarding the causes of international conflict are reviewed. Approaches for just and enduring resolution to international conflicts, building peace, and the promotion of a global civil society are explored.

PEAC 7040 Violence Intervention and Prevention 3 cr

Examines different definitions and types of violence from the interpersonal to the global levels (e.g., family violence, youth and gang violence, violence in the workplace, hate crimes, and war). Theories of human aggression and causes of violence, as well as approaches for violence intervention and prevention are reviewed. Theories of nonviolence are explored.

PEAC 7050 Intercultural Conflict Resolution and Peace-Building 3 cr

Examines the role of socially constructed identities and meaning in intergroup conflicts in a variety of contexts. Culture is broadly conceived to encompass a variety of identities, including differences along racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and class lines. Various models for resolution are reviewed. The nature of and ethics of intervention in cultures other than one's own are explored.

PEAC 7060 Special Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies 1 3 cr

The topics addressed in this course will vary depending on faculty expertise and student need. Topics could include but will not be restricted to: "Gender and Conflict;" "Storytelling: Identity, Power and Transformation;" "Ethnic Conflict Analysis and Resolution;" "Children and War;" "Peace Education;" "Transformational Conflict Resolution;" "Role of Religion in Conflict and Peace."

PEAC 7070 Special Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies 2 3 cr

PEAC 7110 International Human Rights and Human Security 3 cr

This course examines the shift in focus from state security to people. Human security is a bridge between the inter-related fields of development, human rights and conflict resolution. The course explores how these efforts at exploring the human condition can best be understood and applied.

PEAC 7120 Peacebuilding and Social Justice 3 cr

This course examines the role of peacebuilding in short term crisis intervention and longer term conflict transformation processes. Social justice is addressed at the systems level as it impacts the achievement of sustainable reconciliation. Crisis management in conflict settings, the root causes of conflict and its prevention are explored.

PEAC 7122 Dispute Systems Design 3 cr

Examines the role of conflict resolution within organizations and diverse settings (workplace, schools, communities, multiparty conflicts, international conflicts). The course focuses on analyzing how conflict is built into organizational structures and systems, and redesigning the system to produce effective human centres relations.

PEAC 7124 Gender, Conflict and Peacemaking 3 cr

Examines the role of gender in conflict and peacemaking in areas of armed conflict. Women tend to be impacted and respond to conflict in ways different from men. The course explores the theoretical and practical contributions of women activists, peace researchers and educators have made toward understanding the role of gender

PEAC 7126 Ethnic Conflict Analysis and Resolution 3 cr

Examines theories of ethnic conflict and the intervention methods used by states, international organizations and conflict resolution and peace practitioners to analyze, manage and resolve ethnic conflicts. Case studies are used to explain conflict analysis and resolution and peacebuilding.

PEAC 7128 Storytelling: Identity, Power and Transformation 3 cr

Examines the role of narrative and storytelling in conflict resolution, theory, research and practice. The relationship between language and power and destructive or constructive relationships is explored. The use of storytelling-based projects as a means of peacebuilding and community building are explored.

PEAC 7230 Gender, Conflict and Peacemaking 3 cr

Examines the role of gender in conflict and peacemaking in areas of armed conflict. Women tend to be impacted and respond to conflict in ways different from men. The course explores the theoretical and practical contributions women activists, peace researchers and educators have made toward understanding the role of gender.

PEAC 7240 Indigenous World Views and Approaches to Peacebuilding 3 cr

Examines indigenous models of peacebuilding from community level to national level. Emphasis is placed on restorative processes fundamental to cohesive relationships with others. This is achieved through ceremony, empathy, compassion, conflict resolution and restoration part of the peacebuilding models of indigenous peoples.

PEAC 7250 Restorative and Social Justice 3 cr

Examines the principles of restorative justice, the theoretical foundations of the restorative justice movement, and the development of new restorative justice programs. Restorative justice healing, re-integration and reconciliation are explored in a variety of contexts, including colonized and postcolonial indigenous communities.

PEAC 7260 Peace Education 3 cr

Examines the role of peace education as students seek to make sense of complicated and perilous events in their society. The course provides students with a background in the area of social justice, peace studies and conflict resolution.

PEAC 7280 Children and War 3 cr

Examines the impact of international war, civil war, and genocide on young people. The role of gender, class, and culture are explored; as well as the role of peacemakers, governments, and communities for addressing these issues. The implications for both the political socialization of children as well as how young people may be actors in political solutions will be explored.

PEAC 7300 Special Topics 1: Children and War 3 cr

Examines the impact of international war, civil war and genocide on children. Today's children are tomorrow's world citizens, and their events will shape the future in unforeseeable ways. Young people are socio-economic and political agents, expressive through violence, peace work and other creative forms.

PEAC 7400 Special Topics 2: Directed Readings in Peace and Conflict Studies 3 cr

This course is designed for MA students in Peace and Conflict Studies. Course requirements including readings and assignments will be selected and developed by the Professor in conjunction with the students' interests.

PEAC 7500 Practicum 3 cr

Students develop awareness of theoretical knowledge, practice skills and abilities necessary for intervention in community, group and organizational conflicts at a practicum site. Students integrate theory and experiential learning into practice to analyze the conflict, during the intervention, and post intervention reflection.

Academic Calendar