Learn to Manage Conflict

Mediation and negotiation skills are in tremendous demand in practically every field, from law enforcement and labor relations to international business and health care. Conflict is a reality of personal and professional life, and the practice of conflict resolution has emerged as an attractive alternative to costly litigation in overburdened courts.

In Dominican’s mostly online mediation and conflict resolution program, you’ll learn side-by-side with experts in the field. In fact, we designed the curriculum in partnership with the National Mediation Board, a federal agency that facilitates labor-management relations within the nation’s railroad and airline industries.

 

Dominican’s Master of Arts in Mediation and Conflict Resolution at a Glance

  • Complete the program in 24 months—semesters are split into intensive eight-week sessions where you’ll take one class each session
  • Courses taught by experienced professional mediators and professionals in their fields
  • Curriculum is entirely online, with the exception of two five-day courses on campus
  • Up to three graduate courses offered by other academic units may be applied to your degree with the dean’s approval
  • Transfer up to nine semester hours of credit from another institution
  • Certificate options that count toward the full master’s degree
  • Choose any three courses from our program in Trauma-Informed Leadership, an emerging discipline focused on creating safe and supportive workplaces.

Build a foundation for effective mediation and conflict resolution in the service of peace and justice. Learn more about our curriculum

Note: Admission to graduate and certificate programs in mediation and conflict resolution is open only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

In-Demand Skills

2
Years to Complete
100%
Online With In-person Intensives
#1
Best Value in Midwest (U.S. News & World Report)

What You'll Learn

Dominican’s MA in Mediation and Conflict Resolution is almost entirely online, allowing you to complete your studies from anywhere while working full-time. We believe that a personal connection—to fellow students and professors—is also important.

That’s one of the reasons our powerful interdisciplinary curriculum begins with a five-day intensive gateway course taught on-campus by experienced professional mediators. You’ll learn—and practice—mediation skills through supervised role-playing and personalized coaching in small groups. From there, you will take online courses exploring the psychological origins of conflict, the ethical dimensions of the discipline, alternative dispute methods, and more. You’ll also choose from engaging electives in subjects such as online dispute resolution, family conflict resolution, and restorative justice. It’s the best of both worlds. Read detailed course descriptions.

You’ll take two courses per semester. Each semester is divided into two intensive eight-week sessions, so you’ll only be taking one course at a time, making it possible to study while keeping up with all the demands of work and family.

 

A Focus on Ethics

Crucially, Dominican’s mediation and conflict resolution program includes an entire course on ethics. Professional peacemakers are motivated by good intentions, of course, but without proper preparation could wind up inadvertently doing harm. We believe it is important for students to explore the ethical dimensions of conflict resolution from the beginning to guard against such outcomes. This course examines the ethical duties owed to parties in a dispute, with a focus on neutrality, confidentiality and informed consent.

The Dominican Difference

  • Best of both worlds: the convenience of a primarily online program with the personal connection of intensive five-day introductory courses on campus
  • Learn from nationally recognized professionals in the field
  • Gain hands-on experience through an optional practicum assisting a professional mediator or serving in a nonprofit organization
  • Year-round admission—start at your convenience

What interested me in this program was that you could study more deeply the nuances of conflict. Not every conflict is resolved—sometimes you just have to manage conflict—but how you address it and what creates conflict intrigued me to study it.”

Jim Revelle
Dominican University Graduate

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

"Think about your own industry—chances are there have been times of conflict within your organization, with competitors or clients, and perhaps with the public. Earning your master’s degree in mediation and conflict resolution from Dominican will open doors for you to seek higher level positions helping resolve such disputes. It also presents a path for moving your career in any number of other directions, as the desire grows in every sector to reduce conflict in communities and workplaces, and to find alternatives to overburdened courts and costly, time-consuming litigation. Job opportunities in the field are growing rapidly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for mediator, arbitrators and conciliators is projected to grow 6% by 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.

As a professional mediator, you could take on roles in areas such as business, counseling, law, health care, labor relations, government and education, just to name a few.

  • Family/divorce mediation
  • International diplomacy, peacekeeping or humanitarian work
  • Human resources
  • Higher education/adjunct teaching
  • Community organizing
  • Counseling in the public and private sectors 

You will need the following:

  • Bachelor’s degree in any subject from a regionally accredited college or university
  • Official transcripts from the institution that awarded your bachelor's degree or higher. Please request that the registrar(s) send the transcript directly to Dominican, either in paper or electronically. Applicant-submitted transcripts must be submitted in a sealed envelope, signed across the seal.
  • Completed online application
  • Statement of purpose explaining how the degree will fit in with the applicant’s personal and professional goals. Please refer to the questions in the application.
  • Resume
  • GRE scores are not required, but may be submitted to strengthen a candidate’s application 

Before you apply, make sure you review our full application and admission requirements. 

As a graduate student at Dominican, you’ll find the resources to help offset your tuition and costs. Options range from scholarships and student loans to campus employment and graduate assistantships. Contact the Office of Financial Aid to learn more. 

We can be reached at (708) 524-6809 or finaid@dom.edu. 

New applicants to the full Master of Arts in Mediation and Conflict Resolution degree program are eligible to apply for the Change Seekers Scholarship.

Read more FAQs

Program Options

Find more opportunities to understand the nature of conflict with our dual-degree and certificate options.

MMCR/Master of Social Work Dual-Degree Program

Program Options

Find more opportunities to understand the nature of conflict with our dual-degree and certificate options.

Mediation Skills Training Certificate

Program Options

Find more opportunities to understand the nature of conflict with our dual-degree and certificate options.

Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution

For more information,
please contact:

Office of Graduate Admission
Enrollment Management
gradinfo@dom.edu

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