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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student-teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.

Do you want to acquire a master’s degree in negotiation and conflict management but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best master’s in negotiation and conflict management programs.

What institution did we omit from this list? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.

1. Columbia University, New York, NY

This New York Ivy League institution barely needs an introduction. It is one of the world’s most prominent institutions with academic and research-based strengths in everything from public health to business. Nearly 20,000 graduate learners are studying at Columbia.

Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies has an MS in negotiation and conflict resolution degree. A mix of theory and applied training, this degree program encourages learners to develop effective methods for resolving disputes. Learners will consider differing worldviews, comprehend complex issues, and conflict factors, and learn how to design constructive outcomes. Classes include intraindividual dynamics and conflicts, conflict resolution and dynamical systems, self as instrument: skills practicum, and resolution strategies. This degree program can be finished on campus or through a hybrid of online.

2. Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Georgetown University is a private school with a renowned research focus. Georgetown’s MA degree program in conflict resolution investigates everything from intergroup conflict to community and international negotiations. Students study all facets of conflict resolution, moving from the origin of a dispute to mediation and negotiation to post-conflict peacebuilding. Classes include conflict resolution skills, intergroup relations, applied negotiations, and research design and conflict resolution. This is an interdisciplinary degree program that brings together faculty from the departments of government, psychology, philosophy, and culture, and technology.

3. University of San Diego, San Diego, CA

The University of San Diego serves around 7,000 undergraduate and graduate learners, offering more than 50 academic and professional degree programs. USD has an MS degree program in conflict management and resolution degree. This program can be finished in as few as nine months. USD maintains a holistic look into the knowledge and skills needed to transform conflict dynamics. Learners choose from a broad selection of electives, including trans-border conflict: history and future; war, gender, and peacebuilding; ethnic conflict; and international environmental governance.

Unique to the USD degree program is the emphasis on and requirements on workshops. Learners take three one-credit workshops that help them develop essential skills at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Workshops consist of storytelling and changemaking, intercultural competency, mindfulness, and restorative practices.

4. University of Denver, Denver, CO

The University of Denver is comprised of nearly a dozen graduate colleges and professional schools. Around 11,000 learners attend DU. Learners can obtain an MA in conflict resolution from DU that is simultaneously interdisciplinary and hands-on. The University of Denver trains its learners through its internship and practicum programs. Internships focus on four discrete areas of conflict resolution: interindividual, environmental, public policy, and international. Learners have secured internships all over the country and world.

5. Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA

Kennesaw State University is a public research institution. KSU’s MS in conflict management degree is 20 years old. Learners profit from this long-established degree program in innumerable ways, especially as they pursue research, theory, and practical skill-building. Additionally, this degree program ranges from the micro to the macro, meaning that students learn how to navigate conflict from the interindividual to the international level. Classes include organizational and workplace conflict; critical knowledge and skills of conflict management; study of a specific conflict management environment; and interindividual, intergroup, and community conflict.

KSU provides candidates with numerous ways to become leaders in conflict resolution. Learners can obtain experience in conjunction with an MBA program, which trains them for competitive leadership and management roles, or they can obtain an embedded licensure in either justice and organizations or international conflict management.

6. California State University-Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA

Cal State Dominguez Hills has one of the best programs in the nation and also one of the most reasonably priced. With tuition under $4,000, this MA degree program in negotiation, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding is easily achievable. The program covers an array of concepts, including theories of conflict, communication and conflict, negotiation tactics, and mediation.

This degree program is for people who want to study in areas such as school violence, conflict, and the media, cross-cultural values, and more. The graduate certificate also includes an immersive internship experience.

7. Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD

Salisbury University’s Department of Conflict Analysis has an MA in CADR. Working directly with the University’s Center for Conflict Resolution, learners obtain applied teaching in conflict models, theory, and research. Classes include group processes and complex conflicts; studies in conflict analysis and dispute resolution; structural and systemic conflict and dispute system; and problem solving, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Learners obtain mentoring, extracurricular opportunities, and hands-on training. Indeed, the Center for Conflict Resolution has sent learners around the world to study and enact conflict analysis and intervention research.

8. University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD

The University of Baltimore specializes in business, law, and public affairs. Around 5,500 learners attend UB, split pretty evenly among the undergraduate and graduate programs. UB’s graduate programs consist of everything from public administration to fine arts. The University of Baltimore has a 42 credit-hour MS in negotiations and conflict management degree. Classes include the conflict management profession; understanding and assessing conflict; approaches to managing conflict; and negotiations: theory and practice.

For people interested in the legal issues connected to conflict, UB enables learner to earn a dual JD/MS degree. Learners take classes through the law school, developing the skills and knowledge that are necessary for positions in government, nonprofit, or private organizations.

9. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

The University of Oregon is a sprawling research institution that has garnered the highest classification from the Carnegie Foundation. Around 23,000 learners attend UO. The School of Law has a master’s degree program in conflict and dispute resolution. Learners get hands-on experience through internships and a final project, and they take exciting classes that include cross-cultural dynamics in conflict resolution; mediation skills; negotiation, bargaining, and persuasion; and perspectives on conflict resolution.

At UO, learners have coupled CRES with degrees in law, international studies, environmental studies (one of UO’s best programs), community and regional planning, nonprofit management, and more.

10. Portland State University, Portland, OR

When learners obtain a degree in conflict resolution, they graduate as an expert in analyzing conflict, uncovering the dynamics of conflict, and strategies for negotiating. PSU’s core classes include psychology of conflict resolution, advanced mediation, intercultural conflict resolution, and philosophy of conflict resolution. PSU learners have access to some of PSU’s best resources, which include the Learners United for Nonviolence group, the Conflict Resolution Resource Center, and locale mediation and legal services.