Master's Degree in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

What kind of career will the M.S. in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution prepare me for?

Students come to our program from a wide variety of backgrounds with all different kinds of career goals. As our Institute continues its growth and developments in the field of negotiation, conflict management, and mediation become more prominent, the range of opportunities will continue to expand.

The field of conflict resolution and mediation is relatively new. Unlike more traditional fields such as law and medicine, there is no typical career path. The absence of a narrowly structured course gives those interested in a mediation degree great flexibility and freedom regarding their professional development and choices.

The interdisciplinary MS in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution is designed to allow students to thrive and advance in this evolving field by enhancing a set of skills that can be applied to many different lines of work.

Werner Institute Professor Bernie Mayer, a pioneer in the field of conflict management and mediation training, has described the roles of professional conflict specialists as falling into one or more of three categories:

  • Ally roles—those who assist parties to engage more effectively. Examples include advocates, organizers, strategists, and coaches.  
  • Third-party roles—those who assist parties to resolve conflict. Some examples of this role include facilitators, mediators, evaluators, and arbitrators.
  • System roles—those who assist in the design and development of systematic approaches to conflict. These include case managers, mediation trainers, and system advisers.

 

Fields with increasing opportunities for trained professionals in these roles include:

  • Corporations, which may use dispute resolution and arbitrators as an alternative to costly legal battles both internally and externally, with human resources departments, and to facilitate international transactions
  • Government agencies, many of which are required by law to offer alternative dispute resolution programs
  • Public policy, which often has an emphasis on collaborative governance
  • Health Care administration
  • Employment and labor relations
  • Relief, development, and peacemaking organizations
  • Education at the secondary and university levels
  • Private practice mediation, consulting firms, and mediation program administration
  • Web and Internet-based business, which by virtue of the “wild west” nature of cyberspace are particularly susceptible to disputes

 

Even employers that do not fall into these categories are increasingly recognizing the value of mediation training and expertise in conflict management and resolution. Conflict and negotiation are inevitable results of social interaction, so the skills obtained through the program—including advanced communication strategies, an understanding of conflict analysis and the dynamics of conflict resolution, and collaborative practice—can be applied to a wide range of professions and career types.

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