Kennesaw State’s School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development will host an open house for students interested in its Masters of Science in Conflict Management program on Friday, Oct. 12.
The open house will feature a question and answer session for students to learn more information directly from the directors of the program, allowing students to gain insight into what the program is and how it works.
Nicole Connelly, a professor of communications in the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development, said that the open house will be open to all who are interested in the graduate program.
“With a Master in Conflict Management you have a skill set that you can apply to any career,” Connelly said. “It diversifies and gives you a different skill set.”
According to KSU’s website, a limited number of students are accepted into the MS in Conflict Management program each fall. The program uses a cohort learning model and students attend classes with the same group of their peers throughout the entire program, which “creates a unique and enriching learning environment,” according to the website.
The program also represents a diverse group of students, according to the website. It states that over 20 undergraduate academic backgrounds are represented, 20 percent of students are international and several ethnicities are represented.
“Conflict management is an innovative and exciting approach to understanding and addressing complex problems ranging from the interpersonal to the international,” according to KSU’s website. “Conflict management professionals have the knowledge to see the opportunities in conflict and the skills to create positive change.”
Connelly said that the full-time, 16-month program allows students to work full-time, working well with most graduate students’ professional schedules.
During the 16 months, students learn negotiation, conflict theory, mediation skills, international peacebuilding and cross-cultural and international conflict management, according to KSU’s website.
The cohort takes one class at a time, totaling nine credit hours per semester, and classes are held on alternating weekends, leaving the rest of the week free for students who work full-time, according to the website.
Many students in the MS in Conflict Management program are also involved in mediating peer issues with the KSU Mediation Clinic, which provides free mediation services to help students, faculty and staff engage in collaborative problem-solving.
The Master of Science in Conflict Management at KSU has been offering this unique program for almost 20 years.
The open house will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in room 246 in the Math and Statistics building on the Kennesaw Campus.