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Durham University: Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

Institution Durham University View institution profile
Department School of Government and International Affairs
Web durham.ac.uk
Telephone 0191 334 1000
Study type Taught

Summary

Course details Conflict prevention is built on the principle that, through skilled negotiation and mediation, the most intractable of differences can be settled peacefully. The most effective forms of conflict prevention and peacebuilding balance political with social needs and place a greater focus on local perspectives. They consider the important role played by young people and women, as well as taking into account social factors such as health and the environment. This custom-designed, interdisciplinary MSc examines this specialised field through the lenses of human security, social justice, and diplomacy. You will gain the latest knowledge in areas such as conflict analysis, prevention, resolution and transformation, community-driven reconstruction, and peace processes in the context of contemporary conflicts and broader humanitarian interventions.

Your theoretical understanding and research skills are brought together in the MSc dissertation, while the innovative Humanitarian Intervention Simulation module gives you a chance to bring your knowledge and skills to life in a simulation of a conflict situation. The MSc is likely to appeal to graduates who have a career in government, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, humanitarian organisations, or academia in mind, and to mid-career practitioners looking to enhance their practical skills while placing them within a broader theoretical perspective.

Why Durham University? We are a research-led School offering high-quality learning in essential quantitative and qualitative research methods alongside in-depth study of key areas of political and international theory. Our academic staff have a genuine passion for politics and are leading experts in the study of these areas, as they exist across Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and the wider Muslim world, Africa, and America. Our institutes and research centres support key research agendas by organising guest lectures, running regular paper presentations, and acting as focal points for networking. The learning and research community is vibrant and active and is one of the biggest groups at the University comprising a postgraduate body of nearly 50 different nationalities.

Careers opportunities Our postgraduates achieve successful careers in many fields including local and national government, diplomacy, newspaper and broadcast journalism, the charity sector, business and finance, publishing, law, manufacturing, teaching and academia, and the armed forces. Former postgraduate students have taken up roles with leading employers including the House of Commons, Clifford Chance, Accenture, British Airways, Ernst and Young, British Telecom, Goldman Sachs, PwC, the Royal Navy, House of Fraser, Channel 4, HSBC, Teach First, Black Rock, and the Audit Commission.

MSc

University of Durham

Durham University 

  • World top 100 University: Joint 89th in the QS World University Rankings 2025
  • UK top 10 University: 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 and 6th in the Guardian University Guide 2025
  • 7th in the Complete University Guide 2025
  • World top 30 University for sustainability: 19th in the QS World University Rankings 2025
  • 65th in the world in the category of Employer Reputation. QS World University Rankings 2025

University of DurhamUniversity of Durham

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