The International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) program has a history that began with the students themselves. Students in the School of International Service called for peace and conflict resolution studies and in the 1980s faculty began to offer courses in peace and conflict resolution studies. It was not long before there was greater demand by students and faculty to have more course offerings in the program and by 1995 a full Master of Arts degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution was inaugurated. With the beginning of the MA degree and later additional dual and joint degree programs, IPCR has grown steadily over the past years.
Now with seven tenure-track faculty identified as IPCR faculty as well as temporary and adjunct faculty who bring a wealth of diverse knowledge and experience of the field, IPCR is a dynamic and growing part of American University. The faculty, staff and students pride themselves on the international, inter-disciplinary, inter-linking aspects of the courses and degree programs now being offered.
With a strong emphasis on the blending of theory and practice, peace studies with conflict resolution students, and always with a search for alternatives to violence, IPCR stands apart as a reputable and unique academic and professional training program. In addition to the graduate degree programs, the undergraduate concentrations, the certificate program and the practical hands-on institutes, there are many related opportunities on and off campus including the Journal for Peacebuilding and Development and the American University Center for Global Peace.
