There has been an undergraduate certificate in Conflict Resolution in the Department of Social Sciences since 2000 - now AUT is expanding to cover programmes on Conflict Resolution at all levels, from undergraduate to PhD.

Conflict Resolution is an umbrella term for a whole range of methods and approaches for dealing with conflict: from negotiation to diplomacy, from mediation to arbitration, from facilitation to adjudication, from conciliation to conflict 'prevention', from conflict management to conflict transformation, from restorative justice to peace-keeping. Conflict Resolution is applicable over the whole spectrum of societal relationships, usually referred to as the three levels of 'the personal, the local or the community, and the global'.

Conflict Resolution can be located in a number of different disciplines including psychology, ethics, international relations, sociology, communications, politics, business and the law. The AUT qualifications will be based in the Department of Social Sciences where the academic staff has expertise in these areas. It is also possible to select papers from other Departments within AUT.

From Semester 2, July 2008, enrolments will be taken for the 2-year Masters of Arts (Conflict Resolution) This qualification can also be taken part-time over five years - for more information see the brochure available here. Along with this qualification are offered a Postgraduate Certificate (one semester) and a Postgraduate Diploma (one year), also available part-time.

The Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution is designed to provide an advanced level qualification for people working or seeking to work in fields where human relationships need to be negotiated, where conflict arises and needs to be addressed, and where an in-depth understanding of conflict resolution is required. Conflict resolution approaches such as negotiation, facilitation, mediation, arbitration, and therapy are useful for fields such as business, teaching, government and the human services; and it is the basis for professional practice in numerous areas such as family and drug therapy, restorative justice, peace-making, peace-keeping and peace-building, and alternative dispute resolution used in legal and business settings.

The Bachelor of Arts (Conflict Resolution) will commence in 2009, along with a Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Conflict Resolution programmes at AUT, please contact: Dr. Heather Devere, School of Languages and Social Sciences, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142; tel 09 921 9999 ext 5782; or email.