UMass Boston

• Conflict Resolution Certificate  (in person, online, hybrid)
• Conflict Resolution MA
• Global Governance & Human Security MA
• Global Governance & Human Security PhD
• International Relations MA

• Conflict Resolution BA/MA
• International Relations BA/MA

This is a great way to "sample" the programs before applying and evaluate whether it meets your goals and interests. You must have a bachelor's degree to enroll and if you earn a B or better, and are later admitted to one of the degree programs listed below, the credits will count towards degree (maximum of 6 credits allowed).  

• Conflict Resolution MA
• Conflict Resolution graduate certificate (in person, online, hybrid)
• Global Governance and Human Security MA
• International Relations MA

Visit the Bursar’s website to research costs. All courses are subject to regular session rate and New England regional rate is not applicable for non-degree students.

Please visit the guest student section of the Registrar's website for more information regarding non-degree registration.

Contact conresglobal@umb.edu for more information.

If you value practical experience, civic responsibility and academic excellence we invite you to explore our internationally-ranked graduate programs and the pioneering work of our faculty and research centers.

Contact conresglobal@umb.edu for more information.  

Fall 2026 Take a Class (non-degree) Options 

Global Health & Development with Courtenay Sprague Thursdays 4:00 - 6:45 PM The course examines the evolution, key concepts and practice of global health as an emergent field. It is concerned with engaging and exploring the dominant themes, key relationships, and central questions that radiate from the trans-disciplinary field of global health. The aim is for students to critically engage the global public health questions and concerns introduced in the course. Students will apply analytical thinking skills to understand a range of global public health and development problems and trends, implications, and responses.

Issues in World Politics with Ursula Tafe Mondays 5:30 - 8:15 This seminar focuses on contemporary policy problems relevant to world politics. A critical examination of these global policy problems permits the application of key concepts and theories of international relations from a variety of different perspectives at the domestic, national, and international levels. Typically, this course focuses on selected regions or issues as illustrations of broader themes in world affairs.

Theories of International Relations with Michelle Jurkovich Tuesdays 5:30 - 8:15 This course provides students with an introduction to the major explanatory theories and core concepts that define international relations as a field of study. It identifies key agents, examines the historical evolution of international systems, and describes processes and institutions that contribute to various forms of international conflict and its resolution. This course provides a foundation for more specialized course in international relations.

International Development with Yun Kim Wednesday 5:30 - 8:15 This course examines the major concepts and theories necessary for a critical understanding of the social, political, and economic problems and possibilities facing countries in their quest for development. While exploring the domestic determinants of development, the course also considers the role of international institutions and the most powerful countries in shaping the policy options of developing countries, with particular attention to the process of globalization as a recent contributor to the problem of underdevelopment.

Global Governance Thursdays 5:30 - 8:15 Global governance refers both to something empirical -- "what (limited) world government we have" -- and to an approach to the study of global problems, one that highlights the economic and cultural contexts of political globalization and foregrounds the questions of whether and how current processes can be made more effective. Students will become familiar with the variety of theoretical approaches to global governance and knowledgeable about its context, including the globalization of industrial capitalism in which global governance emerged, and about its empirics, what it is today. Students' final papers and in-class presentations will investigate the prospects for reform of global governance in an issue area of their choice.

Negotiation with Jeff Pugh Mondays 5:30 - 8:15 Negotiation is the bedrock skill in this field. The course addresses the development of negotiation techniques and fosters student knowledge of the substantial body of negotiation theory that is now available.

Court Mediation Internship (Weekly class Tuesdays 5:30 - 8:15 plus 2-day pre-court training workshop and half day in court each week) This is a 6-credit course involves both a regular class meeting and spending a half-day per week in court for four months. In court, students mediate actual cases under the direction of a supervisor/coach. Students are paced in courts in Quincy or Dorchester that are accessible by public transportation. There is also a required two-day pre-court training workshop. Completion of the course fulfils requirements of the Guidelines for Implementation of Qualification Standards for Neutrals in Massachusetts.  

Introductory [Conflict Resolution] Theory. 2 Options:

•  in person with Eben Weitzman Tuesdays 5:30 - 8:15 
•  online/asynchronous

This course examines the theories and assumptions underpinning the practice of negotiation and mediation. It identifies the major schools of thought that influence models in practice and shape research agendas. It examines theories critically, with three aims-uncovering implicit assumptions of practice, testing those assumptions against empirical evidence or other theories, and gleaning insights to assist practitioners.

Third Party Interventions in Conflict online/asynchronous  A range of interventions can be used to try to de-escalate, manage, and resolve conflict, and to try to heal relationships and address structural problems that make ongoing conflict more destructive. In addition to individual/internal strategies like meditation and direct bilateral strategies like negotiation, many of the approaches in the conflict resolution field involve skilled third parties assisting those in conflict. This class surveys a range of third-party interventions, from arbitration and ombuds work to mediation, dialogue, and circle processes, among others. It explores the underlying logic and theories of change beneath the various third-party interventions as well as foundational questions of neutrality and positionality, and develops cross-cutting skills like conflict analysis, effective communication, and evaluation. It introduces how various interventions work in practice, and offers opportunities to explore cases, hear directly from practitioners, and practice through applied exercises in order to expose students to the strengths and drawbacks of different interventions for various contexts and types of conflict.

Conflict Transformation Across Borders virtual summer institute. Registration opens March 2, 2026

Summer 2026: Zoom classes on weekdays from June 15-26, 10 a.m. - 1p.m. M-F, plus an
additional asynchronous week June 29-July 2 to complete projects. Class #2654

Spend two weeks this summer learning about peacebuilding, border conflicts, migration, and
conflict transformation together with participants and fantastic guest speakers from all over Latin
America and the world! UMass Boston, in collaboration with Latin American partner universities
in Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Uruguay, will hold their Virtual Summer Institute on Conflict
Transformation Across Borders each summer. Students will enroll through their respective
university and participate in two weeks of virtual (Zoom) classes in June 2026. The Summer
Institute will include the analysis of concrete cases of conflict, peacebuilding, refugees and border
challenges, as well as practical skills training on conflict analysis, actor mapping, negotiation and
mediation and proposal writing, with top-level guest speakers from around the world. Cases
drawn from Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Haiti, Costa Rica, and the United States will provide
concrete examples. Participants will design their own proposal for a peacebuilding Intervention
and will receive feedback from a panel of experienced experts in the field, and they will produce
a 'public engagement' project such as an op ed or podcast episode.

This course will be cofacilitated by Dr. Jeffrey Pugh of UMass Boston's Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance, Dr. Cecile Mouly of FLACSO Ecuador, and Dr. Monica Herz of
PUC de Rio, as well as other speakers.

For more information, contact Kelly Ward Mason at kelly.ward@umb.edu