Peacebuilding and Mediation (MLitt)

1 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of St Andrews

Program Overview

This MLitt gives you a deep, critical understanding of how peace and conflict work — combining theory, mediation practice and community-based peacebuilding approaches. It’s ideal if you want to engage with global and local peace efforts, work in conflict resolution, humanitarian/non-profit sectors, or build a foundation for policy or research around peace, justice and mediation.

Curriculum structure

The MLitt is a one-year full-time programme (two semesters of taught modules, followed by a dissertation).

In the first semester, you take core modules like “Critical Approaches to Peacebuilding” — where you explore the many meanings of “peace,” examine global and local cases of peace-making, and study actors, settings and challenges involved in building peace worldwide.

Alongside that, you study “Mediation: Community and Global Praxis” — delving into forms of conflict mediation (from international diplomacy to grassroots community mediation), understanding historical and theoretical underpinnings of mediation, and learning to assess different mediation processes and their outcomes.

In the second semester, you choose two optional modules from a wide list — for example “Armed Governance”, “Critical Climate Justice”, “Political Economy of Conflict”, “Global Politics of Everyday Life”, or modules on race, caste, human rights, security, development etc. — letting you tailor your learning based on your interests (be it human rights, environmental justice, global governance, conflict economics, etc.).

Finally, you complete a 15,000-word dissertation — an independent research project on a topic you choose (peace process, mediation case-study, conflict dynamics, etc.), under supervision from the School of International Relations.

Focus areas

“Peacebuilding & conflict resolution; mediation practices (global & community-level); critical theory & postcolonial / feminist approaches to peace; conflict & human rights; political economy of conflict; environmental / climate justice; security, governance & social change”

Learning outcomes

“You will master theoretical and critical approaches to understanding peace, conflict and mediation; gain skills to analyse conflict dynamics and peace processes globally and locally; develop capacity to conduct independent, in-depth research; and build analytical tools to evaluate mediation strategies, conflict resolution interventions and peace-building policies.”

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At St Andrews, this MLitt doesn’t just rely on lectures — you become part of a research-driven, community-aware environment, where theoretical knowledge meets real-world thinking about conflict, peace, and social justice. As a student, you’ll be able to draw on strong institutional resources, expert guidance, and opportunities to engage with current debates, practice-oriented training, and independent research.

Here are the concrete forms this experiential learning takes:

Engagement with a dedicated peace & conflict research centre: As the programme is delivered via the School of International Relations, you have access to the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS) — which runs research projects, seminars, workshops, conferences, public-engagement events and collaborative work on peacebuilding and conflict studies. This gives you a network of scholars, practitioners and fellow students to learn from and collaborate with.
Small-group seminars and tutorials — close discussion & critical analysis: Teaching is delivered through lectures, seminars and tutorials, with small class sizes (from about 6 to 20 students) — giving you the chance for active discussion, debate, peer feedback and close interaction with faculty.
Accredited mediation training and practical mediation certification possibility: As part of the course, students receive mediation training in the first semester; this can lead to an accredited certificate in mediation. There are also opportunities for continuous professional development and participation in practice mediation sessions — which can even lead toward registration with relevant mediation bodies (e.g. in Scotland).
Independent research via a 15,000-word dissertation under supervision: After taught modules, you carry out a substantial dissertation research project on a peace/mediation-related topic of your choice — ideal to build research-skills, critical analysis, and produce original work with academic or policy relevance.
Access to the University’s world-class library, archives and study resources: As a St Andrews student you’ll have access to one of the UK’s best university library collections — with deep resources for social sciences, history, conflict studies, and archives — which supports coursework, dissertation research, literature reviews, and theoretical or empirical studies.
Opportunities for practice-oriented exposure and global perspective (via possible MPhil route): For students interested in more hands-on or global engagement — while this applies more to the two-year MPhil option rather than the MLitt — there are links to study placements abroad at partner peace-studies institutes in Europe, and potential placements with NGOs, think-tanks or organisations working in peacebuilding and mediation.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of this MLitt often step into fields where they use their deep understanding of conflict, peace, and mediation to effect real change — common first-step roles include Conflict or Peacebuilding Practitioner, Policy / Research Analyst (Human Rights or International Development), NGO / International Organisation Officer, or Academia / Researcher in Peace & Conflict Studies. With its blend of theory, practical mediation training and research, this programme positions you well for work in international organisations, civil society, diplomacy or policy-research.

Here’s how St Andrews supports you — and what outcomes you may expect:

University services to support employment: The University’s careers centre offers one-to-one career advice, employer-networking events, workshops on application/interview skills, and connection to the global alumni network for mentoring and professional contacts.
Pathways across sectors: According to the programme’s official page, graduates go into sectors including human rights, law, policy research, NGOs/charities, international organisations, civil service and academia — giving you flexibility depending on your interests.
Professional-skill development through accredited mediation training: The programme includes a mediation training course in the first semester, with possibility to get mediation certification — valuable if you aim to work in conflict resolution, community work or NGO / diplomatic mediation roles.
Global recognition and long-term academic value: Being part of a world-renowned research-intensive university gives your degree long-term credibility — useful for international roles, PhD applications or work with global institutions.
Graduation outcomes — academic and practitioner tracks: Many graduates go on to further academic study (PhD or MPhil), or directly into roles with NGOs, international bodies, charities, public policy think-tanks — combining scholarly skills with practical peacebuilder / mediator roles.